About Sora Ishikawa
Sora Ishikawa (石川宙) is a Japanese competitive yo-yo player specializing in 5A (freehand/counterweight) play. He began competing at a national level by at least 2014, reaching the podium at the World Yo-Yo Contest in that year, 2015, and 2016 — each time finishing third. In 2018, competing at the World Yo-Yo Contest in Shanghai, he won the 5A division for his first world title, described in coverage as a “creative, high energy routine that had everyone on their feet.” He competed for Team YoYoJam through approximately 2015 before joining Team C3yoyodesign, the manufacturer with whom he has remained affiliated since.
Under C3yoyodesign, Ishikawa has developed a comprehensive signature lineup — five distinct yo-yo models and a signature counterweight. The IX (Innovation eXtreme, 2019) introduced a swappable spacer system designed to serve 1A, 3A, 4A, and 5A play within a single throw, reflecting his interest in cross-style experimentation. Subsequent models — the Laevateinn (2021), Stellar IX (2023), and Ghost IX (2024) — iterated toward lighter or more versatile constructions. He also co-designed the Fu-Ring counterweight for PoryKon (2019), which introduced a B-lock retention system of his own invention.
At the 2023 World Yo-Yo Contest in Osaka, Ishikawa won his fourth world title, with observers noting “a new maturity as a player along with style and tech to spare.” He had also claimed the 5A division in both online-format World Contest editions in 2021 and 2022. In 2025 he returned to Prague — site of his first WYYC podium — and won a fifth world title, scoring 93.0 out of 100 in the 5A final. Outside of yo-yo, Ishikawa works as a professional illustrator and personally designed the logo artwork for the Ghost IX.