From a city booming with pro wrestling (Weekly Pro, Autumn 1955 - Special Issue 2)

Weekly Pro

1955

This article was written in 1955, and uses Showa era grammar and style, some parts do not translate well, due to its age and writing style of the period, and the writing style tends to jump from one subject to another well . It was also typed on a typewriter (as computers did not exist) and hand illustrated. There are parts of the text where kanji have been scrubbed out and/or replaced by black pen. The article also uses a somewhat confusing style (to modern era readers) where the writer goes off into another random topic, before getting back to the first. 

As the author mentions at the end, it is only ten years since World War II finished, and Japan in war, defeat and occupation had undergone huge social changes. "Embracing Defeat", summed it up the best, "World War II did not really end for the Japanese until 1952, and the years of war, defeat, and occupation left an indelible mark on those who lived through them. No matter how affluent the country later became, these remained the touchstone years for thinking about national identity and personal values." This article was written ten years after the war officially finished, and three years after it was felt that the war had ended.   

It was a stolen summer, four million people watching TV

Less than a dozen Japanese and American wrestlers excited young people in cities and villages, or to put it dramatically, all over Japan. Let's take a look at some of the darker aspects of the wrestling boom that has hit us along with the heat this summer. 

Summer continues, with only three days of temperature below 30 degrees in July! On top of that, the girls in love are on the loose, and in the midst of all this Tony Tani's beloved son is kidnapped*, more than thirty female students from Tsu City were swept away*, a proposed anti prostitution law was snatched away, and the audience were held captive by wrestling on TV....the heat made me want to kill someone, but to cool off at night, Rikidozan appeared in an international tournament with the main event being held in Higashifuji, which sparked a pro wrestling boom throughout Japan which was ignited on the 15th, 16th and 17th of Obon*. At this time the coffee shops, the noodle shops and any shops with a TV were filled with young people. They were full of customers, but the turnover was poor, but the excitement of the customers was so high, that the shop owners had to smile wryly that they couldn't get in or out. 

How many people are watching TV? 

There are 100,000 TV sets nationwide, with 10 people per set, so that's about one million people. According to a survey by Nippon Television, the figure is 4.2 million people, and on average, the big TV set under the Ueno statue has an average crowd of 15,000 to 20,000 people. In the countryside, young men would come on their bicycles with midnight snacks to watch TV in Maebashi. In pro wrestling, the action of a deadly physical fight is shown on the screen in the same way as in sumo. Unlike sumo, there is no waiting and the fight is full of twists and turns, so it is very popular with young people. A fire broke out in a confectionery factory during a wrestling show. That is, while everyone was watching, the confectionery turned pitch black from overheating, which was a hilarious incident.

Speaking of watching wrestling, if you want to prepare your house for kids to come and watch TV, the tatami mats will be black with muddy feet...but muddy feet are good, I learned on the sliding door I had just replaced and put too much pressure on it, and managed to break it... 

The child's performance comes after watching wrestling.

In other words, when the TV show ends, and mom with a sigh turns the TV off, he picks her up, gets her in a headlock and throws her into corrugated iron, leaving his mother in tears as he re-enacted the passionate performance he had just seen.

I wonder how much a wrestler makes?

When Surugami* started out he was paid 20,000 yen a night and 100, yen (minimum) for five days a month, when Nayoroiwa* retired, his retirement bonus was 800,000 yen and he was short of 200,000 yen to buy real estate in Kasugayama, but apparently he could earn that much in a months travels. It appears that Carnera* owns a $40,000 mansion and Rikidozan has been running a dojo with all his heart, so it seems that Higashifuji, who is also in his prime, is earning more money than he did in his performance days. Teaming up with Rashomon (Sumo wrestler Niitakayama*), and had a formal dinner party* with Carnera and his group from the Philippines. If Surugaumi borrows money from his sumo days, he may end up paying off the debts he owes from his time as a wrestler.

 The group, with Carnera at the helm, featured Curtis* and Ortega* playing villains, who added to the theatrical effect. Even the voice of the villain Ortega was like a violent storm, and Curtis stuck out his tongue to provoke his opponents. 

Higashifuji quirk discovered

The terrifying influence of children   

...Kids are quick to imitate. I spent 10 yen and bought a wrestling doll from the toy store.

I went to a toy shot in town, and wondered what they would be like. They turned out to be a set of dolls carved to look like Kokeshi*, tied together with rubber, which when twisted up and down, would snap back when they were released, giving the impression of being quite restrained.

In the Hawaii Tag Team Championship match held at Korakuen, Ortega and Rikidozan jumped out of the ring, and Rikidozan grabbed Ortega's head and slammed it against the iron turnbuckle pillar, cutting the forehead of the Mexican Mad Elephant.   

Finally, it's wrestling where blood is seen. 

The other team goes ahead with the foul, but why isn't Highashifuji angry? Even in that stance, he has the same big expression as when he was Keiko* (sumo wrestler), and there's something a bit silly about this moving "Mount Fuji", as he's worried about his slicked back hair, and he's repeatedly brushing it back with his right hand because of the sweat, which is a bit of a habit. One mother found Rikidozan's black tights so attractive that she made identical tights for her child. 

Ah, you don't have to catch the bug, but I wonder what kind of moves that children like to do? First of all, there is the powerslam, the karate chop, the wrist throw, the head toss...the aerial moves make you want to try it right away, and then there are body scissors and the leg lock which are very realistic, and make you feel sorry for the opponent. Headlocks are an easy thing to try when you get the urge, and there doesn't seem to be anything that you can't imitate, such as chin locks and arm locks.

But Rikidozan warns, "Young boys, you must never try this. If you try to imitate the moves of the wrestlers, you may not die, but you will surely incur irreparable injury."

The influence of wrestling is that kids catch two praying mantises and get into a fight with both of them. It's a fight that's just like wrestling, and it's a cruel setup. 

I really like the way the announcer announces "Toyotomi 235 bounces, Higashifuji 275 bounces" with one hand open, and when a fat lady passes by on the street corner, he shouts "300 bounces!" and smacks her with the palm of his hand. Toyotomi would be more popular if he showed more facial expressions, but in that respect, Japanese wrestlers are lacking in facial expressions. 

 

The catchphrase is "one, two, three". A child who overslept wakes up suddenly.       

Each time the referee counts shoulders down, he hits the mat with a "One, Two, Three", American cunning is one step ahead, as they deftly escape by putting their hands under the shoulders. This "One, Two, Three" count is also very popular in households, as when a mother smacks the tatami mat next to her child to wake him up from his afternoon or morning nap, suddenly wakes up. 

Karate chops* are better than atomic cannons: Rikidozan was a brilliant man

Higashifuji's throw was his specialty. But when he got hit with a knuckle punch, he was pushed to the corner of the ring. Rikidozan was knocked out and knocked down, and when he recovered, he was hit with a barrage of karate punches.

It was so refreshing. It seems that the enemy doesn't feel any pride unless it's Japan vs. America. At least they're taking revenge in pro wrestling. Well, there's also the rearmament aspect, and the criticism is loud. The Japanese people in the opening act aren't interested at all. As expected, they're not interested unless the genre changes. 

But what about the Kimura group from Kansai who were defeated by Rikidozan? They're apparently training to challenge a domestic opponent. Tokyo vs Osaka, the Battle of Sekigahara*. Things are starting to get crazy. It's not a war of atomic cannons or jet planes; this is innocent. Carnera let Higashifuji take the lead with a 2-1 victory in the first match, which was probably a sign of respect for the Yokozuna wrestler. It is true that the wrestlers on the other side, certainly have more leeway. When they start to be rocked, they retreat to the corners of the ring, and whisper to each other, and their long term plans become even more far-sighted. 

Rikidozan, Higashifuji, Endo* and Surugami are probably the four stars. Some critics say that they look inferior in anything other than wrestling, but I wonder if an old man with a kettlehead* like Kruskamp* will appear in Japan, and switch from sumo to pro wrestling. It seems that Higashifuji has submitted a letter to Chairman Dewanoumi* saying that he absolutely must select a wrestler. If we choose from the vibes, there are some wrestlers I'd like to put on the list, like Carnera and Chiyonoyama, Orton and Wakanohana, and Curtis and Ouchiyama. But no, I doubt they'll be chosen from the active wrestlers. Rikidozan has been a smart guy since he was in the Nishinoseki stable*. During the war, the stable were visiting Shinshoji Temple in Nakano*, when incendiary bombs rained down on it, like a typhoon, and he was one of the people who saved it from disaster. Back then, cigarettes were rationed, and Rikidozan was a very clever man, who stored stored them up, and served them to visitors. If you think about it, for a long time*, Rikidozan has been working alone, and has acquired a wonderful wrestling style. As one of the Nitta* people, the President of the Nitta group who nurtured him, is also his benefactor.

How much do wrestlers eat?

Surprisingly, they eat very little rice, and mostly nutritious foods like steak, eggs, butter, and blended vegetables. Higashifuji has loved meat since his sumo days. One day, instead of drinking beer, he put meat into a frying pan and ate five or six pieces at a time. 

It was pure passion when Curtis and Rikidozan were injured in the ring with concussions during the founding of Osaka celebrations. Higashifuji had a cut to his lips on the first day, and to his head on the second day. In his case, he was injured in a blind spot that was protected by his topknot from his sumo days, so it was a serious injury rather than just a lack of hair in that area*. Pulling someone's pants or hair to knock them down was a standard move there. It's a well known foul. It seems that the Japanese people have to be righteous, and they cannot become showmen. They hate shows, even if they are pro wrestling. That is how tough it is. I wish those uptight people would take the time to laugh at it. Higashifuji's wife jumps into the ring with an umbrella! That kind of thing won't happen. The superwomen over there are better than men, so soon we will see emergence of ladies in Japan, women with shop logos* in the gym. 

The long-awaited World Championships: Rikidozan and Lou Thesz      

Now, pro wrestling, which created a whirlwind of excitement in the middle of summer, will climax with Rikidozan and Lou Thesz's World Championship (late September), and we look forward to big matches in St. Louis, San Francisco, Honolulu or Tokyo. By then, fans will have memorized all of the forty-eight wrestling moves, and when it's one...two...three, the match is over! Japanese wrestlers need no explanation, and their blank expressions in their matches will bring out wild enthusiasm. 

This summer, fireworks and gunpowder factories exploded every day in Tokyo and Yokohama*, and there were constant fires and water disasters. 

There is one more danger, Rikidozan! 

Will Rikidozan win the World Championship? No, even if he loses, I'll respect his ability to participate in the World Series. It's the World Series of pro wrestling. It's a wrestling world series, but the pro baseball side is very, very...so I want the Americans to be excited by wrestling.

Rumors are spreading like ripples.

It's been ten years since the end of the war.

      

Notes

Tony Tani: Japanese actor. The best way I can describe him would be like a controversial comedian or a shock jock, as he imitated Americans, and in particular Japanese Americans, especially their broken English. His backstage attitude and his conduct towards his fans wasn't great either, and this cost him socially as people thought him unworthy of respect. Comedy has been part of Japanese entertainment for centuries, but he was deemed someone "unworthy of meeting the Emperor", which is a traditional honor for entertainers. His son was kidnapped at six years old (he was later ransomed and returned), but Tani's popularity was so bad, people suspected him of staging the incident for publicity. He died in 1987 of liver cancer, controversial to the last. 

The Hashikita Junior High School Drowning Incident: Hashikita Junior High School had been holding swimming training every summer as one of its school events, and basically during swimming class, thirty students were caught in a sea swell, rip tide or even freak waves. The actual cause has never been firmly established. 

Obon: Japan's season of fire and farewells. This is when the veil between the two worlds is at its thinnest, and the dead return to their ancestral homes. People travel back to their hometowns, people celebrate with special foods, dances, and at the end of the three days the dead are sent back to the underworld by the touching spectacle of lanterns floating on rivers and on the sea.   

Mitsuo Surugami: Former sumo wrestler turned pro wrestler. Scouted by Rikidozan, who found him working in a small restaurant after he retired from sumo. However, the two didn't get along and a couple of years or so after this article was written, he retired from pro wrestling, having become disgusted with the industry. He died at the age of 90 on November 24th 2010 due to intestinal obstruction. 

Shizuo Nayoroiwa: Sumo wrestler. Sadly he suffered from the health conditions that plagued a lot of sumo (diabetes, kidney disease, stomach ulcers) and died at the relatively young age of 56 in 1971. He never transitioned to professional wrestling. 

Primo Carnera: Italian boxer 1906 - 1967. He crossed over to professional wrestling, and faced Rikidozan in Japan Pro Wrestling in 1955.

Kinichi Higashifuji: Sumo wrestler. Crossed over to pro wrestling in 1955 and after one week was a tag team champion with Rikidozan, however, the two of them never faced each other for a title match, and after being used by Rikidozan as a bit player he retired from pro wrestling in 1958 (interestingly, Rikidozan was in Brazil at the time). He never returned to wrestling or sumo, although he did work as a sumo commentator at times. Sadly (and like most sumo) he died at the young age of 51 in 1973 of colon cancer. Interestingly, he never had the usual sumo retirement ceremony, and entered wrestling with his topknot. 

Niitakayama: Taiwanese Sumo wrestler (born 1920). He was often mistaken for Giant Baba, even being introduced as Baba as times! He was born in 1920 (so was in his mid thirties when this article came out in 1955), but what happened to him and when and how he died is unknown.  

Formal dinner party: This would have been in an elegant tatami room with a raised platform on which Geisha and Maiko entertained. I don't think any pro wrestling promotion these days could afford to do this.   

Jess Ortega: See Bull Ortega. Although the English version puts him in Japan Pro in 1959 (five years after this article was written), the Japanese version has him there in July 1955. 

Curtis: King Curtis Iaukea. His nephew is/was Maunakea Mossman, who wrestled for All Japan in the Baba era. 

Kokeshi dolls: Traditional Japanese wooden dolls. These limbless dolls were intended more for rough play, than the exquisite delicate dolls often seen on family altars.   

Keiko: The training and practice of sumo wrestlers

First cut ("Shokiri"): Comedy sumo, where the wrestlers win by doing comedy or forbidden techniques. 

Karate Chops: In 2004 (Rikidozan's 100th birthday) Kenta Kobashi hailed Rikidozan as the originator

Battle of Sekigahara: The largest (and the most important) battle in Japanese feudal history. I should also note that conformist Tokyo and non conformist Osaka have had a rivalry for years.  

Kokichi Endo: At the time of writing (November 2024) Kokichi is one of the few people in this article who is still alive, probably because he was a Judoka and was not subject to the health conditions of the sumo wrestlers. After the collapse of Japan Pro, he chose New Japan over All Japan, and worked as a commentator following his retirement in January 1956. His pro wrestling career lasted only from November 1951.

Kruskamp: Harold William Kruskamp (1906-1994). American wrestler.

Kettlehead: Showa era term for a bald smooth head

Chairman Dewanoumi: See Wikipedia

Nishinoseki Stable: Sumo. The word "Stable" (in Japanese "Beya"), is the equivalent to a wrestling dojo and are run along similar lines. 

Shinshoji Temple: The temple is actually in Chiba.

For a long time: The article says "28 years", but in 1955 this would make him a small child and living in Korea and on his fathers farm. 

Nitta: Shinsaku Nitta was a patron of Rikidozan's, who had ties to the black market. He had worked in a Tokyo Prisoner of War camp during the war, but had looked after the American prisoners well by slipping them food and cigarettes. This inspired a loyalty to him both by the prisoners and by the occupying forces. Nitta also had ties to the criminal underworld. Criminal groups had their fingers in a lot of pies when it came to Sumo, even demanding a cut of the box office when sumo came to small towns. This is something that bled into puro as well.

Lack of hair: Like Geisha, sumo have a round bald spot on the top of their head, this is caused by their hair being pulled back tightly for extended periods of time. These days, Geisha tend to use wigs (although Maiko still have traditional hairstyles), but was common in the early 90s for them to still have this. 

Shop logos: The new young woman emerged after the occupation. This a subtle jab at young ladies who wore their hair in bobs and wore western clothes, and dated foreigners.

Factories explode: At around 1:00 p.m. on August 1, 1955, an explosion occurred at a fireworks warehouse in a fireworks factory run by a wholesaler of toy fireworks at 1-26 Umabashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo. The explosion blew up the surrounding area, killing 18 people (16 of whom died instantly) and injuring over 80 people. In Yokohama, the Japan Carlit Factory exploded  due to friction caused by foreign matter being mixed into the gunpowder during the gunpowder loading process. Tragically, this explosion caused 600kg of explosives to explode, which then ignited another 400kg of explosives, which were being transported in a handcart. Three people were killed (one died instantly, two died after being taken to the hospital) and nineteen people were injured.   

Picture credit: Weekly Pro