Kouga 厚雅 · こうが

Kouga (厚雅 · furigana こうが) is a professional sumo wrestler born December 12, 2005 in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. His real name is Nakanishi Tomonari (中西 朋誠). He competes for Futagoyama Stable (二子山部屋) and made his professional debut at the September 2021 Aki Basho at age 15.

Per the Japan Sumo Association's official profile, Kouga stands 177.0 cm and weighs 120.6 kg. His career-high rank to date is Jonidan 61 (序二段六十一枚目); for the September 2026 Aki Basho he is ranked West Jonidan 60 (西序二段六十枚目), having climbed within Jonidan after a 4–3 at West Jonidan 95 in the July Nagoya Basho.

Kouga is one of three Mie Prefecture-born wrestlers' generation that has joined Futagoyama in recent years. Matsusaka, his home city, is best known nationally as the home of Matsusaka beef (松阪牛) — among the most famous wagyu varieties in Japan. He turned 20 in December 2025 and remains in the early developmental phase of a professional sumo career.

Current rank: West Jonidan 60 for the September 2026 Aki Basho. Career high: Jonidan 60 — his current rank.

Trajectory: A 4–3 winning record at West Jonidan 95 in the July 2026 Nagoya Basho moved him up to West Jonidan 60 for September. The next-step target: his stated goal is reaching 140 kg target weight (currently around 120 kg); further winning records would carry him further up the Jonidan banzuke.

From Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. According to existing site documentation, his great-great-uncle was former Yokozuna Mienoumi — a notable family bloodline in sumo. Trained intensively at his uncle's house in Matsusaka before formally joining the stable.

Nakazori (中剃り) — literally "middle shaving" — is the traditional sumo grooming practice of shaving the crown of the head to maintain the foundation of the topknot (chonmage) or Ōichō hairstyle. Since August 2024, Futagoyama Stable's official YouTube channel "Sumo food" has documented Kouga's nakazori on at least seven separate episodes, making it one of the channel's recurring fan-favourite segments. Kouga himself has remarked on it in subtitled lines like "once you do nakazori…", "I just got my nakazori done", and "yes, nakazori" — and stablemate Kuwae once introduced him on camera as "Kouga, fresh from his nakazori".

Source: titles and on-screen captions from the stable's official "Sumo food" YouTube channel, in chronological order.

Kouga's nakazori-related quotes (from on-screen captions):

Nakazori is typically performed every 2–3 months, depending on a wrestler's hair growth and the upcoming honbasho schedule. Because Kouga's hair density and the resulting shape vary slightly each time, viewers can compare each round visit to visit — which is precisely why this segment has become a recurring fan-favourite on the stable's channel.

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 Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. His great-great-uncle was former Yokozuna Mienoumi — a notable sumo bloodline. Before joining the stable he trained intensively at his uncle's house in Matsusaka ('they really put me through it,' he recalls). His current personal goal is 140kg, and the recent plateau in his weight is his biggest worry. A regular on Futagoyama's most-watched YouTube segments (mid-shaving rituals, deserted-island shoots) and a confirmed mood-maker of the stable.