古家 お二人とも格闘技というジャンルでご活躍されていますが、始めたきっかけを教えてください。
KENTA 僕は小学生の頃にプロレスのゲームが流行った時期があってすごく好きになって、その後本物を見るようになってからずっと好きになりました。高校生までは野球やっていたので、高校卒業して新しいことやりたいなと思って、プロレスの世界に入ったという感じです。
古家 高校までは野球で甲子園を目指してということなんですね。
杉山しずか 私は、ファイターになりたいわけじゃなかったんです。東海大学の体育学部に入っても、部活には入らなかったんです。周りにはオリンピック選手候補がいた学校だったので、自分は頑張ることをしてないなと思っていたのがきっかけ。そして、体育の教員になろうと思い、武道というかコンタクトスポーツを学ばないと教えられないと思って、街の道場入ったのがはじまりでした。総合格闘技の全国大会がアマチュアであったので、大学の時間は周りのみんなと同じくらい頑張ってみようかなとやっていたら向いてたようで、声かけてもらってデビューすることになりました。
古家 きっかけが教員を目指すところなのですね。ちなみに今の職業をやっていなかったら、今どんな仕事をしていたと思いますか？
KENTA いや～どうですか。でも教員ということでしたもんね。
杉山しずか そうです。臨時教員や非常勤講師として5～6年働きながら試合もしてました。なのでもしかしたら、そのまま教員になっていたかもしれないですね。
Furuya: You're both active in the martial arts genre; could you tell me what got you started?
KENTA: When I was in elementary school, pro wrestling games were really popular, and I loved them. After that, I started watching real pro wrestling and have loved it ever since. I played baseball until high school, so after graduating, I wanted to try something new, and that's how I got into the world of pro wrestling.
Furuya: So you played baseball in high school with the aim of going to Koshien.
SHIZUKA: I didn't actually want to be a fighter. Even when I entered Tokai University's Faculty of Physical Education, I didn't join any clubs. The school had many Olympic athlete candidates, and it hit me that I wasn't really pushing myself, and that was the turning point. Then, I decided I wanted to become a physical education teacher, and I thought I couldn't teach martial arts or contact sports without learning them myself, so I joined a local dojo, and that's how it all began. There was an amateur national competition for mixed martial arts, so I decided to train as hard as everyone else during university, and it seemed I had a knack for it. I got scouted, and that's how I made my debut.
Furuya: So your journey started with aiming to be a teacher. By the way, if you weren't in your current profession, what kind of job do you think you'd be doing now?
KENTA: Hmm, I wonder. But you were going to be a teacher, right?
SHIZUKA: That's right. I worked as a temporary or part-time teacher for five or six years while also competing. So, it's possible I would have continued as a teacher.
KENTA: What would I be doing, I wonder...
Furuya: Was there a possibility of you playing professional baseball?
KENTA: Not at all. (laughs) There was no chance even in high school, so I started pro wrestling because I wanted to try something new.
SHIZUKA: I feel like you'd be involved in some kind of sport where people would cheer for you.
KENTA: Maybe. I would have liked to be a teacher. (laughs)
SHIZUKA: I think you'd be well-suited to being a teacher too. A popular teacher with everyone.
KENTA: A school teacher, perhaps. (laughs)
Furuya: So, both of you as teachers.
Furuya: Is fighting an everyday occurrence for both of you? Or do you approach it with a sense of the extraordinary? For ordinary people, it seems like an extraordinary situation, but I'd appreciate it if you could share your feelings about it.
KENTA: I have an on and off switch. Normally, I'm quite calm, and I don't really like conflict. I'm generally quiet.
SHIZUKA: I'm fighting even in my daily sparring sessions, so sometimes I can't switch out of that mode. For example, if I let myself get a bit sluggish, I feel really bad about it. And if I'm late or oversleep, I worry it might affect key moments in sparring. Then that might affect the actual fight. I have this kind of obsessive thought process, so I'd like to relax a bit more. (laughs)
KENTA: You're very stoic.
SHIZUKA: Am I too serious?
KENTA: You're even fighting hunger right now, aren't you? (laughs)
All: (bursts into laughter)
KENTA: I'm talking, and next to me, it's rumbling.
SHIZUKA: At first, I was thinking, "Can't he speak a little louder?" But then I thought maybe my stomach rumbling would get lost in his voice. You heard everything, didn't you? (laughs)
KENTA: It's happening again!
SHIZUKA: It's hard to concentrate, isn't it? I'm sorry. (laughs)
Furuya Is there ever a moment in your personal life, outside of matches and training, when you feel like you’re "fighting"?
SHIZUKA I try to. I tell myself I have to, but then I eat something. I have that struggle.
KENTA Sweet things? Or something else?
SHIZUKA Meat. I really love yakiniku. Sometimes I even grill it myself at home. It’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? (laughs)
Furuya After a match, or in your personal life, do you ever find it hard to relax?
KENTA If there's a big match coming up, the tension stays with me constantly. On the night after a match, I feel a sense of relief, and experiencing that makes me realize I had been constantly on edge. I'm not consciously aware of it, but if there's a match coming up, even when I'm sleeping, it's always in the back of my mind. On the day it ends, or the day after, I relax, and it's completely different.
Furuya So KENTA, you're very good at switching between work and leisure.
Furuya By the way, could you tell us about your signature moves?
KENTA My signature move is called Go 2 Sleep (GTS). It's a finishing move that I'm very particular about. It's a move I've been using since around 2005, and I've always cherished it.
SHIZUKA Ninja Choke has always been my specialty, ever since I became champion for the first time. It's the move that puts them to sleep. (laughs)
KENTA Well, I'll have to try using the Ninja Choke next time. (laughs)
Umio You created items based on your costumes this time, and I think people who look up to you might buy them. Is there anyone you two looked up to?
KENTA I've always loved watching wrestling, and I was drawn into it by Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa. I wanted to be like them, so I'd say Mr. Kobashi!
SHIZUKA At first, I looked up to the brand "reversal," and I thought Hideo Tokoro, who was featured in it, was cool. I was drawn to it through the brand and the image of mixed martial arts. Among public figures, I like idols. I love how these girls work hard behind the scenes and then dance with smiles on stage. I admire that. Like Momoiro Clover.
Umio Do you go to their concerts?
SHIZUKA Sometimes I do. Across the idol world, and the same goes for athletes, you can clearly see the effort they put in behind the scenes.
Umio It's true, idols and fighters might have some similarities.
古家 デザインや企画をするときに私生活の中での気づきがとても大事なのですが、そういった私生活からの気づきで、技やパフォーマンスに取り入れたりすることはありますか？
KENTA 常にアンテナをはってたりはしてますけど、普段の生活している中でパって出てきたりもしますし、お笑いなどからインスピレーションを感じるときもあります。
杉山しずか 自分は携帯の中がXもInstagramも格闘技のことしか出てこなくなってしまっていて、ずっと見ていますね。今度この技やってみようって保存してるのがいっぱいあるんですけど、保存しただけで終わってしまっていることもいっぱいあります。そんな感じで常に見ていますね。それで普段、生活からというよりかはこれ(携帯)が生活の一部になってしまっているので、格闘技から離れられていないですね。
海瀬 競技者としてもですけど、解説などもされているから情報が必要ですもんね。
杉山しずか そうですね。格闘技イベントの解説させていただくと、選手同士のいがみ合いとか、ゴシップとかもXで見ておくと楽しいですし、話にもなるのでそういう面でも役立ちますね。
古家 僕らも商品とブランドの魅せ方とか、エンターテイメントな部分を結び付けながらブランドとして形作りしていくので、お二人の戦う部分とエンターテイナーとしての立ち位置の関係性が似ているなと思いました。
Furuya: For this collaboration, we created items primarily using reversal's gi fabric, and we also undertook a sustainable initiative by constructing products using the fabric from the wear you two wore as material. We even have products featuring illustrations of you two, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on them once you see them. What do you think?
KENTA: It's spot on! I thought it was a mirror. (laughs)
SHIZUKA: I'm so happy! The silhouette really looks like me.
Furuya: We received several proposals, and the one we thought was really good also happened to be the one reversal agreed with.
SHIZUKA: Thank you very much.
Furuya: Do you usually use smartphone cases or straps?
KENTA: I use smartphone cases. I might not have ever used a strap.
SHIZUKA: I haven't either.
Furuya: Attaching straps to smartphones is becoming popular, and A SCENE develops products centered around such items. Straps are convenient because you can attach them to an eco-bag and use it as a shoulder bag, and this collaboration also allows for such combinations. Among these, the smartphone pocket for this project will be made from your worn apparel as a sustainable project. Each piece will be unique because we'll be cutting out different patterns from the fabric.
KENTA: I'm looking forward to it.
SHIZUKA: Are all of KENTA's made from costumes he wore in matches?
KENTA: Yes.
SHIZUKA: It'll be like a pop quiz, right? Like, "Oh, this is from that time." Or "That looks like that part from that time."
KENTA: When they're finished, give me one. Let's exchange pockets. (laughs)
SHIZUKA What you show at live performances is similar.
FURUYA By the way, KENTA-san, do you have a favorite professional baseball player?
KENTA I've always liked Seibu, so I'd say Akiyama, Kiyohara, and Destrade. They were strong back then, weren't they?
SHIZUKA I also like baseball, and when I was little, I was a Giants fan. Recently, I've been a Yokohama DeNA BayStars fan. I'm going to watch a game soon.
古家 ポケットの話に繋がるんですが、ポケット付きのケースを持ち歩くとしたら何を入れられますか。
海瀬 僕はちなみに1000円札とドアラのステッカーとピカチュウですね。
KENTA 何入れるんだろう。
杉山しずか そういう風に携帯を使ったことが無くってすごい便利だなと。確かにリップとか…マウスピ…。
KENTA さっきマウスピースって言いましたよね？
杉山しずか 結構無くすじゃないですか。よく洗濯しちゃうこともあるので。(笑)
古家 Air Podsとかみんな無くされたりするので。
KENTA Air Podsなら分かるんだけど、マウスピースはちょっと。(笑)
杉山しずか いつも持ち歩くものっていったら。でも言ったあとにおかしいなと静かにしてたんです。(笑)
KENTA あ、流しとけばよかったですね。でも謎が解けなくて、どういうことだろうって。(笑)これだけ持って練習行くことないですよね、道着は持ってますもんね。
杉山しずか そうですね、ストリートで使わないですもんね。(笑)
一同 爆笑
古家 僕は、鍵とか名刺を入れたりしてますね。あとは領収書は結構便利かなと思いますね。
KENTA 領収書を入れるの良いですね。基本カードなんですけど、たまに現金必要なときあるので入れたり、領収書入れられるのは便利ですね。
古家 今回の取り組みのように格闘技とファッションアイテムが交差することについてどう感じますか？
KENTA 難しい質問をするじゃないですか。
杉山しずか KENTA選手が着たものを、ファンの人は着て応援したいっていうのもありますし、自分もそういうかっこよさになれることで繋がるというか。自分のブランドでは無いんですけど、モデルで着てたやつすごく良かったから買ったよ、とか言われるだけで、試合応援してますとはまた違った頑張ろうみたいな気になるのでありがたいと思ってます。
KENTA 確かに、雑誌で着たやつをファンの人が同じものを買ってくれたりすると嬉しいですね。
古家 お二人はグッズの制作とかに関わられたりするのですか。
KENTA なんとなくのアイデアは伝えたりします。自分がファンだったらこういう感じのものが…みたいなものは言ったりします。
杉山しずか 自分がこんなのが良いですって伝えるとまとめてくださるのですが、そうすると、自分が思ってる自分と他の人が思ってる自分が結構違うんだっていう風に思うときもあります。(笑)
古家 僕らの業界も作るものとバイヤーの考えとお客様の需要が違ったりは良くありますよね。
KENTA 逆もあるっていういうことですよね。
海瀬 そうですね。今まででいちばん酷評された展示会のほうが売れたりだとか。過去最高収益じゃんみたいな。(笑)
古家 そういうことも面白いですよね。
Furuya How do you feel about the intersection of combat sports and fashion items, like this initiative?
KENTA You're asking a tough question, aren't you?
SHIZUKA Fans want to wear what KENTA wears to support him, and I also feel a connection when I can become that cool. It's not my brand, but just being told, "I bought that because it looked so good on you as a model," is different from "I'm cheering for you in your matches." It makes me want to work harder, so I'm grateful.
KENTA Indeed, it's nice when fans buy the same items I wore in a magazine.
Furuya Do either of you get involved in merchandise production?
KENTA I convey general ideas. I might say things like, "If I were a fan, I'd want something like this..."
SHIZUKA When I tell them what I want, they put it together for me, but sometimes I realize that the image I have of myself is quite different from what others think of me. (laughs)
Furuya In our industry, too, there are often discrepancies between what we create, what buyers think, and what customers demand.
KENTA And the opposite is true too, right?
Kaise Yes, that's right. Sometimes the exhibitions that received the most criticism are the ones that sold the best. Like, "This is our highest-ever revenue!" (laughs)
Furuya That kind of thing is interesting, isn't it?
Furuya Lastly, please tell us about your activities and plans for July and beyond, as much as you can.
KENTA On July 18th, there's Pro Wrestling Noah's big match, "SUMMER EPIC 2026," at Intex Osaka.
SHIZUKA Nothing has been decided yet at this point...
A POPUP event is scheduled for July 19th in Osaka, followed by Tokyo.
Thank you both in advance. Thank you for today.
