The powerful Japanese would commit suicide rather than be dishonored in the ring. But, the way he's going now, he doesn't have to worry about either.
March 1963
Obedient to the ancient Samurai code of honor, the bulky wrestling champion of all Japan—Rikidozan— has pledged to commit hari-kari before suffering dishonor in the ring. The somber-faced millionaire has his own definition of “dishonor,” which permits him to lose an occasional match. What he fears most, though, is the scorn of his public. He’s lost 12 bouts in 15 years without feeling the ridicule of the paying customers, When it comes, Riki knows what his fate must be— the sword!
The fact that the 37-year old Riki has business assets estimated at close to $10 million probably makes him the richest and most successful wrestler in the world. If President Kennedy knew how much money Riki coined in his stateside matches, he’d have the answer to the gold shipments abroad problem. Riki is so rich that Fort Knox buys gold from him, Part of Riki’s vast fortune was acquired during brief but financially rewarding two month stands in the states, particularly on the West Coast.
Everybody loves a winner and “when he also happens to be a happy-go-lucky millionaire, he becomes even more popular. The good-natured* 240-pounder is a national hero in Japan, where he is as much a household word as Mickey Mantle is in this country. Riki’s picture appears on almost every bubble gum wrapper there.
In Japan, where “death before dishonor” is still the only way to save face, Riki hasn't suffered the disgrace of losing very often. Most of his losses have been incurred on the road, although he did capture the world heavyweight championship from Freddie Blassie in a match in Los Angeles early last year. In a return bout with Blassie at the Olympic Auditorium, in July, the crown was at stake. Riki, who has more trouble speaking English than he does wrestling opponents, had said before the Blassie rematch:
“If I lose to Blassie, no can return to my country. Would rather be dead.”
Powerful Riki, who weighed 290 pounds when he was one of the most successful sumo wrestlers in Japan some 10 years ago, won the first fall against Blassie, pinning his blonde opponent in 40 minutes. Riki appeared to have the belt won until a strange twist of fate interceded.
In bouncing off the ropes trying to knock Blassie off his feet for the kill, Riki tripped to the canvas, crashing into the bottom of the ring post. It opened a six-inch gash over his forehead, and the blood poured down his face. The ring physician decided the injury was impeding his vision and stopped the match. Blassie was given the verdict and the belt, much to the disappointment of a pro-Rikidozan audience of 10,000.
“I no lose the match,” excitedly protested Riki afterwards, as he groped for the correct English words. “I beat Blassie. Me pin him, nai?”
Riki assailed the officials for stopping the match because of his injury. He contended the blood hadn’t bothered him, and that the cut was minor.
“No like phoney business,” he said, smashing his fist into his palm. “Me beat him and Blassie take belt away.”
The defeat rankled Riki even after a week excursion to New York and Las Vegas, where he tried his best to sink some of his earnings into American circulation. He was so aggravated he vowed never to meet Blassie.
“He’s hard man to fight. No come to me. He run away. All the time go for ropes. I go for broke in ring. No like showmanship of American wrestlers. If he want to break my leg, I say, ‘Go ahead.’ Him can’t. Me too tough. He knows I’m strong son-of-a-gun.”
The thought of returning to Japan a loser bothered him.
“Afraid to go home,” he said “Japanese people expect me to win. If they say I no beat Blassie after they watch on television, I quite wrestling.”
Movies were taken of the Blassie match and sent to Tokyo for television showing. He is that confident the movies will bear out his victory and save him from public humiliation.
That Rikidozan is an idol in Japan is borne out in this recent magazine article following a Blassie-Rikidozan televised match in Tokyo.
“Shinroku Yoshida, 65, a city official in Gifu, Japan, watched Rikidozan and Blassie wrestle in an extremely rough match, Blassie’s head darted forward and he chomped a chunk out of Riki’s brow. Blood poured down Riki’s face. Just then, viewer Yoshida slumped forward on the floor with a fatal cerebral hemorrhage.
“At the same time, 10 miles away, an elderly female wrestling fan collapsed and died; a farmer’s wife in Shikoku sank into a coma from which she never recovered.
“In a return match, two more Japanese viewers collapsed and died for five deaths in one week, It reflects not a special Japanese queasiness about blood but a very special Japanese passion for wrestling. Few would believe some matches are beefed up with showmanship. Their belief in Riki has made a national Bunyan out of him and has endowed him with a vast fortune. It also makes the shedding of his blood a heart stopping shock to his worshippers.”
RIKI'S SPORTS PALACE
Riki, who drives a flashy Rolls Royce and is “car crazy” by his own admission, naturally doesn’t have to wrestle for a living.
High on a knoll, overlooking the Shibuya Station in Tokyo is the “House That Riki Built.” Its name is “Riki Sports Palace.” The number of activities going on under one roof is amazing.
In the basement there is an air conditioned bowling alley and snack bar. Just upstairs is the Riki Toroko, or Turkish bath. Above the steam room are the general offices of Riki’s pro wrestling clubs. Riki has 15 employees running the wrestling program, which includes some 40 young trainees. On the same level is the arena with a seating capacity of 3,000 for boxing and wrestling, There is also a boxing school in the building, with a gymnasium that includes the latest equipment. Riki has a dozen young boxing aspirants training daily. They are housed and fed by Riki and all they do in return is to train.
Riki is one of the few boxing club owners to take care of the fighters in this fashion. His hope is that this program will someday produce a champion.
Other enterprises in the building is a Vic Tanny-like school, Riki Charm School and Beauty Clinic, a huge restaurant, and a cleaning establishment. In other sections of Tokyo, he owns the Club Riki night cabaret, two huge apartment buildings in Akasaka, and a public swimming pool which is one of the largest in Tokyo, The future of the Riki Empire is even more secure since he recently became majority stockholder in a new Japanese airlines. He’s also toying with building automobiles and going into the electronics business by building factories.
There’s certainly no need for a person of Riki’s wealth to continue wresting, risking injury and humiliation, which he obviously fears more than opponents.
Why then does he continue?
“I am importer of American style wrestling in Japan,” explains Riki. “I first man in Japan to bring sport to my country, Sumo wrestling and baseball most popular, but catch-as-catch-can American style catching on. People treat me good. Respect me. They want Rikidozan continue. That’s why I no can quit. I like to retire but can’t. I 37 years old. After 35, not so easy to wrestle. In America, too many men over 40 in wrestling. Not so strong.”
Reminded that Archie Moore is still scoring knockouts and he’s in his middle 40s, Riki said:
“Archie Moore an exception. No can believe him so strong. But him tough son-of-a-gun, nai.” (Note - 'Nai' is Japanese for 'No')
Fifteen years ago, when Riki first started to wrestle, his goal was to win the world championship for his country. Methodically, he went about the business of grinding out title after title. In addition to the world crown, Riki held the All-Japan, All-Asian and All-Indian titles. He’s wrestled in all countries of the world except South America.
There’s nothing artificial about Riki. Poker-faced, serious, and a person of strong beliefs, Riki minces no words even if he does struggle with the English language
When asked to compare the Japanese wrestlers to Americans, he said:
“Japanese are behind Americans right now. But it won’t be that way always. In 10 years maybe, Japan wrestlers will catch and be best.”
He is seeing to this personally with his wrestling school in the Sports Palace.
“When they come to my school to learn,’ he explained, “they no fool around, Don’t like baloney wrestlers. If one guy doesn’t fight, I beat the hell out of him with bamboo stick. If he no like, he leave school. I want wrestlers tough.
The Great Togo, who is a Japanese-American wrestler in Los Angeles and acts as advisor and manager for Riki in the states, confirmed Riki’s statement.
“He’s not kidding about that stick,” said Togo. “He swings it when they goof off. Do you know what sort of training schedule those boys get? They do one thousand pushups and one thousand situps a day. It’s like sumo, Show me an American wrestler who trains so diligently. That’s how they train sumo wrestlers in Japan. They are extremely well disciplined.”
Riki’s philosophy is simple. He merely wants to put wrestling on the sports map in Japan, make it even more popular than it already is.
“When I die,” Riki said, “want Japanese people to remember me as a great wrestler.”
Riki takes his professional wrestling career seriously, but he says this hasn’t always been the case with Americans. He feels that perhaps 20 per cent of American wrestlers are any good.
"Other 80 per cent,” he said, “don’t go like hell. Save their strength and protect themselves instead of wrestling. They no put out all the time, But 20 per cent of Americans are tough like anything. In my school, I no like horsing around. That’s why I think Japanese wrestlers be tough to beat in 10 years.”
In Japan, a wrestler of any prominence is regarded in the same light as a Stan Musial, Warren Spahn, or Wilt Chamberlain in this country. He’s a national figure with much attention in the press, American wrestlers, with very few exceptions seldom rate more than a few paragraphs in the local sports page.
“No can understand,” a puzzled Riki said. “In Japan, if paper uses my picture, story of wrestling match, sell many papers. If no use, circulation not so good.”
Rikidozan, whose name roughly translated from the Japanese means strength of a mountain road, started sumo training at the age of 15. Because of his speed and strength, Riki became one of the best sumo wrestlers in Japan. He worked hard in the sport, providing for his family with the meager amount he earned wrestling.
Sumo is a sport that is surrounded by great ritual in Japan. Prior to the match, the opponents bow to each other and the referee is considered almost as a high priest, The ceremony preceding the match is quite elaborate. The sport itself requires great skill in balance, strength and speed.
“Sumo mostly balance,” says Riki. “You fall down or go off your feet, you lose. In American wrestling, you pin shoulder. American wrestling more difficult. Rules too close in sumo, not enough action. But American wrestling more exciting. Sumo match sometimes end in two or three minutes. American matches sometimes go two hours.
One of Riki’s longest American style matches was with King Kong, a 400pounder from Hungary who was All-Japan and All-Asian champion at the time.
“Beat him in three and half hours,” said Riki. “Match like a snake and tiger. He get me in tight grip like snake, no can get out. But me quick and pin him after tough match. He hurt me plenty, but no give up.”
After World War II Riki decided to give up sumo wrestling because he felt $100 a match wasn’t enough, Fed up, he took a job as a construction worker.
“No like that either,” Riki explained. “T’m broke all time. Eat only potatoes, no rice or meat, No able to pay bills and friends laugh like hell at me.”
Then Riki’s big break came along in the person of Joe Louis, the world heavyweight boxing king. who brought a boxing and wrestling exhibition with him on a tour of Japan.
Riki's friends encouraged him to tackle the American wrestlers, and the Americans were promptly impressed by Riki’s strength and ability.
They taught him the American style wrestling and after several weeks, they suggested he go to Hawaii where he’d meet Stateside opponents.
Since Riki spoke virtually no English at the time, the Yanks thought they’d pull a gag on the strong-armed Japanese wrestler. They taught him a few words which they instructed him to memorize for his introduction to American promoters.
Riki spent the flight from Tokyo practicing the newly acquired words, and when he got off the plane at Honolulu he rushed up to meet the promoter, “How do you do,” Riki smiled, shoying a big mit at the American. “How's everything with you dumb son-of-a-guns?”
If the promoter was insulted at the odd introduction, he forgave Riki when the latter started tearing the opposition apart in the ring. The crowds packed the arena to see him in action. He was so efficient that photographers at ringside later protested when they were assigned to get pictures of the Japanese sumo man in action.
“He’s just too fast,” they growled. “We no sooner get the lens set when he’d have the match over and his man pinned.”
That same complaint by photographers is still heard in the States, as Riki goes after his opponents with lightning speed.
Riki attained his greatest notoriety six or seven years ago when he took on M. Kimura in a special, do-or-die match, Kimura was the Japanese judo champion of 10 years standing and the big hero. Nobody had been able to dethrone him. The press clamored for a match between Kimura and Riki until it was arranged. The two finally met and Riki swiftly went to work. Employing his sumo and American style wrestling, Riki gave him such a beating that Kimura was carried out unconscious.
From that day on, Riki has been the toast of Japan.
Riki admits that luck has played a big role in compiling his fortune.
“Me a lucky guy. I buy house, live in it four or five years and Japanese government buy my house for railroad station. I make big profit of half-million bucks. Another building I own I sell to telephone company. I buy it for $100,000 and sell it for maybe million. I invest $500,000 from wrestling money. It grows good in stocks, Me lucky.”
Because Riki hasn’t always been familiar with American opponents and their style, he has lost matches to such wrestlers as Lou Thesz, Tom Rice, and Leo Nomellini the first time around.
It was different in return matches when Riki was more familiar with their techniques. He defeated each of them.
“That Nomellini tough son-of-a-gun,” said Riki. “We get in ring and he come at me, No scared. Me strong. But he tackled me hard as hell at chest and me lose wind. Go down and get pinned.”
Riki apparently was unaware that Nomellini is an All-Pro lineman for the San Francisco 49ers. But Riki gained revenge in the second meeting with Leo.
Riki, whose real name is Mitshiro Momota, has contempt for American showmanship.
“Me no showman. Maybe some moves look like me showman, but they not. Japanese wrestlers tough and strong. Not take any baloney. Come to States and wrestlers pull hair, hit below belt, touch ropes. That hurts sport. Insult intelligence of public, Not in Japan, Wrestlers go for broke there. No baloney stuff. No take it from anybody. Me clean wrestler. If they dirty, me fight same way.”
Riki enjoys big game hunting, fishing, and swimming in his spare time. He also plays golf*, but he has one major failing in that sport—his putting He hits drives of 330 yards on Los Angeles’ Lakeside course. His problem is when he’s on the green and prepares for a putt.
“No can understand that,” he says.
One of the biggest headaches while visiting the States is reading the highway signs.
“One time I leave St. Louis. Drive like hell, Two hours later, back in St. Louis,” he laughs.
One thing that puzzles Riki in the States is the attitude of the female wrestling fans.
“In Japan, women quiet, no yell, no open mouth, They sit and applaud softly. In states, women yell like hell at match. Go crazy.”
According to Riki, he has one more aim in life. He’s active in helping charities in Japan and last year donated over $20,000 in purses to orphanages.
“Before I retire,” he said, “want to build one big home for Japanese children without parents. Want to be father for all children. Want to help society. That’s goal.”
Article by Al Goldfarb
Notes
Rikidozan the millionaire is somewhat exaggerated. When he died, what he left was swallowed up by debts as most of his properties were mortgaged and then remortgaged, and his family saw very little of this fortune due to a mixture of taxes, repayment and embezzlement by Japan Pro.
Good natured: He had a notoriously short temper. During his sumo days when he would arrive at the dojo riding a Harley Davidson, everyone would hide when they heard him coming.
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