The Ashio Copper Mine Escape Incident

Excerpt from "Mitsuharu Misawa: The Supreme Triple Crown Champion"

"As Misawa drank, he slowly recounted his high school memories. One of the most amusing stories was the incident in which all the members of the wrestling club, living in the dorms, left a note saying, "Give us freedom," and ran away to the Ashio Copper Mine. 

It was before the final exams of the second semester of their second year, and naturally the wrestling club members who were immersed in practice couldn't possibly perform well. Even Coach Urano noticed the members' poor performance, and other teachers would say, "It's great that the wrestling club is strong, but you are also students, and you have to study too". Urano told them to eat their dinners and then study, and ended practice, which usually ended at 8 PM, at 6:30 PM. But the members weren't going to study. They were immersed in a sense of freedom by watching TV, listening to music, and reading manga. According to Kawada's testimony, Misawa was watching a match between Fujinami and Kengo Kimura on TV.        

Coach Urano came to see what they were doing and yelled at them, "You bastards! I told you to study, what are you doing!?!?!" Rather than feeling remorseful, the team members got worked up and said, and "You've got to be kidding! We finish early sometimes, so what's wrong with having a little fun? We can't do this anymore! Morning practice starts in the morning, so let's all go somewhere before then!". They then woke up around 5 a.m. before morning practice began and escaped the dormitory. Kawada, a first-year student, had no choice but to follow his seniors and join them, but he says, "I was the only junior there, so I think they needed someone to do odd jobs."

They boarded the Watarase Keikoku Railway and headed deep into the mountains, getting off at Ashio. They rented a tent at a campsite, lied and said they were "camping with the Nihon University mountaineering club, but ran out of food," and had rice balls made for them at a nearby inn. They caught dragonfly larvae in the river, grilling them and eating them. They also caught a snake, but were unable to butcher it and let it go. 

They then moved to Kiryu* and discussed buying a new tent and living somewhere else, but their plans were discovered when a team member contacted them on a public phone, and Coach Urano and his team patrolled the town. The team were spotted eating in the cafeteria and were taken back to the dormitory. 

Watanabe recalls, "Actually, I ended up not going to the cafeteria because I was looking for a tent, so I got away, but I got curious and went to check out the school at night, and the only light on was in my classroom. So I went inside, and there was a message on the  blackboard saying that your parents are worried about you and that no one is angry, so please come back". I thought  'Maybe I should go back.' The lights were on in the instructors room too, so I went in, prepared to be in trouble. I went in. I said, 'I'm sorry,' and Mr. Oshima, Mr. Urano, and my dad, who were there, all cried and said, 'I'm so glad, I'm so glad!' So, it wasn't an anti-climax, but it made me realize for the first time, "What?! They are crying? The teachers were really worried about me." From then on, I started practicing really hard. It seems like Misawa and the others, who were brought back earlier, weren't scolded either."

The entire team had about 150,000 yen in their pockets, and they were actually planning to run away for about a month. It's a typical story of reckless high school students, but ultimately, this incident deepened the bond between the coaches and the team members.

Yatsu reflects, "We were isolated, so we just wanted to get out. I think practice was tough, because we were at an age where we wanted to have fun. That's how it is now. Sometimes I lose sight of myself. 'Why do we have to do this when the other students are taking a break?' I couldn't come to a conclusion. When we win, the conclusion comes. If we lose, the conclusion doesn't come. Ultimately, we have to strive for perfection."   

Notes

Ashio Copper Mine: What the English Wikipedia does not mention is that in 1980, the mine was opened as a tourist attraction. 

Kiryu: Gunma