{"id":824,"date":"2023-07-24T13:41:06","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T04:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workmill.jp\/en\/?post_type=webzine&p=824"},"modified":"2023-09-07T14:20:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T05:20:07","slug":"second-career-sumo","status":"publish","type":"webzine","link":"https:\/\/workmill.jp\/en\/webzine\/second-career-sumo\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a Second Career: Story of a Sumo Wrestler Turned Nurse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Choosing a second career can be daunting, yet many often seek a new profession, either by choice or out of necessity. After a successful career as a rikishi that spanned 18 years, Keisuke Kamikawa retired from the sumo world and wondered, “What am I going to do now?” He was 33 and had no experience in any other job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Kamikawa was only 15 and fresh out of junior college when he began his journey as a sumo wrestler. His father’s friend, a former wrestler, had suggested the profession to him during a visit, and he decided to give it a try, kickstarting almost two decades of intensive training and fighting while dreaming of becoming Yokozuna, the grand champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fighting under the name Wakatenro, Kamikawa only reached the Juryo 2 rank in September 2010 before he retired less than a year later. Several years after his retirement, many still recognize him as a wrestler in Ryogoku, where there are many sumo stables, but he’s found himself a home in a new career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Keisuke
Keisuke Kamikawa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An Unlikely Second Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Kamikawa was not the first person to retire from sumo wrestling. With the average retirement age pegged somepoint in the 20s, many wrestlers have had to choose to commit their lives to a new occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“One of the most famous second careers for a rikishi is becoming a “oyakata,” or stablemaster, who owns his own stable; stable ownership involves coaching young wrestlers,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Kamikawa, like many of his colleagues, would have considered becoming an oyakata, he knew his chances were slim, given the stringent qualification requirements, which allowed for selecting only one or two people each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Keisuke<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, many retired wrestlers work in restaurants, graft clinics, security and related jobs, but none of those caught Kamikawa\u2019s attention. \u201cRestaurants are sticky because there are so many former rikishi there, so I eliminated them as an option,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unable to immediately choose a new career, Mr. Kamikawa decided to get a high school diploma for the time being<\/em>. During that program, he heard from a classmate from elementary school who worked at a day care service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I thought maybe I can make use of my experience as a wrestler if I work as a caregiver, so, with no experience working at a day service, I launched the first store, \u2018Day Service Hanasaki,\u2019 in 2013,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kamikawa
Mr. Kamikawa during his active career<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
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