Tsukioka Hinata 月岡 雛大 · つきおか

Tsukioka Hinata (月岡 雛大 · furigana つきおか), born January 23, 2005 in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, has one of the most distinctive backstories of any wrestler at Futagoyama Stable. A native of Tokorozawa, Saitama, Tsukioka's path to professional sumo began not on the dohyo (sumo ring) but on the baseball diamond. Before joining the stable in 2020, he had no prior sumo training or competition experience whatsoever — an almost unheard-of starting point for a professional wrestler.

The vast majority of professional sumo wrestlers come to the sport with years of background — either from youth sumo clubs, middle school programs, or specialized high school sumo teams like Tottori Johoku or Saitama Sakae. Wrestlers without that foundation rarely advance beyond the lower divisions. Tsukioka's achievement of reaching the Sandanme level is therefore a testament to exceptional natural athleticism, physical adaptability, and determination.

Baseball and sumo may seem like distant sports, but they share some transferable attributes: explosive rotational power, hand-eye coordination, and competitive mental toughness. Tsukioka has channeled whatever physical gifts developed through baseball into a sumo body that at 169cm and 107kg is compact but powerful for its size.

In January 2026, Tsukioka reached what was then a career high of West Sandanme 48. A setback in subsequent results dropped him to East Jonidan 9 in March 2026, but he rebounded with a 4–3 at West Jonidan 53 in the May 2026 Natsu Basho, earning promotion to East Jonidan 28 for the July 2026 Nagoya Basho. At Nagoya he went 6–1, and that record carried him back into the third division at West Sandanme 43 for the September 2026 Aki Basho — a new career high. There he went 1–6, and the November 2026 Kyushu Basho banzuke has him at East Sandanme 78, still in the third division. At 21, his best sumo years are still ahead of him.

Current rank: East Sandanme 78 for the November 2026 Kyushu Basho (November 8–22, Fukuoka Kokusai Center). Career high: Sandanme 43 (September 2026).

Trajectory: A heavy 1–6 at East Jonidan 9 in March dropped him deeper in Jonidan, but he rebounded with a winning 4–3 at West Jonidan 53 in the May Natsu Basho and then a 6–1 at East Jonidan 28 in the July Nagoya Basho — enough to return him to the third division at West Sandanme 43, a career high, for the September Aki Basho (September 13–27, Ryogoku Kokugikan). There he went 1–6, and the November 2026 Kyushu Basho banzuke drops him to East Sandanme 78 — still in Sandanme. The next-step target: his publicly-stated concern is putting on weight — at 168.6 cm / 104 kg he is among the lightest in the stable; weight gain plus a winning record at Kyushu would help him hold Sandanme and start climbing back.

Originally a baseball player who joined Futagoyama with no prior sumo experience. At 168.6 cm and 104 kg, he is the smallest active wrestler in the stable. His listed dream destination is Australia ("because I love koalas"), and his publicly-stated 2025 goal is "show people my forward-pressing style."

Source: Self-introduction, New Year resolution, debut interview and Q&A videos on Futagoyama Stable's official YouTube channel 'Sumo food' (2024–2025), transcribed from on-screen captions.

From Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. Came from baseball and joined Futagoyama with zero sumo experience — a late starter. In his 2025 New Year's resolution he emphasized 'I want people to see my forward-pressing style.' His biggest concern is putting on weight — at 169cm/107kg he is one of the lighter members of the stable. When asked his dream overseas destination he picked Australia, simply 'because I love koalas.'