――I heard that your master had judo experience as a child. Has your body grown since then?
When I was in kindergarten, as far as I can see in the picture, I was one head taller than the other children around me. I gained 10kg a year, and by the time I was 5 or 6 years old, I was already around 50kg. I was naughty and played in the park and the sea from morning to night. I was big, but I was fast on my feet, and I’ve never finished second or lower in a race. I loved biking, running and swimming. From that time on, my hobby was observing people, and I think I was a precocious kid who liked playing with adults more than friends (laughs).
I started judo because my father was a judoka, and I started judo when I was 3 years old. His father passed away when I was five years old, but he remained an Olympic candidate and taught judo as a police station instructor. Under such a father, I received a Spartan judo education from a young age. But once I entered elementary school, I quit and joined the soccer club. I was in the soccer club until the 3rd grade of elementary school, the baseball club for one year from the 4th grade, and started judo again in the 5th grade, and came in 3rd place in the national competition.
――The fact that you were able to play any sport means that you had good motor nerves. How did you feel about playing soccer and baseball?
In soccer, I had a good running position, but I was made to be a goalkeeper because of my size (laughs). Our school was strong and there weren’t many keeper jobs, so it wasn’t fun. When I played baseball, I was the 4th catcher in the 4th grade. Again, the pitcher or third was really good. Unfortunately, I quit because I didn’t agree with the instructor.
