A former top-division sumo wrestler and a second man were arrested on suspicion of assault after a man in his 40s was punched in the face on a street in Fukui, leaving him briefly unconscious, police said. The victim suffered a fractured skull and injuries that will take three months to heal.
The wrestler, Ken Ueyama, 29, fought under the name Kisenosato and reached the tenth rank of the makuuchi, sumo's top division. He was fired by the Japan Sumo Association in 2021 after using cannabis while ranked in the second-tier juryo division. His specialties were thrusting and pushing.
The second suspect is Rikiya Kagawa, 45, who describes himself as working in consulting. Both were arrested on Oct 28, 2026 on suspicion of injury — the Japanese charge covering assault causing injury.
Argument on a Fukui street
The two are suspected of arguing with the man at around 10:30 p.m. in late July 2026 on a street in Fukui city, then punching him in the face. He lost consciousness for a time.
Police also arrested a 60-year-old man identified as the head of the Miyahara-gumi, a gang affiliated with the sixth-generation Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest organized crime syndicate. He is suspected of taking Kagawa to a restaurant to shelter him, a charge of harboring a criminal.
Police have not disclosed whether any of the three admit or deny the allegations.
A career cut short
Ueyama's dismissal in 2021 came after he admitted using cannabis, a case that drew wide attention in a sport that presents itself as strict about discipline. Under sumo rules, a wrestler fired over a drugs offense loses his standing in the association entirely.
The assault investigation is being handled by Fukui prefectural police. No further details on the circumstances of the argument have been released.