(NOAH) Dandyism? It's not like that.
c. February 2002
Support for Hiromichi Fuyuki, participation in friendship with other promotions...listen to the "Man's Aesthetics" by Mitsuharu Misawa.
If you hear the name Mitsuharu Misawa now,
Everyone cannot help but associate the words "Masculine honor" and "Chivalrous spirit".
Support for Hiromichi Fuyuki's retirement, Masahiro Chono's call to participate in New Japan*...Misawa's quiet behavior shook the heart of fans.
What is the basis of Mitsuharu Misawa's honor as a man?
I hit up Mitsuharu Misawa directly.
Q: Today, I would like to ask you a lot about Misawa's dandyism.
MISAWA: What!?
Q: To begin with, I would like to ask about the retirement drama of your ally, Hiromichi Fuyuki. In 2002* on the 7th April, you will have a singles match for the first time in nineteen years, in Pro Wrestling Noah. On the 8th, it turned out that Fuyuki urgently needed surgery for bowel cancer, and on the 9th he officially announced his retirement at the Fuyuki Army Korakuen Hall event. On the 14th you made a surprise visit to the venue to arrange Fuyuki's retirement and promised a full co-operation with WEW (Fuyuki's new promotion) at Kawasaki Baseball Field. Did you hear about Fuyuki's cancer, and make a quick decision without hesitating?
MISAWA: Right. I had a discussion with Fuyuki's wife, but I wasn't sure about the details though. She said "As he went to the venue, my husband said he would would hate to end it today at Korakuen". I was struck when I heard that. Was it the case that he couldn't do a retirement match? "I don't know much about pro wrestling, so with you being the case, my husband will listen. Please go Misawa." Even more so, I think there is a part of Fuyuki's feelings, that he is ending with a match with me. If there is a likelihood that (retirement) can be done, even if it is a situation where it cannot be done, be that as it may, there may be a likelihood so, I heard that the venue (Differ Ariake) was vacant, and I decided to do it.
Q: Why did you do that for Fuyuki?
MISAWA: It's not a difficult reason. He's a friend. There is a lot of hubbub around me, but for me, this isn't a big deal. If I had checked the venue and couldn't do it, so it's okay, wouldn't that be the story? It was a good experience for me. Even without a day planned, I knew I could do it (so tough) it worked so well that it was good to routinely move this much (energetically) (laughs)
Q: On May 2nd, in response to Masahiro Chono's call, you suddenly competed in the New Japan Tokyo Dome event* and made your first singles match, which was described as "a masculine feeling" by Chono. On that day you used an Octopus hold, but was there no opposition to using that technique?
MISAWA: That's not the case. For me there was no pressure, and I was able to have the match at ease.
Q: Misawa-san, there was a stereotype that you would never use Inoki's special move. You betrayed that in a good way.
MISAWA: Hahahahahaha!!!
Q: Did you have a desire to show something different, or to surprise your fans?
MISAWA: I didn't have that much desire. At the time, there were some things that were quirky.
Q: The provocation against your opponent?
MISAWA: Rather, the rival promotion (New Japan)
Q: Was it your intention when entering enemy territory?
MISAWA: That's right
Q: With the flow coming from the All Japan era, Misawa has a definite image of someone like this, someone who would never do that kind of thing. But lately you have been involved with Chono, Shinya Hashimoto and Naoya Ogawa, sending wrestlers out to indie rings. You are taking actions that I can't imagine from your image so far.
MISAWA: So that I can be myself, isn't that the only thing I can do at that time? It's okay because I have done what I want to do, but I also want to give the younger wrestlers as many chances as possible. Oh, there are some things that I can't do, so I'm in trouble if I don't realize that.
Q: How do you feel about going to other promotions?
MISAWA: It's different when having a match in your own promotion, and when doing it another promotion. But, you are more careful when you are in your own.
Q: Is that so?
MISAWA: Even during the Chono match, I didn't feel the tension and the pressure as much as when I fight in my own ring. As the people around me said, it wasn't the best of me, but rather I'm now more under pressure when I fight my younger wrestlers. There is no such thing as being able to fight with the same generation (like Chono) without feeling any pressure, but when you fight with a younger wrestler, you oddly think of how to fight to improve your strength. If they can do a trick that their seniors can't, then I can't complain.
Q: Did you desperately do that yourself in the All Japan era?
MISAWA: Rather, in the old days, (young wrestlers) couldn't make such an assertion as a wrestler. Even if I tried to bring out good things, I wasn't so assertive*. Now I am trying to bring it out myself, so I want to bring it all out.
Q: From your perspective, where the young wrestlers in the All Japan era, restricted?
MISAWA: There was no assertion, right?
Q: Was there that kind of atmosphere?
MISAWA: Implicitly we were young, I was angry when I did a powerful move
Q: But when you were a young man you used the senton and plancha madly.
MISAWA: You just have do something that your seniors can't do, I had to look for that kind of thing. If it is something your seniors can't do, then they can't complain.
Q: Yes, there was that kind of "knack". But, wasn't there something like "a youngsters tendency of flashy skills?"
MISAWA: There was. But, if you have the basics and do the technique well, they can't complain. However, even with a dropkick, even if my seniors couldn't do it there were times when I was given a lecture. "I can't do it, but.." I used to think, if you can't do it, then you can't tell me (laughs)
Q: You would be criticized if you did it half heartedly.
MISAWA: These days, my own young wrestlers are practicing and studying my techniques, and I am looking forward to seeing new skills. Once upon a time, Yoshinari Ogawa asked me "Can I use Tiger Driver", I said "It's okay, use it, use it".
Q: As a wrestler, do you think that from you new techniques and new possibilities will emerge more and more?
MISAWA: I think so. At night, before going to bed, I think of new techniques.
Q: For a long time?
MISAWA: That's right
Q: Could you give any hints for these new techniques?
MISAWA: No. In my case, one day it suddenly comes to mind.
Q: Like the Tiger Driver or the Emerald Flowsion?
MISAWA: Yes. Because my body was small, the techniques are twisting ones as it was impossible to do power techniques. The Emerald Flowsion and the Tiger Driver are techniques that can be done with the momentum of rotation, and I think about how to lift the opponent from that point of view. Sometimes, (a new technique) comes to mind on the day of the title match, but if there is no inspiration and it is boring, it won't come up.
MISAWA: I use it in the actual match. It was the same when I bought out the Tiger Driver 91 when I fought with Taue (Akira) at Korakuen. When you can work with someone so well, dropping works as it is (laughs). The self made method is miserable, but that is the way it is, but if I didn't try then myself and the opponent it would be big. So it's better to take the plunge when doing it.
Q: Is this something that does not emerge unless you think about it on a regular basis?
MISAWA: But even if I think too much, it won't happen.
Q: Misawa-san, isn't that the type that is more effective when driven to the limit?
MISAWA: It looks that way. The offensive is fast, as if somehow I don't want to have the regret that rather than competing head on, I ran away at the time.
Q: Speaking of the last minute, even when you are in the ring and taking your opponents technique head on, at the last minute you will fight back from the situation. It's an odd story, but your appearance of enduring the technique has a strange charm. I feel that kind of patience is aesthetic*
MISAWA: However, I don't want to endure it too much (laughs). That is because I have many opportunities to fight with wrestlers who are bigger than me, and so I think there is a part that has turned into a style that looks for opportunities while taking the opponents attack.
Q: However, aren't you receiving the opponent's technique head-on? Never escaping, never swept away.
MISAWA: There is also component of me checking what the opponents technique is.
Q: But, isn't that the worst type of technique for the opponent, as you take it head on and fight back?
MISAWA: I guess. On the other hand, I can fight with confidence against opponents like Kobashi who fight head on. If you interact head on, isn't the loser convinced with "I lost to this guy". Some guys say, "I don't think I lost because of this". I don't like that, and there are guys like that.
Q: Is there something of a sense of fulfilment taking technique directly?
MISAWA: I am the only one who can be confident that it is not received, but there are times when I wonder if I am going to do that technique.
Q: When you receive that kind of thing, do you feel like "I can do this far"
MISAWA: There is a relation to my self confidence
Q: Is it gratification as a pro-wrestler?
MISAWA: Is that so? On the contrary I sometimes wonder if I am shortening my life*. I think it's time to quit if I am timid, and I think I can do it if I don't lose my drive.
Q: Misawa, you are always a head on person, right?
MISAWA: I can't be a tactician.
Q: There is a story about Fuyuki, that a long time ago when you got into a fight with a Yakuza, that you didn't give an inch*. Watching how you appear in a true match in the ring, "If you can destroy me, then do". I feel your power as a person.
MISAWA: I don't want to flounder during this period...I just don't want to cheat myself. "I was bad at that time". If you think about that, wouldn't you regret it for the rest of your life? "I ran away then, don't do it the next time". Even if you ponder it, you don't know when the next opportunity will come. It's rare that the same situation will occur twice in your life.
Q: In your youth, did you have a regrettable experience of running from your enemies?
MISAWA: When I was in High School, I had a hard time during wrestling matches and thought I was going to lose. At the time of the National Athletic Meet, I reconsidered "Don't do that" and won matches. I thought "Don't give up there". It is the accumulation of such experiences, isn't it? "At Junior High, if I study hard and do club activities hard", did I have any thoughts about growing up? When I became a professional through such experience, my own feeling was "Professionals can't think niavely". Don't complain, I can't refuse a request from a friend...is my personality like a mother?
Q: You had various experiences before entering pro wrestling. As revealed in your autobiography, there was a lot of issues when you were a boy as your father was an alcoholic and there was terrible domestic violence, your mother was even stabbed. Until her divorce* and remarriage, your mother raised little Misawa and your older brother, and showed no weakness.
MISAWA: I don't have any any fun memories of when I was in elementary school. It was impossible, but I only ever saw my mother trying to do her best. If my mother wanted to take a day off on Sunday, and I wanted her to take me somewhere, she couldn't as she was too tierd, but she wanted me to play and have a good time. It's painful when I think about my mother now.
Q: Your mother was very patient and very hardworking, I think you have inherited that from your mother.
MISAWA: But, my mother had a lot of concerns, and her field of vision was narrow. Like someone from the older generation "I don't want to go out" or "I don't want to stay at a hotel" or "I don't want to go abroad". Surprisingly, that is something I have never known in myself. Personally, I can't refuse when asked, but I do remember that I don't like it. But, I think it's just that, so I think it is the same.
Q: After all, that is similar isn't it? (laughs) Isn't the enduring figure of your mother strongly memorable?
MISAWA: That's right. I can't complain. It was just like a wealthy family. When I was in elementary school, I used the peel from apples to make fried eggs in my mind. I couldn't buy a lot of toys, and I had all kinds of experiences that other children couldn't have.
Q: Did you play with toys at home?
MISAWA: I liked being outdoors. Soccer balls, volleyballs, kites, rollerskates. I begged my parents for things to play outside with. They weren't cheap, so I saved up to buy them. Any toys I had I saved and bought with my own money.
Q: You liked to be active. In the first place, you watched All Japan on TV and thought "I want to this". Normally, it gets no further than "This is interesting", but it is amazing that it feels like you instantly thought "I want to do this this".
MISAWA: I thought I could be (a wrestler). I remember being in the limelight (was a pleasure). I think the part of being a hero type (the presence of) at ball games and sports day was ardent.
Q: Naturally, there is a hue of wanting to be noticed or famous.
MISAWA: Yes. Formed a tag with Yoshinari Ogawa, and I ignored any anxious voices around me.
Q: But Misawa, you not only make yourself famous, but you also raise other wrestlers. For example, there is the case of Yoshinari Ogawa. In 1998, during the All Japan era, you took the obscure junior heavyweight Ogawa as a partner, and in 1999 the two of you won the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship. With that opportunity, Ogawa has now enough stardom to become the GHC Heavyweight Champion. Originally, what did you look at in Ogawa?
MISAWA: He is good at that because he has solid basics, and he is better at fine technique than I am. That's why I always thought he was wasted, and so his career changed with three years with me (rough, does not translate well)
Q: But when Giant Baba was alive, only big people had a chance
MISAWA: I am someone who switched from junior to heavy, because Baba loved big wrestlers. In the old days, people in the 170cm where dismissed on paper. If you were under 180cm, you wouldn't be able to enter without an introduction. That's why there were so few junior wrestlers, but isn't there something interesting about junior to junior?
Q: Did you think you would miss a precious chance?
MISAWA: It's a waste isn't it? Regardless of how skillful or clumsy they are, don't you want to cheer for wrestlers who are trying as hard as they can?
Q: But at that time, was there any opposition from those around you about forming a tag with Ogawa?
MISAWA: If that happened then I would ignore it. Because I want to do it, then the voices around me are irrelevant.
Q: Even in that aspect, did you want to change the customs All Japan had had until then?
MISAWA: I got what I wanted to do. I'm not the type to get yelled at (laughs), because I had a lot of nerves to do it. (Look around) Even if you want to say it, you are the type that finds it hard to say, aren't you? After all, I was doing what I was supposed to do, so I was like "Do you have any complaints?" If you are just playing around and not practicing, it's inevitable to be angry.
Q: You are on the right track
MISAWA: Don't you have the belief in yourself that you're not doing anything wrong? Jun Akiyama (and I'm talking about various things), because he's doing what he's supposed to do. However, ten people are ten people, and it's not possible for ten people to keep up with an idea, so I think I have to remember the difficulties Fujimaru* (Naomichi Marufuji), he's someone who has a solid foundation in wrestling, so it's okay to do what you want.
Q: Was there something that shone from Marufuji since he was young?
MISAWA: He was able to learn quickly. I think that was because he had a different point of view, or rather, he was thinking about movements that other people wouldn't do*. But, had he started earlier, he couldn't have entered with his physique. His introduction was as an amateur wrestler when I was director.
Q: So you provided support for beginners.
MISAWA: But after you enter, it all depends on your own efforts. With Yoshinobu Kanemaru, I was told "such a small person has entered". I'm so sorry. Kanemaru was also introduced by me (laughs)
Q: It's amazing. You are doing your best to prevent the outflow of talent
MISAWA: But in the end, it all depends on your own efforts. What I am saying is, "I put in what I put in, but I don't know the rest".
Q: Misawa, what do you think is the most important when evaluating a professional wrestler, such as talent, technique, effort, body, and personality?
MISAWA: Talent is really important, but I hate people who show off. It's okay to show off in the ring, but I don't like showing off during practice.
Q: Since the establishment of Noah, your key food is "Freedom", but do the young wrestlers really understand the meaning of that word?
MISAWA: There are some parts that are misunderstood. There is a difference between freedom and selfishness. I don't know how many people have helped me to become what I am today. Do you think that I was able to get so far through your my efforts alone? There is a part of it where you have to understand how many people worked to make one single wish come true. "Taking the Initiative", I'm sorry, but it's not a weaker position (rough translation). We should do our best to make that happen. It used to be said that no matter how strong you are, you can't attract customers, but it is not the same, is it? Pro Wrestlers don't just need to be strong, so I want them to know more about the world. It's not enough to just be serious about pro wrestling, I want you to play around with it. Meet with all sorts of people. I think it can't be helped if you get tricked by that (smile).
Q: Have you had many experiences like that?
MISAWA: There are lots of things, like when you think you have a close friend and where deceived when you lent money to him. There are various romantic relationships, right? (laugh). I think it's better for you to experience a lot of things like that. So if you are crushed by that, then that person is no good. You got dumped by a woman, isn't that what the story is about?
Q: That young wrestlers realize? (rough)
MISAWA: Yes yes. And then matches are different (laughs)
Q: As for you yourself, even if a woman dumps you, can you immediately have a match as if it was kerosene?
MISAWA: Hmm... When you're young, you always get a shock, don't you? But, since I have had such experiences, I can't say the same for the people below me. On the other hand, there was a time when my girlfriend came to watch a match, which cheered me up. I don't want to be famous to the point of using people.
Q: Misawa-san, what do you think about expressing such feelings in the ring when something painful or unpleasant happens in your private life?
MISAWA: If anything, being in the ring is good because you can forget about your hardships, and concentrate on the match.
Q: Pro wrestlers bring the troubles of their private lives into the ring, so there is a view that matches bring a sense of glamor and melancholy*.
MISAWA: But in the ring, I want to forget about that.
Q: It's going to be a little bit of a story, but when your good senior, Kazuharu Sonoda* passed away, you couldn't wrestle matches with your normal feelings, right?
MISAWA: It was a shock at the time. I had a match and I wanted to forget about it for just a moment if I could. He was my best friend.
Q: Do you have many memories?
MISAWA: He lived close to my house, so I always drove him too and from matches as Sonoda didn't have a car. Just as he said he was getting married, he died in a plane crash. He was like an older brother to me. If he were still alive, I would be able to talk to him about various things, and would have an easier time.
Q: How was it when Baba died?
MISAWA: In the case of Baba, three or four days after he passed away, I burst into tears. Even with Jumbo Tsuruta, I couldn't really feel it.
Q: Come to think of it, you were Tsuruta's attendant when you were a rookie.
MISAWA: Tsuruta was someone who didn't really do barbells*, but rather liked to think for himself and built up his stamina through exercise. He used to play tennis and other sports. He was someone who was able to study, he liked to think about various things. I have a lot of strange background knowledge (smile).
Q: Was there any information about nutrition or anything like that? Tsuruta had that knowledge for a long time didn't he?
MISAWA: He used to say things like, "This food is good for your body", "this is no good" or something similar. He used to talk about things like that.
Q: What happened in the situation when you were served with nutritious food?
MISAWA: I eat what I want (laughs)
Q: Hahahahaha. Ignoring the work of seniors, you are sticking to your own way of life
MISAWA: I don't know what will happen to my body tomorrow, so isn't it okay to do what I like and eat what I want? I've been doing it that way all along.
Q: You have stuck to your own way of life since you were young
MISAWA: But there is a limit to the issue. If you go to far there is a difference between stubbornness and selfishness. Being stubborn is a problem within yourself, but if you go too far and be selfish, you end up causing trouble for others.
Q: You said earlier that you wanted to be famous and in the spotlight. However, in your case, the final part is sort of like putting a limit on your desires.
MISAWA: I don't have the greed to go so far as to devour and use people, although I do have feeling that if I hate someone I will destroy him. But no matter how much you stand at the top, there is nothing you can do about the people around you saying "I don't know how he reached the top."
Q: With wrestlers after all "me, me", there are many people who can't restrain their greed. At the end of that process, you can discipline yourself, which is unique to you.
Q: Ultimately, do you believe that before being a pro wrestler, you have to be a respectable human being*?
MISAWA: That's what I want to be
Q: Just because you are a pro wrestler, it doesn't mean that you are allowed to do whatever you want?
MISAWA: I have seen plenty of examples like that, selfishness seems to be forgiven no matter what. When you see that kind of thing, in general fans will be put off. I don't like that kind of thing. I don't want to end up as a pro wrestler who is great, but as a human being full of flaws.
Q: Recently, you have come to embody Naoto Tatsuto (the true identity of Tiger Mask in the original and the anime) after removing his tiger mask. Naoto Tatsuo hid his true identity and secretly did good deeds at the orphanage, just like you have done good deeds for Fuyuki and your juniors.
MISAWA: I'm not that good of a person, I just want to do something for the people I care about*, and I just don't like leaving my best friend in trouble in front of me. I just want to convince myself that I'm not cool like Naoto Tatsuto, and I'm not hiding my identity (laughs).
Q: No, it's like you are hiding your identity because you do it in secret without saying anything*. It figures, I can feel the dandyism and aesthetics of a man from Misawa.
MISAWA: It's not that kind of aesthetics. I don't like being complimented like that. I'm not good at it.
Notes
*Dandyism is somewhat of an old fashioned word that you don't really hear much now. It basically means doing something for show, although at the time of translating this article I did see it used on Twitter (June 2022) in ironically, relation to Yoshinari Ogawa.
*Chono's request for Mitsuharu Misawa to appear in New Japan, came at crisis time for New Japan who were suffering financial troubles. Chono credits Misawa with saving them, had he not agreed to fight him in the main event at the Tokyo Dome, Chono believes New Japan would have been finished.
*Also known as Kodo Fuyuki.
*Showa 14
*Later on, Misawa would be innovative as he was the originator of the elbow smash. The move had been used, but not in the major way that Misawa made it.
*Years later after Misawa's death, Noah would coin the phrase "Fight with Aesthetics" which is very similar to what was described here.
*Toshiaki Kawada once made a similar comment. When reflecting on the Four Pillars matches, he found himself wondering how long he could keep it up.
*Kodo Fuyuki apparently told this story in an interview in the same "Weekly Pro" edition as this one with Misawa. I will put that interview up in due course.
*Misawa was about eight years old when his parents divorced, after that he cut all ties with his father and never saw him again. Early wrestling training caused flashbacks and he would be in tears remembering his mother being punched, but he later said that if he ever saw his father "that asshole again" he would knock him out. He made a further comment addressed to him after Noah's first show, remarking that if his father was watching then he wanted him to see the family he had now, meaning it was one that didn't need and never would need him and that he would never be a part of.
*"Fujimaru": Naomichi Marufuji's old nickname, given to him by Mitsuharu Misawa and Jumbo Tsuruta in the All Japan Dojo.
*See "Heir To The Ark" for further information on Naomichi Marufuji's trainee days in All Japan
*See "Heir To The Ark" for Naomichi Marufuji's first GHC Heavyweight title win and the personal story behind it.
*Kazuharu Sonoda was killed in a plane crash along with his new wife in 1987. Baba had sent him to South Africa as his honeymoon and to have some matches combined, he never forgave himself. Additionally, Sonoda had taught the teenage Yoshinari Ogawa the basics of wrestling.
*Genichiro Tenryu said that when he came to the All Japan dojo there were some old and neglected looking exercise machines. Baba and Tsuruta didn't really believe in using them as they thought that sports and physical exercise would build up muscle. It was Tenryu who introduced the use of machines which affected the next generation i.e. Misawa, Kobashi, Kawada, Ogawa etc
*Baba told his wrestlers that he wanted them to be monsters in the ring, and gentlemen outside of it, but this didn't stop fights from breaking out backstage from time to time.
*Paternal Noah continues to this day, Naomichi Marufuji accompanied Kaito Kiyomiya to driving lessons.
*Misawa once went to visit a sick child in hospital without telling anyone.
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