 |
 |
Tokyo, December 1963: It was a funeral fit for a king. Thousands of people
poured in from all corners of Japan to bid fair well
to one of Japans greatest national heroes. The great
Rikidozan had fallen to a premature, unexpected death
at the age of 39, leaving the entire nation in shock
and sorrow. In his short career, he had managed to
capture the heart of a nation and restore in the
Japanese people the pride that had been lost in World
War 2. Rikidozan, the quintessential Japanese hero and
pioneer of Japanese pro wrestling, was both a warrior
and a symbol. A symbol of unrelinquishing strength and
Japanese ingenuity. The mark he left on Japanese
wrestling can still be seen today in every aspect of
the sport.
The father of Japanese pro wrestling or puroresu as it
came to be known in Japan, began his martial arts
career as a Sumo wrestler at the young age of 15.
Mitsuhiro Momota, later to be self named Rikidozan,
bound for Tokyo where he hoped to gain entrance to
one of the many prestigious Sumo
stables. Rikidozan threw himself into the grueling and
intense training schedule of Sumo wrestling which
involved continual abuse from his superiors, brutal
training regiments and backbreaking exercise. But the
heart and fighting spirit that was to make Rikidozan a
national hero drove him forward while he progressed
steadily up to the high ranks of the Sumo world. At
the age of 25, Rikidozan had achieved the status of
Sekiwake, two ranks below the title of Yokozuna or
Grand Champion and had become a recognized face
throughout Japan. Rikidozan's Sumo career however came to
an abrupt end when his temperament led him to argue
with a stable referee. In a fury Rikidozan left Sumo,
vowing never to return. The knowledge and experience
Rikidozan had gained through Sumo would prove to
become an integral part of his wrestling philosophy.
Rikidozan immediately found work as a construction worker
and continued his training but this time he met the
great Karate master Oyama Matsutatsu, the founder of
Kokushin Karate. It was during this time that Rikidozan
took on the name Rikidozan (Strong/Unyielding mountain
road) and mastered his famous karate chop which would
prove to be his signature move within the wrestling
ring. It was at this time that Rikidozan was discovered by
the American wrestler Bobby Bruns who was running a
tour of Japanese and American wrestlers in Japan. Rikidozan
debuted on October 28, 1951 fighting Bobby Bruns to a
10 minute draw. Bruns imediately signed Rikidozan up and
brought him to Hawaii where Rikidozan won his first tag team title.
He proved to be a
sensation overseas, fighting more than 260 matches and losing only five.
Rikidozan returned to Japan in 1953 and
founded the Japan ProWrestling Alliance (JWA) which
was to become the means through which Rikidozan would touch
the lives of the entire Japanese population.
The actual opening of the JWA took place on the nights
of Feb 19-21, 1954. Rikidozan and Masahiko Kimura,
the greatest Judoka, teamed together to
take on the International Tag Team Champions, the
Sharpe Brothers. Tens of thousands of Japanese
swarmed to parks and stations to watch the TVs set up
exclusively for the ground breaking match. The bout
was broadcast live throughout the nation. The Sharpe
Brothers took on the role of heel, biting and kicking
Rikidozan whenever the ref was occupied. In a fury,
Rikidozan let loose his trademark karate chop, beating
both Americans down for the three count pin. The
unbelievable had been accomplished. A Japanese had
defeated an American by using Japanese tactics, and
the nation was in ecstatic uproar. Many historians
credit this match as one of the factors that fueled
the Japanese economic miracle with its positive impact
on the nation. Japan had regained its confidence and a
new formula, which would prove to become a cornerstone
of pro wrestling up till the present, had been
introduced. The underdog Japanese defeating the
overbearing American.
NEXT PAGE
| |
|
|