(NOAH) 26 year old wrestler Kaito Kiyomiya talks about the importance of the dojo and generational view


25th April 2023
Rolling Stone Japan

We interviewed Pro Wrestling Noah's former GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kaito Kiyomiya. Interview and photography was done at Noah's dojo. 

As someone who embodies "Noah-ness", he has been active in a wide range of sphere's both inside and outside of the Noah mat. In 2023, he lost to New Japan's IWGP World Champion, Kazuchika Okada and the GHC to Jake Lee, and is currently looking for a resurrection. 
The dojo is a special place for him, he says "It may be brash, but I hope that by showing myself to be active, I hope it will be an opportunity for people of my generation to do the same". He spends another day at the dojo, as he looks forward to a brighter future. 


Interview 

Q: After the match against Okada in February, you tweeted, "Today, I thought I'd give my body a rest, but somehow I felt restless and came to the dojo". Can you change your state of mind when you come to the dojo?
KIYOMIYA: Even before my debut, the dojo had always been where I belonged, and there were times when I would spend all day here. For some reason, when I come here, I feel like I want to calm down and move myself, and when I do move my body, I feel refreshed. You could call it a personal space, somewhere I can turn off the noise in my head. 
Q: Because it's in a quiet place, you can concentrate. 
KIYOMIYA: Yes. I can't help making noise when I am practicing, but I can explain to my neighbors that I do pro wrestling, and they are understanding, so I can do it with peace of mind. Children sometimes come to watch practice. 
Q: Do you often go to the dojo, Kiyomiya? 
KIYOMIYA: The dormitory where the wrestlers and the trainees live is near my house. Usually, I spend my time in the dormitory, and when I practice, I come to the dojo. I come here even on my days off, and I try to come every day as much as possible. 
Q: Aside from joint practice, is there anything else that you do in your daily routine at the dojo? 
KIYOMIYA: In my case, except for joint practice, weight training is my main focus. In joint practice, I do push-ups, sit-ups and a lot of other exercises that don't use equipment, so I focus on training using other weights. 


Q: How long do you usually spend? 
KIYOMIYA: About an hour, but if you concentrate it can be finished within two hours at the most. I usually do weights after joint practice. As routine, joint practice starts at 11:00, and I am usually at the dojo until around 4:00. In the meantime, business will also be done there. For lunch, the trainees make chanko, so we eat the dormitory nearby, and it always feels like a neighborhood, and somewhere you can communicate with the juniors very much. 
Q: How long have you been going to this dojo? 
KIYOMIYA: There used to be a dojo in Differ Ariake, but it was demolished and we had to move. That was January 2018, so about four years ago. This dojo was established just as I was going abroad, and came back from overseas. 
Q: What do you think about when you come alone to the dojo after finishing a big match? 
KIYOMIYA: After the Okada match, the next title match was decided, so as I didn't have much time to stop in the situation, I wanted to think positively about how to proceed. I love pro wrestling so much, and so when I am somewhere I like, I can think of positive things. At that time there was no point in worrying about various things, and so I decided to do my best. 
Q: Is it completely different from how you feel right after a match? 
KIYOMIYA: After a day when I was thinking about what to do, I came to the dojo. I felt really blessed to have somewhere near me where I can immerse myself in pro wrestling, with a ring and equipment that naturally energizes me. 

WHAT WAS GAINED FROM FIGHTING OKADA

Q: Kiyomiya-san, looking back on the Okada match, how do you feel that match was for you? 
KIYOMIYA: Being at the forefront of the pro wrestling industry has always been the focal point in me. In that match, I could feel how far it was to my destination, and I think it was a match in which I could feel that fight and move forward.
Q: The impact of the kick to the face (*in the tag match at the Yokohama Arena on January 21st, Kiyomiya kicked Okada in the face), became a hot topic on social media. 
KIYOMIYA: I don't know if it turned out to be a good thing, but I think that I have to do something that has become a hot topic this time within my own promotion. I think it was because of Kazuchika Okada, who is a top wrestler in the industry and competes elsewhere, is why it became a hot topic. It's not about kicking or not kicking, but in terms of making a topic, I would like to continue with my own promotion. 
Q: I think it was effective in terms of attracting attention to people who don't usually watch pro wrestling. 
KIYOMIYA: In terms of added value, by posting on Twitter, I was able to convey my feelings to the audience, and I think that made the match even more exciting. I was able to learn a lot this time parts other than the match were connected to all parts of the match. 
Q: However, I feel like you couldn't do it without being prepared to kick him in the face. How was that part?
KIYOMIYA: Well, a year ago we had a tag match at the Yokohama Arena (Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Keiji Mutoh & Kiyomiya), and there was a rematch a year later; so I was ready for it. I was also the champion, stood up with the feeling that I would do it, and so my emotions naturally welled up at that time. 
Q: Did you check all the pros and cons of the reactions on social media? 
KIYOMIYA: Yes. Depending on the person, I think it's better not to see it, and I don't think it is because they saw it, but by watching it I wanted to make it my own experience that there are people like this. 
Q: How did you balance your mind? 
KIYOMIYA: Up until now, I've often shut myself away in my own world, but recently there has been a lot of big things going on in Noah, like the event at the Dome, and there was an environment where I could consult with the people around me, and communicating with them helped me a lot. My fellow wrestlers sympathized with me because I was criticized like this on Twitter, and I was also encouraged by the kind words from (Satoshi) Kojima, and the kindness of my seniors. 
Q: Then, have you gotten over it? 
KIYOMIYA: Yes. Now I'm looking forward and not looking back at all, so I've completely snapped out of it.

IDEAL PRO WRESTLING

Q: Kiyomiya, how do you perceive your pro wrestling skills at the present? 
KIYOMIYA: There are still many things that I want to learn and do. I think that I want to grow more and more. Stylistically, I think I'm on the smaller side of the heavyweight division, but to put it bluntly, I can move quickly, and I am confident that I can take passive than someone with a larger body. I believe that such good qualities can be developed.  
Q: Are there any specific parts of yourself that you think you need to improve on?


KIYOMIYA: Yes, it's going to be a somewhat technical topic, but I don't want to lose to anyone when it comes to my stamina and the ability to stand up no matter how many times I'm beaten. I want to pursue professional wrestling as a “receiver” and incorporate it into matches. Fans often say that Noah means receiving, and I feel that if that is perfected, then the style of the match will also change a bit. I think it is also taken in judo and wrestling, but I think its the most prominent part of pro wrestling. That's why I want to be a wrestler who makes good use of being a receiver. 
Q: I see. When you think about it, it's great to have an environment where the ring is close at hand.
KIYOMIYA: Yes. When you stand in the ring and face the opponent, for example when you go to the corner, the opponent will also, then I think of what I should do. That's the image that comes to mind when I look at the ring. 


Q: Before a match when you think about your opponent, do you imagine him while looking at the ring? 
KIYOMIYA: Yes. If the opponent has about the same physique as me, I think about how he is going to come at me, but if it's a big guy and he will attack with weight, so maybe I wonder if I should run outside and take some time. I have an image about that part. 
Q: When you think about it in that way, it's a very creative task, how move within a square space. 
KIYOMIYA: Well, I think it's important because it affects the outcome of the match.
Q: Did you do detailed image training even before the match with Okada?
KIYOMIYA: Yes. 
Q: Your senior, Yoshinari Ogawa, talked about you in the Okada match. He said, "Okada wasn't able to bring out anything that wasn't in Kiyomiya", what do you personally think you had that Okada didn't?
KIYOMIYA: I get a lot of advice from Ogawa-san, so there is probably something that I think it is, but I couldn't say what.
Q: So it's a matter of connecting that to the next? 
KIYOMIYA: Yes, I've never been so thankful. Ogawa-san watched me practice from scratch and taught me the basics of professional wrestling, and all the usual talks are also useful, thank you.
Q: While carrying the thoughts of those people on your shoulders, do you feel a sense of responsibility like "I have to lead Noah and show a new world of wrestling". Do you feel more responsibility than before?
KIYOMIYA: I have always thought that. However, I often face various walls there, and I have been overcoming those walls every day until now, but at the root of that is the feeling that I want to change Noah with people of a similar generation to myself. There are people from the generation that I am practicing with now that I have feelings for, and there's the seniors who took care of me when I was young and allowed me to make my debut with them. My greatest energy and motivation is the desire to spread Noah to the world with my current friends, not the older generation. If there are many interesting matches other than the matches between (Naomichi) Marufuji and (Takashi) Sugiura, who have been leading Noah for a long time, I think Noah will grow and spread even more. I've always wanted to add two or three interesting match forms instead of just one.
Q: Do you feel like you are slowly realizing that? 
KIYOMIYA: Yes, I feel a tremendous energy when I form a tag with a wrestler from the younger generation than myself, and the opponent is from a higher one. Opportunities for younger wrestlers to get involved with belts are gradually increasing, and I feel that Noah is changing at an important time. 

Noah wrestlers to watch out for

Q: If you were to tell someone who knows Noah about a wrestler who they should pay more attention to than yourself, who would it be? 
KIYOMIYA: Yoshiki Inamura. He was a wrestler who entered as a new trainee when I came back from overseas, and I met him for the first time then. He was about the same size as me at the time, but now he's about as twice as big as I am, and even though he has such a big body, he likes small animals, so there is a big gap (laughs). Right now, he is also aiming to be the top of the right, and facing various walls and trying to break them down with the feeling that he is going to smash the smash the obstacles, so I think that there is something that resonates when I watch him. But, the wrestlers that I would like to recommend are all of them, especially the young wrestlers. If I do say so myself, I think Noah has a lot of handsome guys. If you are a woman watching it, then you will definitely be able to recommend one person because there are various cool wrestlers, so I recommend it.
Q: Where do you want to set your sights in the future? 
KIYOMIYA: There are a lot of things that I want to do even more, but when it comes to the non pro wrestling aspects, I have started a YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and a TikTok, so I post a lot on social media. I want to increase the number of people who watch. In terms of pro wrestling, even when I was overseas, I was always thinking about pro wrestling. I want to immerse myself in it so much that I don't have time not to think about pro wrestling. 
Q: It's part of the mindset, right? 
KIYOMIYA: Yes
Q: Professional wrestling is professional wrestling, but apart from that, you would like to use social media as a tool to let many people know about it.
KIYOMIYA: It's an era in which that is normal now, right? I think it would be best to enjoy it.
Q: Using the knowledge of A-SKETCH, who are in charge of promoting Noah, wouldn't it be nice to learn the secrets of entertainment? 
KIYOMIYA: Please help me with the secret of entertainment!
A-SKETCH staff: I hope we will continue to convey the appeal of the wrestlers, so lets continue to do our best together. 


Q: But, I think it's great that the young people are trying to boost the industry. 
KIYOMIYA: I want everyone to do their best so that everyone's feelings of love for professional wrestling can be conveyed to the world and that they know that professional wrestling is so interesting. I hope that everyone's love for pro wrestling will be conveyed to the world, and that they will know that pro wrestling is so interesting. 

  
NOTES

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