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Dialogue "Tarzan Yamamoto ×Toudoukan Director" 17: Inheritance of Fighting Culture
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17. Inheritance of fighting culture
Director: I think Mr. Momota approached me either because he saw my appraisal at the "Anything Appraisal Team" or because he saw an advertisement when he first handled the first Tiger Mask's Worn by Him mask.
Heirlooms of various Hyakuta families from the Rikidozan period. Rikidozan actually won the award and was allowed to handle various trophies that he had displayed at home.
I visited his home in Ibaraki several times, talked to him, and saw various belts wrapped by Rikidozan .
▲ Appraisal of Rikidozan trophies with Mitsuo Momota in the garden of the Momota family
It was truly a treasure of the dawn of the Japan mat world, so it was a great honor.
As someone who makes a living out of antiquities like this in Pro Wrestling, I wondered if there was anything else better than this, and I felt a sense of responsibility that I was given the role of handling this kind of thing.
This was a treasure that had to be preserved through the ages.
In addition to trophies, there are passports that Rikidozan carried until his death. There are stamps of each country when I honeymooned around the world with Keiko Tanaka.
▲ Rikidozan passport advertisement (2012)
▲ Mainichi Shimbun Cup advertisement (2010)
Some people may be reluctant to organize their belongings.
Some people ask why they sell it. However, each family has its own circumstances.
It takes a lot of energy to keep your treasure for a long time. At some point, it may become impossible for an individual to continue to manage it permanently.
At that time, I think it is meaningful to deliver it to other people who can take care of it.
I bought a lot of things from the Momota family.
It became a tremendous amount of money each time.
From Mitsuo's wife,
"Since you have contributed so much, I have dug your name into the bust on the grave of your father (Rikidozan ), because your name will be engraved on it for generations to come. You know what I mean."
Pro Wrestling fans don't know my name, and I thought they were scared, but that's what it is.
I said, "If you can put your name, I would appreciate it if you could put Toudoukan instead of my name."
"Okay Toudoukan Izumi Takashi can enter. The name of the collapsed store, if you put it in, it will be bad for your father."
I feel like they put pressure on me from a great place (laughs).
▲ Bust of Rikidozan at the main gate of Ikegami
Then
Along with Kajiwara Kazuki, Maki Hisao, Tenryu Genichiro , and Jun Akiyama, Toudoukan Takashi Izumi.
I really got it in.
Tarzan Yamamoto: Yes. Saw!
▲ Put your name on the pedestal
Director: When I actually looked at it, I thought, well, this is really unbalanced. I thought I was afraid of them.
However, Rikidozan's grave is a sacred place in the mat world, so I take it that having my name included there gave me the will to play our own role in the mat world, as Mr. and Mrs. Mitsuo said.
▲ Visiting the grave on the anniversary of Rikidozan 's death
Well, in that way, I was able to handle various things.
There was the first trophy of the World League in Rikidozan.
At the time, it was a symbol of a title that excited all of Japan, but we inherited it from the Hyakuta family and sold it for 5.25 million yen including tax.
It's the highest price I've ever paid at Toudoukan , but it was a local customer, a customer who came about once a year before I came.
So, I think it was around Golden Week when I saw the trophy, and I went home with it at that time.
Then, about a week later, I got a phone call.
"Director, I can't sleep."
"You're priced at 5 million, but that's exactly the same as the annual salary you worked for a year.
But that's the price of my year's work, and if I can get it, I think it's too cheap.
Considering the historical value. It's strange that they put it in a normal store at such a price, and no one has raised their hand yet. If no one is going to buy it, I think I should take on that role because I know the weight of its value.
Even if I buy it, I keep it at home, so I don't display it like a museum, but if Mr. Momota lets it go in that way, I am prepared to protect this treasure at least as long as I am alive. I can't sleep thinking about it.
So, I'm going to keep this until I die, and I'd like to buy it, okay?"
What.
Tarzan Yamamoto: Hmm. It's amazing.
▲ Advertisement for the first World League Baseball trophy
Director: So, "The Toudoukan you're doing has a role, doesn't it?"
"It's not just that rich people are treated badly in the hands of people who don't care or understand the thing itself in exchange for making money as a wrestler's Tanimachi, and before you know it, you're going to end up somewhere.
We will carefully protect what each individual fan who really likes Pro Wrestling has feelings for.
That's why there's a restaurant called Toudoukan ."
Tarzan Yamamoto: It's a great drama.
Director: Oh, I see.
Toudoukan's role is to "inherit the fighting culture."
It exists as a crossroads for all Pro Wrestling and martial arts fans. For the first time, I felt like I was able to confirm the significance of my existence.