Toyonobori
Toyonobori | |
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Birth name | Michiharu Sadano |
Born | (1931-03-21)March 21, 1931[1] Kanada, Tagawa District, Fukuoka, Japan[2] |
Died | July 1, 1998(1998-07-01) (aged 67)[1] |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Mr. Zero Toyonobori |
Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
Billed weight | 251 lb (114 kg) |
Trained by | Rikidōzan |
Debut | December 12, 1954 |
Retired | February 20, 1973 |
Michiharu Sadano (定野 道春, Sadano Michiharu, March 21, 1931 – July 1, 1998), known in sumo and professional wrestling as Michiharu Toyonobori (豊登道春, Toyonobori Michiharu) or simply by his shikona Toyonobori (豊登, Toyonobori, "Riser from Toyo"), was a Japanese professional wrestler and sumo wrestler.
Sumo career
Toyonobori performed as a sumo wrestler from 1947 to 1954.
Professional wrestling career
Japanese Wrestling Association (1954–1966)
After retiring as a rikishi from sumo, Toyonobori became a professional wrestler. He debuted on December 12, 1954 with the Japanese Wrestling Association, which was the top wrestling promotion in Japan from 1953 until 1972 and the only male significant Japanese wrestling promotion from 1953 until 1966, when its predominance began to be challenged by International Wrestling Enterprise.
The top wrestler of the JWA was Rikidōzan, the founder of the promotion; he dominated the Japanese wrestling scene. As a result, few Japanese wrestlers were able to get into the spotlight. The more recognizable among them was Toyonobori himself, who dominated the tag team scene in Japan, forming a successful tag team with Rikidōzan, with whom he became a four-time winner of the All Asia Tag Team Championship, which was the top tag title in Japan and which is now contested in All Japan Pro Wrestling.
After Rikidōzan's death on December 15, 1963, Toyonobori, along with Yoshinosato, Koukichi Endo and Michiaki Yoshimura announced their intention to continue the JWA on January 10, 1964. Therefore, he became the president of the JWA and its top wrestler, as he had been the second most important wrestler of the promotion during the Rikidozan era.
Toyonobori formed two successful tag teams with Michiaki Yoshimura and then Giant Baba, with whom he won the All Asia Tag Team Championship three more times. Yoshimura and Baba were among the young wrestlers the JWA was trying to push to the top, so they were paired with the top wrestler of the JWA, a strategy the promotion followed before pairing Toyonobori himself with the popular Rikidōzan.
On December 12, 1964, Toyonobori won the World Heavyweight Championship of Worldwide Wrestling Associates from The Destroyer at the Tokyo Gym; the title was universally recognized as a world title back then and had been held by Rikidōzan himself (it has been the first world title to be held by an Asian wrestler). Toyonobori was therefore the first Japanese wrestler to win a world title in Professional Wrestling as Rikidōzan was Korean (although the true ethnicity of Rikidōzan emerged only long after his death). WWA did not recognise the title change, while the JWA recognized it. Because of this, there were two WWA world heavyweight champions, defending their titles respectively in Japan and in the United States of America. On September 20, 1965, Toyonobori was defeated by disqualification by Luke Graham at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium to end the dispute over the WWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Toyonobori began losing power in the JWA, which then started pushing Giant Baba to the top of the promotion, leading him to win its top single title, the NWA International Heavyweight Championship (which had been held up after Rikidōzan's death), in 1965. After Rikidōzan's death, the JWA did not have one single title; the Japanese Heavyweight Championship, the All Asia Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, which were held by Rikidōzan himself, were all recognized and only the last two titles were later revived (respectively in 1968 and in 1965).
On January 5, 1966, the JWA announced the resignation and departure of Toyonobori as the company president; he was later expelled from the JWA along with Antonio Inoki on March 21, 1966.
Tokyo Pro Wrestling (1966–1967)
On April 23, 1966, Toyonobori announced the formation of Tokyo Pro Wrestling; on the same day Inoki announced his intention to join the company, as Toyonobori has privately promised Inoki to make him the promotion's top star.
On October 12, 1966, Tokyo Pro had its first card at the Sumo Hall with Inoki in the main event. However, on April 6, 1967, the JWA announced the return of Antonio Inoki to the promotion. Therefore, Tokyo Pro folded, having lost its top star.
International Wrestling Enterprise (1967–1970)
Along with most of the former Tokyo Pro wrestlers, Toyonobori joined International Wrestling Enterprise, which had been founded in the meantime on October 21, 1966, by Isao Yoshiwara and Hiro Matsuda and which had its first card in Osaka on January 5, 1967, in conjunction with Tokyo Pro. IWE then started surpassing the dominance of the JWA in Japanese wrestling.
On December 19, 1968, Toyonobori was defeated by Billy Robinson in a round-robin tournament to become the first IWA World Heavyweight Champion, the first Japanese-based world heavyweight championship in professional wrestling history.
On May 18, 1969, Toyonobori and Shozo Kobayashi, nicknamed Strong Kobayashi, defeated Ivan Strogoff and Jean Ferré in the Élysée Montmartre in Paris, France, to become the inaugural IWA World Tag Team Champions.
On February 11, 1970, Toyonobori announced his retirement at an IWE event.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1972–1973)
In March 1972, when Inoki left JWA to form New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Toyonobori came out of retirement to help give the promotion name value. His last match was on February 20, 1973, a win over Bruno Bekkar in Yokohama, more than three years after his original retirement ceremony.
Death
Toyonobori died on July 1, 1998, due to heart failure.
Championships and accomplishments
- Japanese Wrestling Association
- All Asia Tag Team Championship (7 times) - with Rikidōzan (4 times), Michiaki Yoshimura (1 time) and Giant Baba (2 times)
- JWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Rikidōzan
- World Big League (1964, 1965)
- International Wrestling Enterprise
- TWWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Koji Thunder Sugiyama
- IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shozo Strong Kobayashi
- Tokyo Sports
- Achievement Award (1998)[3]
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) (recognized by Japanese Wrestling Association, disputed by WWA)
Sumo career record
- Only two tournaments were held through most of the 1940s.
- | Spring Haru basho, Tokyo | Summer Natsu basho, Tokyo | Autumn Aki basho, Tokyo | |||
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1947 | Not held | Shinjo 3–2 | East Jonokuchi #5 3–3 | |||
1948 | Not held | East Jonidan #18 4–2 | West Jonidan #3 4–2 | |||
1949 | East Sandanme #15 9–3–P | West Makushita #20 9–6 | West Makushita #11 9–6 | |||
1950 | West Makushita #6 7–8 | West Makushita #6 11–4 | West Jūryō #11 2–13 | |||
1951 | East Makushita #5 8–7 | West Makushita #3 10–5 | East Jūryō #11 7–8 | |||
1952 | East Jūryō #13 7–8 | East Jūryō #14 7–8 | East Jūryō #15 5–10 | |||
Record given as wins–losses–absencies Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) |
- | New Year Hatsu basho, Tokyo | Spring Haru basho, Osaka | Summer Natsu basho, Tokyo | Autumn Aki basho, Tokyo | ||
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1953 | East Makushita #2 10–5 | West Jūryō #15 9–6 | East Jūryō #13 6–3–6 | East Jūryō #13 12–3 Champion | ||
1954 | West Jūryō #4 11–4 | East Maegashira #20 9–6 | East Maegashira #17 6–4–5 | East Maegashira #15 Retired 6–9 | ||
Record given as wins–losses–absencies Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) |
See also
- List of sumo tournament second division champions
- Glossary of sumo terms
- List of past sumo wrestlers
References
- ^ a b "Puroresu Central - Toyonobori". Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- ^ Kuniwo Sadano (May 15, 2004). "第2章 日本最初の古都検証". 真実の古都発見―今明かされる日本史の真実 (in Japanese). Google ブックス. Tokyo, Japan: BUNGEISHA CO., LTD. p. 185. ISBN 4-8355-7366-8.
- ^ "The Great Hisa's Puroresu Dojo: Puroresu Awards: 1990s". Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- ^ "Toyonobori Michiharu Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
External links
- Toyonobori's profile at Cagematch.net , Internet Wrestling Database
- Media related to Toyonobori at Wikimedia Commons
- v
- t
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- King Kong Czaya and Tiger Joginder Singh
- Dan Miller and Frank Valois
- Rikidōzan and Toyonobori
- Luther Lindsay and Ricky Waldo
- Buddy Austin and Mike Sharpe
- Toyonobori and Michiaki Yoshimura
- Caripus Hurricane and Gene Kiniski
- Giant Baba and Toyonobori
- The Destroyer and Billy Red Lyons
- Joe Carrolo and Killer Karl Kox
- Hiro Matsuda and Michiaki Yoshimura
- Eddie Graham and Killer Karl Kox
- Giant Baba and Michiaki Yoshimura
- Kintarō Ōki and Michiaki Yoshimura
- Antonio Inoki and Michiaki Yoshimura
- Klondike Bill and Skull Murphy
- Antonio Inoki and Kintarō Ōki
- Seiji Sakaguchi and Michiaki Yoshimura
- Great Kojika and Gentetsu Matsuoka
- Great Kojika and Motoshi Okuma
- Jerry and Ted Oates
- Samson Kutsuwada and Akihisa Takachiho
- Animal Hamaguchi and Mighty Inoue
- David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich
- Takashi Ishikawa and Akio Sato
- Ashura Hara and Mighty Inoue
- Ashura Hara and Takashi Ishikawa
- Animal Hamaguchi and Isamu Teranishi
- Norio Honaga and Isamu Teranishi
- Mighty Inoue and Takashi Ishikawa
- Ashura Hara and Super Strong Machine
- Footloose (Samson Fuyuki and Toshiaki Kawada)
- Shinichi Nakano and Shunji Takano
- Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat
- Kenta Kobashi and Tiger Mask II
- Shinichi Nagano and Akira Taue
- Johnny Ace and Kenta Kobashi
- British Bruisers (Dynamite Kid and Johnny Smith)
- Billy Black and Joel Deaton
- Tsuyoshi Kikuchi and Kenta Kobashi
- The Eagle and The Patriot
- Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori
- Wolf Hawkfield and Johnny Smith
- Tamon Honda and Jun Izumida
- Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki
- No Fear (Takao Omori and Yoshihiro Takayama)
- Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa
- Tamon Honda and Masao Inoue
- Masahito Kakihara and Mitsuya Nagai
- Arashi and Koki Kitahara
- Arashi and Nobutaka Araya
- Kohei Sato and Hirotaka Yokoi
- Kintaro Kanemura and Tetsuhiro Kuroda
- Mr. Gannosuke and Tetsuhiro Kuroda
- The Great Kosuke and Shiryu
- Masanobu Fuchi and Genichiro Tenryu
- Mitsuya Nagai and Masayuki Naruse
- RO&D (Buchanan and Rico Constantino)
- Shuji Kondo and "brother" Yasshi
- Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kensuke Sasaki
- Minoru Suzuki and Nosawa Rongai
- S.M.O.P. (Akebono and Ryota Hama)
- Voodoo Murders (TARU and Big Daddy Voodoo)
- Manabu Soya and Seiya Sanada
- Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi
- Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka
- Hikaru Sato and Hiroshi Yamato
- Atsushi Aoki and Kotaro Suzuki
- Jun Akiyama and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- Team Dream Futures (Keisuke Ishii and Shigehiro Irie)
- Xceed (Kotaro Suzuki and Kento Miyahara)
- Mitsuya Nagai and Takeshi Minamino
- Último Dragón and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- Yankii Nichokenju (Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto)
- Evolution (Atsushi Aoki and Hikaru Sato)
- Atsushi Onita and Masanobu Fuchi
- Black Tiger VII and Taka Michinoku
- Nextream (Naoya Nomura and Yuma Aoyagi)
- Jun Akiyama and Yuji Nagata
- Sweeper (Jake Lee and Koji Iwamoto)
- Ryuichi Kawakami and Kazumi Kikuta
- Purple Haze (Zeus and Izanagi)
- StrongHearts (El Lindaman and T-Hawk)
- Total Eclipse (Yusuke Kodama and Hokuto Omori)
- Voodoo Murders (Minoru and Toshizo)
- Evolution (Dan Tamura and Hikaru Sato) (current)
- Tajiri and Yoshitatsu
- Gungnir of Anarchy (Masao Hanahata and Yusuke Kodama)
- Masao Inoue and Takao Omori
- Kendo Kashin and Nosawa Rongai
- Atsushi Onita and Yoshitatsu
- Burning (Jun Akiyama and Kotaro Suzuki)
- Eruption (Hideki Okatani and Yukio Sakaguchi)
- Atsushi Onita and Toy Kojima
Other recognized champions | |
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Champions recognized by New Japan Pro-Wrestling |