Aahana Swrup
The short Netflix 2018 documentary, ‘Little Miss Sumo,’ delves into the career of Japanese Sumo Wrestler Hiyori Kon, one of the leading female faces of the sport in her country. Since Japan prohibits women from professionally partaking in Sumo due to age-old traditions, the female athlete’s journey remains full of obstacles. Nevertheless, her skill and prowess in The Dohyo have earned her a distinguished place within relevant circles. Since the documentary’s release, Kon’s fame has only grown, with her career taking her down new paths. As such, fans of the sportswoman are bound to remain intrigued about the current trajectory of her career.
Hiyori Kon’s Impressive Start in Sumo Wrestling
Hailing from Japan’s Aomori Prefecture— the hometown of various known Sumo Wrestlers— Hiyori Kon developed an early interest in the sport of Sumo Wrestling and participated in it throughout school. However, the gender gap between male and female athletes within the sport quickly caught up to her, as she became the only female member in her junior high school’s sumo club. Nevertheless, she never gave up on the sport and kept practicing, equipping all resources that were available to her. For the first three years of participating in the sport, she didn’t lose a single match, even the ones against male competitors.
Kon’s efforts first paid off in 2014, when she participated in the Women Junior World Sumo Championships’s heavyweight division and won the competition. Afterward, she carried over the win into the following year. Consequently, the young athlete earned national and international recognition. Shortly afterward, in 2017, she caught the attention of filmmaker Matt Kay. He happened to be visiting Ritsumeikan University, where she was a student. From there, Kon’s stellar relationship with the world of Female Sumo Wrestling and Kay’s interest in the same led to the inception of the documentary, ‘Little Miss Sumo.’
Hiyori Kon Received Various Accolades for Her Work
As depicted in ‘Little Miss Sumo,’ Hiyori Kon participated in 2018’s World Women’s Sumo Championship, coming in as a runner-up after losing to Russian athlete Anna Poliakova. The significant loss was a first for the Japanese wrestler, who had a difficult time dealing with the lack of success. “It was really hard— there was even a point when I thought I wasn’t worthy of being the Japanese representative,” she told Japan Forward in a 2020 interview. “What I often hear is that foreign athletes start sumo as a hobby to complement their training for wrestling, for example,” she added. “So, they use a variety of techniques in their fighting, which makes them very strong.”
Nonetheless, Kon didn’t let the loss dampen her spark and remained steadfast in her path. As a result, she returned to the competition in 2019 as the Japanese representative and earned another Silver Medal. The same year, she earned a spot on BBC’s 100 Most Inspiring and Influential Women list. Furthermore, she forrayed into different sectors of the sport in August of the same year and became a commentator for the first Naughty Sumo Women’s National Tournament. Eventually, her consistent success in her field and her inspirational domination over a sport that professionally excluded her heightened the athlete’s influence in the sports world. In 2020, she made it into Forbes’ 30 under 30 entertainment and sports list.
In the following years, Kon remained a constant participant in the sport, partaking in various events. Eventually, she earned a sponsorship from Aisin Seiki, a Japanese corporation, becoming their first female member. She continued seeking out opportunities for her to compete in tournaments and earned a silver medal in the women’s open weight division at the 2022 World Games. She also attended the third Naughty Sumo Women’s National Tournament as the commentator and was a part of that year’s Sumo Show Time, where various female Sumo athletes gathered.
Hiyori Kon Had a Regular Job Outside of Sumo
For a long time, Sumo Wrestling— within a professional capacity— has only existed as Grand Sumo or ōzumō, observed by Japan’s Sumo Association. Therefore, since the association doesn’t allow female athletes to participate in the sport, individuals like Hiyori Kon can only participate in amateur Sumo. As a result, the sport remains a challenging industry for women to make a living out of. As such, despite her worldwide fame, Kon used to live in Kariya, an industrial city, where she had a small one-bedroom apartment.
Likewise, Kon also worked a full-time job at a car parts company, likely Aisin Seiki. The company held an appreciation and respect for Sumo Wrestling and made accommodations for her to attend her national and international tournaments while employed. Furthermore, they also welcomed her into their Corporate Sumo Club as the first female member. While maintaining a connection to the Sum World still remained difficult for Kon, she continued juggling a full-time job with training and tournaments. “I often wish that Sumo, as a modern sport for women and men alike, could become a profession or reach a level where people could earn a living,” said the athlete in a conversation with ABC News.
Hiyori Kon Has Exited Competitive Sumo Wrestling
Hiyori Kon maintained a long career in Sumo Wrestling, which was full of achievements and accomplishments. Consequently, at a young age, she has already become an inspiration for the next generation. However, on November 13, 2023, the athlete announced that she would take her leave from the sport for the foreseeable future. Consequently, she exited her partnership with Aisin Seiki and decided to pursue a different path. Her decision seems to have been partly driven by her 2023 participation in the Sumo World Championship, where she lost a match to the Ukrainian wrestler Ivanna Berezovska.
Even so, Kon celebrated Berezovska’s win after the championship since the two have been friends for some time. In fact, they even trained together in the lead-up to their match. The other, more pressing reason behind Kon’s exit remains the exhaustive efforts she has already put into advocating for women in Sumo’s male-dominated industry. Nonetheless, she isn’t stepping away from her dream of bringing gender equality to the sport and continues working toward ensuring Sumo gains international recognition and appreciation.
Hiyori Kon Moved to Argentina as a Part of an Aid Program
While Hiyori Kon was still competing in tournaments, she used to spend her free time training young kids at Ota Arashi Sumo Club. Likewise, after she had exited from competitions, she dabbled in consultation for kids interested in sumo wrestling. Furthermore, she also had an interest in international cooperation and cross-cultural communication during her university days.
As a result, Kon became a JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteer in her absence from competitive sumo wrestling. Even though the position was originally only geared towards men, the former athlete managed to earn the job. “I’ve made up my mind that I want to spend the next two years to grow as a person,” she shared. “I hope through sumo—I can help children all over the world enjoy sports, to overcome hardships, and to grow as a person.” Thus, Kon moved to Argentina in April 2024, where she will reside for the next two years as an Overseas Cooperation Volunteer.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Kon trains others in the sport of Sumo Wrestling. Some of her students recently participated in the South American sumo championship at the beginning of June 2024. She trained for the event throughout May and also attended a gathering for people who immigrated from Aomori to Argentina, basking in their shared experiences and connections. On the day of the Sumo competitions, Kon refereed the matches. In an Instagram post about the same, she praised the Argentinian players and joked about being sad to refrain from participating herself for the sake of fairness.
Kon also attended the Brazilians and Chileans seminar the next day and later celebrated others’ victories with her friends. Despite her decision to stop competing for the time being—the Sumo Wrestler retains relevance in female athletic circles. As such, fans can often find her featured in magazines and interviews for the same. On the other hand, she seems to have swapped out Sumo training for linguistic lessons for now as he strives to become fluent in Spanish.
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