 Soon after, his mother changed the reading of their name to "Hashimoto", as the surname Hashishita is linked to Japan's disadvantaged "burakumin" community.Hashimoto and his mother and sister moved to Suita, Osaka when he was in the fifth grade, and then to Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka the next year.As a student at Osaka Prefectural Kitano High School, Hashimoto played in the National High School Rugby Tournament as a member of the school rugby team, which was one of three champions from the Osaka prefectural tournament.