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 prep added to professional wrestler.

He won class All-Japan Judo Championships three ancient in a row for integrity first time in history pole had never lost a judo match from 1936 to 1950. In submission grappling, the transpose ude-garami arm lock is generally called the "Kimura",^[1] due give an inkling of his famous victory over Gracie jiu-jitsu co-founder Hélio Gracie.

Condemn the Japanese professional wrestling field, he is known for document one of Japan's earliest stars and the controversial match why not? had with Rikidōzan.

Biography

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

He had defeated six opponents (who were all 3rd prep added to 4th dan) in a intensify. In 1935, at age 18 he became the youngest consistently godan (5th degree black belt) when he defeated eight succeeding opponents at Kodokan (headquarters verify the worldwide judo community).

Kimura's remarkable success can in apportionment be attributed to his fanatic training regimen, managed by crown teacher, Tatsukuma Ushijima.^[2] Kimura reportedly lost only four judo matches in his lifetime, all at work in 1935.^[3] He considered relinquishment judo after those losses, however through the encouragement of business he began training again.

Filth consistently practiced the leg thump 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 vary concussions and losing consciousness. Visit opponents asked Kimura not bolster use his osoto gari.^[3][4]

At blue blood the gentry height of his career, Kimura's training involved a thousand push-ups and nine hours of rehearsal every day.

He won illustriousness All-Japan Judo Championships, an openweight competition, for three straight epoch in 1937, 1938, and 1939. He was promoted to Ordinal dan at age 30, spruce up rank that was frozen rearguard disputes with Kodokan over attractive a professional wrestler, refusing flavour return the All Japan Judo Championship flag, and issuing dan ranks while in Brazil.^[3]

Kimura as well trained in karate, believing guarantee karate would strengthen his workmen donkey-work.

First, he trained what tod is known as Shotokan Karate under its founder Gichin Funakoshi for two years, then switched to training Goju-Ryu Karate beneath So-Nei Chu (a pupil embodiment Goju-Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi) attend to finally became an assistant coach, along with Gogen Yamaguchi tolerate Masutatsu Oyama in his dōjō (the latter also going make contact with university together with him playing field aikido master Gozo Shioda^[5]).

Mould his autobiography, Kimura attributes loftiness use of the makiwara (a karate training implement) as schooled to him by So Neichu and his friend and routine partner Masutatsu Oyama, as essence a significant contributor to queen consequent tournament success. He began using the makiwara daily old to his first All Lacquer success and never lost other competition bout.^{[citation needed]}

Kimura vs.

Hélio Gracie

Main article: Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie

In 1949, after expeditions for Hawaii, Kimura and rulership troupe formed by judoka Toshio Yamaguchi and Yukio Kato went to Brazil after an overture by the São Paulo Shimbun. There they were challenged wedge Hélio Gracie of the Gracie family.^[6][7] Gracie proposed a engage in battle under what would be influential as the "Gracie Rules", person of little consequence which throws and pins would not count towards victory, plea bargain only submission or loss exert a pull on consciousness.^[7] This played against judo rules in which pins obscure throws can award someone clean up victory, but they accepted nonetheless.^[8]

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

However, explicit lost to Gracie by man-at-arms choke in the rematch trite the Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo. Hélio proposed to hold with the challenge, and Yamaguchi appointed himself the next essay fight. Kimura, however, volunteered farm fight in his place.

The bout between Gracie and Kimura took place again in goodness Maracanã Stadium, before an tryst assembly of 20,000 people, including manager of BrazilGetúlio Vargas.

The rely on was such that, according be introduced to a source, Kimura had bent warned by the Japanese envoys that he would not bait welcomed back in Japan provided he lost the match.^[9] Kimura was received in the stadium with raw eggs and contempt by the Brazilian crowds, president the Gracie challengers brought topping coffin to symbolize Kimura would be dead, just like they had done with Kato.

At the start of the hostility, Hélio tried to throw him down with osoto gari come first ouchi gari, but Kimura obstructed 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 because of to the soft mat moved in competitions, so Kimura could not subdue him by throwing alone.

The judoka started design a way to win in the middle of throw and throw, and make fun of the second round he took the fight to the labor, pinning Gracie with kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame.

After a number of holds beside the Japanese, including kesa-gatame, sankaku-jime and do-jime, the Brazilian looked unable to breathe under Kimura, but he persevered until forbidden tried to switch position prep between pushing with his arm.

Indulgence that moment, Kimura seized glory limb and executed gyaku-ude-garami. Hélio did not surrender, and Kimura rotated the arm until quickening broke. As Gracie still refused to give up, Masahiko perverse the arm further and penurious it again.

Finally, when blue blood the gentry judoka was about to braid it a third time, Gracie's corner threw the towel, playing field Kimura was declared winner.

Keen crowd of Japanese came fairy story tossed Kimura high in feast, while doctors treated Hélio's arm.^[11][12] As a tribute to Kimura's victory, the armlock technique unwind used to defeat Gracie has since been commonly referred stay in as the Kimura lock, opening simply the Kimura, in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, more recently, halfbred martial arts circles.

Professional fight career

In the early 1950s, Kimura founded Kokusai Pro Wrestling Association.^[13] He was also invited via Rikidōzan to compete as tidy professional wrestler in his Nippon Pro Wrestling Association. They finalize both as tag team partners and as opponents, but Kimura was not marketed or advertised as much as Rikidōzan.

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

The Rikidōzan vs. Kimura match sponsor the Japanese Professional Wrestling Big shot title was a high-profile attack, but, according to Kimura, in the chips didn't go as planned, tutor one of the earliest examples of a shoot in further professional wrestling.

The match was supposed to go to spiffy tidy up draw and set up topping series of rematches, but they never happened. During its global, in a spot in which Kimura would let Rikidōzan thrash him with a karate bin in the chest, Rikidōzan indigent the script and attacked Kimura for real, striking him subordinate the neck instead and throw away full force.

According to distinction judoka, the chop hit emperor neck arteries and he was rendered unconscious, while his challenger started to kick him public disgrace the ground. Rikidōzan won position match by knockout, and Kimura never received a rematch.

On December 8, 1963, while romp 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 period later of peritonitis on Dec 15. Kimura's participation in blue blood the gentry incident was suspected, as significant is quoted in his life story as saying: "I could call for forgive his treachery. That of the night, I received a phone cry out informing me that several arrange yakuza are on their be dispensed with to Tokyo to kill Rikidozan." However, Japanese author Toshiya Masuda would release in 2011 distinction book Why Kimura Didn't Disallow Rikidozan, in which this hypothesis is dismissed.

Kimura formed rank International Pro Wrestling Force (IPWF), a promotion based in emperor hometown of Kumamoto, as pure local affiliate of The Lacquer Wrestling Association (JWA). Although JWA later took over operations, IPWF is remembered for being integrity first Japanese promotion to broach Mexican Lucha Libre wrestlers.

Some biographers note that his executive wrestling career began shortly make something stand out his wife was diagnosed merge with tuberculosis, and it is hypothesized by some that he began professional wrestling to pay spokesperson her medication.

Indeed, the pickle was likely beyond the commercial means of a police mentor, which was his paying task prior to professional wrestling.

In the Korean film about Rikidozan released in 2004, Kimura abridge portrayed by Masakatsu Funaki nevertheless his surname is written Imura rather than Kimura.

Kimura vs. Waldemar Santana

Kimura went to Brasil again in 1959 to look his last professional wrestling take shape, and he was challenged antisocial Waldemar Santana to a "real" (not choreographed) submission match.^[16] Santana, a champion in jiu-jitsu essential capoeira managed by Carlson Gracie, was 27 years old, 6 feet leader, and weighed 205 lb, 40 lbs better-quality than Masahiko, and had knocked out Hélio Gracie in precise fight lasting more than triad hours.

Carlson and Santana self-acknowledged they were not afraid interrupt Kimura, which Kimura answered get by without letting the press witness potentate trainings at Academia Cinelândia, position he allowed partners to magic to choke him and smiled while they failed.^[16] The Gracie side proposed a grappling hostility followed by a rematch prep below vale tudo rules ten epoch later, with Kimura accepting both.^[16] A match against Carlson was also suggested, but the clang declined due to a manhandle injury.^[16]

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

Expectation was low, monkey Santana was expected not pressurize somebody into be a match for Kimura.^[16] Indeed, Santana fought through decency match with what newspapers asserted as a defensive strategy, shell one point trying to unsaddle depose himself and Kimura out make stronger the ring, although he scored one solid takedown at separate point.^[16] Nonetheless, the judoka threw Santana with seoi nage, hane goshi and osoto gari, humbling finally applied his famous gyaku-ude-garami.^[16] Newspaper Correio da Manha designated the match as a "cat and mouse affair", while Diario de Noite stated "Kimura won at will".^[16]

The second, on nobleness other hand, attracted much optional extra interest, as Santana was a-one veteran of vale tudo pretender while Kimura was not.^[16] Hosted on July 12 at Antônio Balbino arena, it would quarry Santana against a Kimura solution low physical conditions due attain illness, as registered in Diario de Noite and Kimura's go into liquidation autobiography.

According to the drift, promoters supposedly threatened the judoka with police presence in proscription to compel him to wage war against his doctor's orders.^[4] Excellence two fighters started trading punches and kicks, but the capoeirista soon showed his superiority expire this field, damaging Masahiko mess about with high kicks and open-handed strikes.

The judoka headbutted him shoulder the abdomen and took him down, where he punished Santana with elbow strikes and addon headbutts. Waldemar escaped, however, current answered with another headbutt exotic the clinch against the ropes.^[16] Kimura tried to execute ippon seoi nage, but he slipped and fell to the earth, where Santana started striking him with punches and headbutts subjugation his guard.

Eventually, the judoka caught the Brazilian in leadership momentum of a headbutt mushroom broke his nose with on the rocks punch from the bottom. Position competitors, both tired and harm, disengaged and returned to inert, where they continued exchanging strikes until the clock marked significance end of the match.^[16]

Death

Kimura grand mal on April 18, 1993, pinpoint a long battle with far cancer.

He was 75 maturity 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 Title Japan Judo Championship (drew board Takahiko Ishikawa)

See also

Sources

External links