Office for Sports Promotion

Kaishu Morikawa has loved exercising on the mat and moving his body since he was a child.He started wrestling at the age of four, at the urging of his father, who was a martial arts fan.

Morikawa is now one of the top wrestlers of his generation, but when he first started wrestling, he was overwhelmed by the power of fighting someone and was paralyzed by fear.There are days when he can't win even if he participates in tournaments.I don't want to go to the wrestling ring anymore.I almost gave up many times.His turning point came when he was in kindergarten.It was her first time participating in the National Boys and Girls Wrestling Championship, and she won her first victory.From then on, she achieved the feat of winning seven consecutive championships until she was in the sixth grade of elementary school.
 ``When I won the gold medal for the first time, I thought, ``I want more!'' I was happy that my parents and coaches praised me so much. From then on, I started to put more effort into my practice, and I started to enjoy wrestling. .”

In elementary school, students competed against each other in the same grade, but in junior high school, students began to compete against students in other grades.Although he was expected to win the 6kg class of the National Junior High School Championships (hereinafter referred to as ``Zenchu'') in June, where he competed as the elementary school champion, he lost to a player one year older and came in second place.It was a disappointing debut match for Morikawa, who boasted of being invincible in the same grade, but learning that he lost here made him even more determined to win.With the encouragement and support from those around him, his days of fighting from champion to challenger began.
``When I was in elementary school, I just worked hard at wrestling.However, when I became a junior high school student, I realized in my first match that I couldn't win just by wrestling.I also realized that I was supported by my club members, coaches, and parents. It was around this time that I became stronger and started to feel like we were friends.Therefore, I couldn't afford to lose, not just for myself, but also for the sake of my teammates who were working hard together.I started going into matches with that mindset. Ta."

In November, he won the National Junior High School Selection Championship (hereinafter referred to as ``Senbatsu'') in the 11kg class.After that, in the second year of junior high school, she won the 38 kg class and the 2 kg class for all junior high school students, and in the 38rd year of junior high school, she won the 42 kg class for both the junior high school and senbatsu, and continued to win as she moved up the weight classes, becoming the junior high school champion.

When he became a high school student, unlike when he was a junior high school student who only worked hard at wrestling, he now had to balance his studies with the possibility of going to university.There were days when he couldn't attend classes due to away trips, training camps, and games, which bothered him.At times like these, his friends and classmates helped him.
 ``At school, we have quizzes every day, so whenever I don't understand something, I ask my classmates to teach me something.When I miss a class, I ask my friends and classmates to lend me their notebooks. I am very grateful.”
 Morikawa's success is due to the support of those around him.

Morikawa's winning meal is "castella."
 He eats his favorite castella cake 30 minutes before the match to calm himself down.Moreover, she loves sweets so much that she not only eats them but also makes them.
 ``I like cookies, and when I tried making them they were delicious, so I used to make them often for a while.However, I found it a pain to use an oven.So lately, I've been addicted to making rare cheesecakes that can be made just by cooling them.However, I... I don't like rare cheesecakes... so my family eats the cakes I make (lol)."
 Making sweets seems to be a change of pace for Morikawa.

Morikawa, who devotes himself to wrestling practice every day, enjoys ``hanging out with his friends from school.''It is said that he often goes out for fun on a whim rather than planning it. ``I was talking to a friend and we talked about climbing a mountain!That week, we went to Mt. Takao on my day off.Also, it was not a beginner's course, but an advanced course (lol).It was tougher than I imagined and I was exhausted. However, the sense of accomplishment and exhilaration I felt after climbing the mountain was exceptional!”
 Morikawa seemed to be having fun talking about the time he spent playing with his friends, and it was clear that he was having a fulfilling high school life.This time probably supports his competitive life.