Rikidōzan
| Rikidōzan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Kim Sin-rak (김신락) |
| Born | November 14, 1924 Hongwon County, South Hamgyong, Korea |
| Died | December 15, 1963 (aged 39) Minato, Tokyo, Japan |
| Cause of death | Peritonitis |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rikidōzan Mitsuhiro Momota |
| Billed height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Billed weight | 110 kg (240 lb) |
| Billed from | Nagasaki |
| Trained by |
Harold Sakata Bobby Bruns |
| Debut | October 28, 1951 |
| Rikidōzan Mitsuhiro | |
|---|---|
| 力道山 光浩 | |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 116 kg (256 lb; 18.3 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Nishonoseki |
| Record | 135-82-15 |
| Debut | May 1940 |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (May 1949) |
| Retired | September 1950 |
| Championships | 1 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (1) |
| Gold Stars | 2 (Azumafuji) |
| * Up to date as of May 2013. | |
Mitsuhiro Momota (Japanese: 百田 光浩 Hepburn: Momota Mitsuhiro?) (born Kim Sin-rak; Hangul: 김신락; Hanja: 金信洛; November 14, 1924 – December 15, 1963), better known as Rikidōzan (力道山, Hangul: 역도산; RR: Yeokdosan), was a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler, known as the "Father of Puroresu" and one of the most influential men in professional wrestling history. Initially, he had moved from his native country Korea to mainland Japan to become a sumo wrestler. He was credited with bringing the sport of professional wrestling to Japan at a time when the Japanese needed a local hero to emulate and was lauded as a national hero. He was murdered by a member of the Yakuza in 1963.
Rikidōzan was born as Kim Sin-rak in South Hamgyong, in Korea, on November 14, 1924. He became the adopted son of the farmer "Momota family" of Nagasaki Prefecture when he was young and trained to be a sumo wrestler. He joined Nishonoseki stable, and made his debut in May 1940. Due to the discrimination against Koreans by the Japanese, Sin-rak claimed that his name was Mitsuhiro Momota (Momota being the surname of the family which adopted, but later disowned, him) and listed his birthplace as Omura, Nagasaki. He was given the shikona of Rikidōzan. He reached the top makuuchi division in 1946 and was runner-up to yokozuna Haguroyama in the tournament of June 1947, losing a playoff for the championship. He fought in 23 tournaments in total, with a win-loss record of 135-82. His highest rank was sekiwake.
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