“I’ll Be Better Than Before” — Enho Returns to Juryo Three Years After Devastating Neck Injury

A historic first for a former top-division wrestler!

Everyone had been waiting for this day.

Nearly three years had passed since former top-division wrestler Enho (Yūya, 31) disappeared from the spotlight.

On May 10, during the juryo ring-entering ceremony on the opening day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, Enho appeared in good spirits wearing a ceremonial apron featuring the popular snack food “Beaver,” a gift from supporters in his hometown of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

“Enho, welcome back!”

Fans’ banners fluttered in the box seats of Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumida Ward, Tokyo).

It was in the spring of 2017, after graduating from Kanazawa Gakuin University, that Enho—standing 167 cm tall and weighing less than 100 kg—entered professional sumo, inspired by Yokozuna Hakuho. Despite his small frame, he quickly became a fan favorite thanks to his natural athleticism and dynamic style of sumo. He even took part in Hakuho’s yokozuna ring-entering ceremony alongside his senior stablemate Ishiura (now Magaki-oyakata).

However, tragedy struck Enho during the 2023 Summer Tournament, when he was building his career as a sekitori. Although lightweight, he fought head-on against opponents, unknowingly placing tremendous strain on his neck. Looking back on that period, Enho recalls (all comments are his unless otherwise noted):

“A cervical spine injury. I simply didn’t know enough. My arms and legs stopped moving, and I ended up bedridden.”

“What am I doing?”

After being hospitalized for two weeks, he spent day after day staring at the ceiling of his hospital room.

“Even after I was discharged, my life consisted of painstaking rehabilitation, just trying to move my fingers. I could barely walk, and I couldn’t even feed the dog I had at home, so I had to leave it with my parents.”

Eventually, he was given a firm medical warning.

“You should quit sumo.”

If he underwent surgery, he might have been able to return to everyday life. However, there was a risk of lasting aftereffects, and because his goal was specifically to return to the world of sumo, he stubbornly refused the operation.

“If I quit here, I’d just become an ordinary person. I gritted my teeth and held on to one thought: ‘I’m going to reach a point where I can say I was glad I got injured!'”

What happened before is what happened before

As he continued to sit out tournaments through the Summer Basho of 2024, his ranking fell all the way from jūryō to jonokuchi. Following the closure of Miyagino stable, he transferred to Isegahama stable, where he was simply one of the junior wrestlers. He also had to take care of chores such as cleaning.

“What saved me during that time was rice. Since I was a child, I disliked eating plain white rice and could never gain weight, but after an acquaintance gave me a good rice cooker, I came to appreciate how delicious and profound rice can be.”

Before he knew it, he had gradually developed a belly and finally acquired a physique more fitting for a sumo wrestler. He rebuilt the muscles in his neck, and both his physical strength and spirit recovered.

He returned to the ring at the July 2024 tournament. However, starting over from jonokuchi proved far tougher than expected. Although he managed to climb back up to makushita, his results continued to fluctuate.

Then, at this year’s New Year tournament, a major opportunity arrived.

Ranked at Makushita 11, he won six straight bouts. Under Japan Sumo Association rules, a wrestler ranked within the top 15 makushita positions who goes undefeated has a chance at promotion to jūryō. The Day 13 match between Enho and Nobuhara, both carrying six-match winning streaks, created a commotion comparable to a top-division championship playoff.

However, Enho had injured his leg in his sixth bout and ended up losing. Promotion to jūryō slipped away.

As he walked back down the hanamichi, he was surrounded by nearly 40 reporters.

“Um.”

That was all he could say.

His words would not come.

Tears welled faintly in his eyes, revealing just how much that match had meant to him and how bitter the defeat felt.

Two months later—

At the Spring Tournament, Enho was promoted to Makushita 4 and finally achieved a remarkable feat. Finishing with a 5–2 record, he secured promotion back to jūryō, becoming the first wrestler in history to return to jūryō after falling all the way to jonokuchi.

“The ring name ‘Enho’ was given to me by my former Miyagino stablemaster (Hakuho). He encouraged me by saying, ‘Always keep your spirit burning!’ Recently, an acquaintance also told me that ‘Enho’ can mean ‘Phoenix.’”

On the opening day of the Summer Tournament, he displayed the low, sharp attacking style that had always been his trademark and earned his first victory as a sekitori in a long time.

“What happened before is what happened before. I want people to see the new Enho who has been reborn. I will surpass the version of myself from before the injury.”

His newly made lavender-colored mawashi was inspired by Mainoumi (now a commentator), another undersized wrestler who found success in professional sumo.

Keep an eye on “Phoenix” Enho over these fifteen days.

From the May 29, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”