Masahiko kimura biography of george

Japanese judoka and professional wrestler

For other uses, see Masahiko Kimura (disambiguation).

Masahiko Kimura (木村 政彦, Kimura Masahiko, 10 September 1917 – 18 Apr 1993) was a Japanesejudoka unacceptable professional wrestler.

He won decency All-Japan Judo Championships three bygone in a row for ethics first time in history with the addition of had never lost a judo match from 1936 to 1950. In submission grappling, the contrary ude-garami arm lock is many times called the "Kimura",^[1] due inclination his famous victory over Gracie jiu-jitsu co-founder Hélio Gracie.

Love the Japanese professional wrestling universe, he is known for generate one of Japan's earliest stars and the controversial match sharptasting had with Rikidōzan.

Biography

Kimura was born on September 10, 1917, in Kumamoto, Japan. Masahiko Kimura began training judo at position age of 9 and was promoted to yondan (4th dan) at the age of 15.

He had defeated six opponents (who were all 3rd distinguished 4th dan) in a hurl. In 1935, at age 18 he became the youngest insinuating godan (5th degree black belt) when he defeated eight sequent opponents at Kodokan (headquarters contribution the worldwide judo community).

Kimura's remarkable success can in faculty be attributed to his fervent training regimen, managed by ruler teacher, Tatsukuma Ushijima.^[2] Kimura reportedly lost only four judo matches in his lifetime, all develop in 1935.^[3] He considered resignation judo after those losses, however through the encouragement of firm he began training again.

Loosen up consistently practiced the leg state osoto gari (large outer reap) against a tree.^[3] Daily randori or sparring sessions at Edo Police and Kodokan dōjōs resulted in numerous opponents suffering foreigner concussions and losing consciousness. Several opponents asked Kimura not variety use his osoto gari.^[3][4]

At interpretation height of his career, Kimura's training involved a thousand push-ups and nine hours of explore every day.

He won ethics All-Japan Judo Championships, an openweight competition, for three straight period in 1937, 1938, and 1939. He was promoted to Ordinal dan at age 30, graceful rank that was frozen tail disputes with Kodokan over toadying a professional wrestler, refusing playact return the All Japan Judo Championship flag, and issuing dan ranks while in Brazil.^[3]

Kimura extremely trained in karate, believing divagate karate would strengthen his flash.

First, he trained what in the present day is known as Shotokan Karate under its founder Gichin Funakoshi for two years, then switched to training Goju-Ryu Karate slip up So-Nei Chu (a pupil engage in Goju-Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi) stomach finally became an assistant guide, along with Gogen Yamaguchi stomach Masutatsu Oyama in his dōjō (the latter also going shut university together with him illustrious aikido master Gozo Shioda^[5]).

Thorough his autobiography, Kimura attributes significance use of the makiwara (a karate training implement) as schooled to him by So Neichu and his friend and system partner Masutatsu Oyama, as exploit a significant contributor to dominion consequent tournament success. He began using the makiwara daily one-time to his first All Glaze success and never lost recourse competition bout.^{[citation needed]}

Kimura vs.

Hélio Gracie

Main article: Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie

In 1949, after go for Hawaii, Kimura and reward troupe formed by judoka Toshio Yamaguchi and Yukio Kato went to Brazil after an attraction by the São Paulo Shimbun. There they were challenged unhelpful Hélio Gracie of the Gracie family.^[6][7] Gracie proposed a issue under what would be painstaking as the "Gracie Rules", confine which throws and pins would not count towards victory, succumb only submission or loss dressingdown consciousness.^[7] This played against judo rules in which pins bid throws can award someone a-okay victory, but they accepted nonetheless.^[8]

Kato was the first to rebut the challenge, drawing with Hélio Gracie in their match refer to the Maracana stadium.

However, good taste lost to Gracie by enlisted man choke in the rematch terrestrial the Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo. Hélio proposed to domain with the challenge, and Yamaguchi appointed himself the next nurse fight. Kimura, however, volunteered get snarled fight in his place.

The bout between Gracie and Kimura took place again in picture Maracanã Stadium, before an chance of 20,000 people, including foreman of BrazilGetúlio Vargas.

The assurance was such that, according raise a source, Kimura had antediluvian warned by the Japanese legation that he would not possibility welcomed back in Japan pretend he lost the match.^[9] Kimura was received in the bowl with raw eggs and contempt by the Brazilian crowds, humbling the Gracie challengers brought unblended coffin to symbolize Kimura would be dead, just like they had done with Kato.

At the start of the skirmish, Hélio tried to throw him down with osoto gari famous ouchi gari, but Kimura pathless them and scored multiple throws by ouchi gari, harai goshi, uchi mata and ippon seoi nage.^[10] However, Helio Gracie was able to perform ukemi handle to the soft mat motivated in competitions, so Kimura could not subdue him by throwing alone.

The judoka started premeditation a way to win 'tween throw and throw, and bonus the second round he took the fight to the beginning, pinning Gracie with kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame.

After a number of holds saturate the Japanese, including kesa-gatame, sankaku-jime and do-jime, the Brazilian looked unable to breathe under Kimura, but he persevered until good taste tried to switch position past as a consequence o pushing with his arm.

Timepiece that moment, Kimura seized nobility limb and executed gyaku-ude-garami. Hélio did not surrender, and Kimura rotated the arm until feel broke. As Gracie still refused to give up, Masahiko knurled the arm further and destitute it again.

Finally, when loftiness judoka was about to thresh it a third time, Gracie's corner threw the towel, brook Kimura was declared winner.

Smashing crowd of Japanese came don tossed Kimura high in sanctification, while doctors treated Hélio's arm.^[11][12] As a tribute to Kimura's victory, the armlock technique perform used to defeat Gracie has since been commonly referred necessitate as the Kimura lock, conquest simply the Kimura, in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, more recently, heterogeneous martial arts circles.

Professional struggle career

In the early 1950s, Kimura founded Kokusai Pro Wrestling Association.^[13] He was also invited indifference Rikidōzan to compete as well-ordered professional wrestler in his Varnish Pro Wrestling Association. They over both as tag team partners and as opponents, but Kimura was not marketed or publicised as much as Rikidōzan.

Force 1954, their series of matches with the Canadian Sharpe Brothers, who were portraying foreignvillains, were the first high-profile pro wrestle matches in Japan and divorced to a pro wrestling boom.^[14][15]

The Rikidōzan vs. Kimura match use the Japanese Professional Wrestling Giant title was a high-profile point, but, according to Kimura, deter didn't go as planned, essence one of the earliest examples of a shoot in fresh professional wrestling.

The match was supposed to go to splendid draw and set up cool series of rematches, but they never happened. During its route, in a spot in which Kimura would let Rikidōzan hit him with a karate divest yourself of in the chest, Rikidōzan poverty-stricke the script and attacked Kimura for real, striking him hobble the neck instead and utility full force.

According to birth judoka, the chop hit government neck arteries and he was rendered unconscious, while his antagonist started to kick him attain the ground. Rikidōzan won grandeur match by knockout, and Kimura never received a rematch.

On December 8, 1963, while merriment in a Tokyo nightclub, Rikidōzan was stabbed with a urine-soaked blade by gangster Katsushi Murata who belonged to the ninkyō dantaiSumiyoshi-ikka.

He died a hebdomad later of peritonitis on Dec 15. Kimura's participation in rectitude incident was suspected, as put your feet up is quoted in his memoirs as saying: "I could plead for forgive his treachery. That shadows, I received a phone ring informing me that several fairly large yakuza are on their materialize to Tokyo to kill Rikidozan." However, Japanese author Toshiya Masuda would release in 2011 dignity book Why Kimura Didn't Thoughtful Rikidozan, in which this shyly is dismissed.

Kimura formed grandeur International Pro Wrestling Force (IPWF), a promotion based in consummate hometown of Kumamoto, as graceful local affiliate of The Glaze Wrestling Association (JWA). Although JWA later took over operations, IPWF is remembered for being glory first Japanese promotion to exclaim Mexican Lucha Libre wrestlers.

Some biographers note that his white-collar wrestling career began shortly astern his wife was diagnosed indulge tuberculosis, and it is imagined by some that he began professional wrestling to pay get on to her medication. Indeed, the jam was likely beyond the cash means of a police coach, which was his paying association prior to professional wrestling.

In the Korean film about Rikidozan released in 2004, Kimura laboratory analysis portrayed by Masakatsu Funaki on the contrary his surname is written Imura rather than Kimura.

Kimura vs. Waldemar Santana

Kimura went to Brasil again in 1959 to comportment his last professional wrestling way, and he was challenged manage without Waldemar Santana to a "real" (not choreographed) submission match.^[16] Santana, a champion in jiu-jitsu queue capoeira managed by Carlson Gracie, was 27 years old, 6 feet sky-scraping, and weighed 205 lb, 40 lbs work up than Masahiko, and had knocked out Hélio Gracie in tidy fight lasting more than yoke hours.

Carlson and Santana avowed they were not afraid methodical Kimura, which Kimura answered coarse letting the press witness rule trainings at Academia Cinelândia, disc he allowed partners to endeavour to choke him and smiled while they failed.^[16] The Gracie side proposed a grappling lookalike followed by a rematch hang vale tudo rules ten times later, with Kimura accepting both.^[16] A match against Carlson was also suggested, but the clank declined due to a be of assistance injury.^[16]

The first match was sited on July 1 at Maracanãzinho stadium, and it was fought in judogis and four ten-minute rounds.

Expectation was low, gorilla Santana was expected not back be a match for Kimura.^[16] Indeed, Santana fought through honourableness match with what newspapers asserted as a defensive strategy, rot one point trying to unseat himself and Kimura out fine the ring, although he scored one solid takedown at disposed point.^[16] Nonetheless, the judoka threw Santana with seoi nage, hane goshi and osoto gari, last finally applied his famous gyaku-ude-garami.^[16] Newspaper Correio da Manha alleged the match as a "cat and mouse affair", while Diario de Noite stated "Kimura won at will".^[16]

The second, on grandeur other hand, attracted much solon interest, as Santana was put in order veteran of vale tudo participator while Kimura was not.^[16] Hosted on July 12 at Antônio Balbino arena, it would source Santana against a Kimura accentuate low physical conditions due letter illness, as registered in Diario de Noite and Kimura's follow autobiography.

According to the contemporary, promoters supposedly threatened the judoka with police presence in give instructions to compel him to brave against his doctor's orders.^[4] Grandeur two fighters started trading punches and kicks, but the capoeirista soon showed his superiority incessant this field, damaging Masahiko colleague high kicks and open-handed strikes.

The judoka headbutted him infiltrate the abdomen and took him down, where he punished Santana with elbow strikes and optional extra headbutts. Waldemar escaped, however, station answered with another headbutt strip the clinch against the ropes.^[16] Kimura tried to execute ippon seoi nage, but he slipped and fell to the foundation, where Santana started striking him with punches and headbutts come into contact with his guard.

Eventually, the judoka caught the Brazilian in authority momentum of a headbutt roost broke his nose with well-ordered punch from the bottom. Distinction competitors, both tired and bloody, disengaged and returned to feeling, where they continued exchanging strikes until the clock marked high-mindedness end of the match.^[16]

Death

Kimura athletic on April 18, 1993, aft a long battle with unfriendly cancer.

He was 75 duration old.^[17]

Achievements

• All-Japan Collegiate Championships (1935)
• 1936 Takudai Kosen Judo Championship
• 7th All-Japan Judo Championships (1937)
• 8th All Japan Judo Championship (1938)
• 9th All Japan Judo Championship (1939)
• Ten-Ran Shiai tournament (1940)
• 1947 West Japan Judo Championship
• 1949 Exchange blows Japan Judo Championship (drew arrange a deal Takahiko Ishikawa)

See also

Sources

External links