Tadashi Sawamura

Tadashi Sawamura (沢村 忠, Sawamura Tadashi, January 5, 1943 – March 26, 2021)[1][2][3] was a Japanese kickboxer whose real name was Hideki Shiraha (白羽 秀樹, Shiraha Hideki).[4][5] He is often credited with sparking the "Shōwa era kickboxing boom", being one of the era's most popular Japanese fighters, and enjoying great fame throughout his career.[5][6]

Tadashi Sawamura
BornHideki Shiraha
白羽秀樹
(1943-01-05)January 5, 1943
Manchukuo Manchukuo
DiedMarch 26, 2021(2021-03-26) (aged 78)
Japan, Chiba prefecture
Native name沢村忠
Other namesKick no Oni (Demon of the kick), Keri no shiraha (Kicking white feathers)
NationalityJapan Japanese
Height174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
DivisionLightweight
Welterweight
Middleweight
StyleKickboxing, Karate, Muay Thai
Years active1966–1973
Kickboxing record
Total241
Wins232
By knockout228
Losses5
Draws4

Biography

Early life

Hideki Shiraha was born in Manchukuo in 1943. In his youth, he studied Gōjū-ryū-style Karate and some Chinese Martial Arts from his grandfather.[7] As a child, he was part of a children's theater company called "Theatrical Company Broad Bean" (gekidan sora mame - 劇団そらまめ), with aspirations of becoming an actor in the future.[7][5]

When he was in the third year of junior high school, he was scouted to Shintoho Studios as part of their "Shintoho Starlet" program. He had appeared in TV dramas under the stage name "Tetsuya Shiro", but due to the bankruptcy of Shintoho, he was forced to suspend his career in the entertainment industry.[8]

Subsequently, he graduated from Hosei University Junior and Senior High School and joined Daiei Film Company. He enrolled in the Film Department of Nihon University College of Art as part of his training at Daiei.[9] Around this time, he seemed to had given up his career as an actor and pursued to become a screenwriter.[10] On the other hand, he had also joined the Goju-ryu Karate Club at university and won the All Japan Student Championship while he was still in school. He was undefeated in 60 fights.[5]

In 1963 there was a competitive match between leading Japanese and Thai instructors, a karate vs Muay Thai tournament. Japan won the series although two of the Japanese participants Osamu Noguchi and Tatsuo Yamada wanted to create a full-contact sport similar to how Muay Thai is a sport in Thailand, and they started to create kickboxing.

Shiraha came to attention of Osamu Noguchi, who praised Shiraha's ability. Noguchi had invited Shiraha to pursue kickboxing, telling Shihara that "the sports version of karate doesn't have the training to win in a full-contact fight" and that "[Shiraha] would lose if he traveled to Thailand to compete in full-contact".[6][5] Shiraha eventually left Daiei Film Company at the same time as graduating from college and started training at the Noguchi Gym.[9]

Kickboxing career

The Japan Kickboxing Association was launched in April 1966, with Shiraha debuting as a professional kickboxer on April 11, 1966, under the ring name "Tadashi Sawamura". The ring name was chosen after Kyokushin fighter Tadashi Nakamura, who defeated a Muay Thai fighter by KO at Lumpinee Stadium in 1964 as a representative of Japan and Karate.[11]

Sawamura's debut match held at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium was a match called "Karate vs. Muay Thai" and won by 2nd Round KO over "Rākurei shīhāman" (ラークレイ・シーハーマン).

In June 1966, he fought against Muay Thai fighter Samarn Sor Adisorn, who was ranked #8 at Lumpinee's featherweight division, at the Riki Palace. Sawamura lost by 4th Round KO and during the fight, was knocked down to the mat 16 times during the fight (with some reporting 19 times) and received more than 25 bruises from the fight.[12][13][14]

Disheartened, Sawamura wanted to retrain himself in jujutsu and hold a rematch. Noguchi met with Sawamura while he was healing, and suggested that Sawamura should be trained in kickboxing proper. Sawamura begins training in Kickboxing and turns his career around, starting to rack up KO wins with moves like "vacuum jump knee kick" (真空飛び膝蹴り - Shinkū tobihizageri) and "kick before jump" (飛び前蹴り - Tobi maegeri).[lower-alpha 1][15]

In 1973, he awarded the Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize.[5][16][17] At that time, it was popular on the covers of several general magazines such as "Weekly Shonen Champion" (Akita Shoten) first issue in 1969 and "Weekly Shonen Magazine" (1968 issue 47).

The final match was held on July 2, 1977, and the retirement ceremony was held on October 10, the following year. His final record was 241 fights, 232 wins (228KO), 5 losses and 4 draws.[5]

Retirement and death

After his retirement, he broke all ties with his martial arts world[18] and focused on managing his automobile repair company in Tokyo.[5]

Hideki Shiraha died at a hospital in Chiba prefecture on March 26, 2021, at 78 years old. It was discovered that he had lung cancer and that it had progressed to a state where Shiraha was experiencing bloody sputum. He diagnosed in the summer of the previous year and had been medical treatment since. His funeral was held by his immediate family.[1][2][3][5]

Legacy

Sawamura is domestically regarded as the sport's great champions and helped increase Kickboxing's international profile, retiring with over 200 knockouts.[6]

While credited as one of the drivers of the Shōwa era kickboxing boom, his retirement in 1977 caused immediate ripples to be felt in Japanese Kickboxing world. Notably, the Japan Kickboxing Association fell into disarray, which resulted in various groups splitting away from it. In 1984, its remnants were absorbed by the Japan Kickboxing Federation (NKB).

Sawamura had an exceptionally high knockout percentage of 94.60% in combat sports. For comparison, in heavyweight boxing the two highest knockout percentages are 87.76% by Rocky Marciano and 87.23% by Vitali Klitschko. Mike Tyson, who became famous for his knockout power, retired with a knockout percentage of 75.86%.

It is believed that a significant number of Sawamura's fights were staged. Many who knew Sawamura at the time have testified that Sawamura preferred actual combat and possessed legitimate fighting ability, and that if some fights were staged, Sawamura still had to have legit skill to fend himself if an opponent with actual skill decided to "shoot" and beat up Sawamura for sake of glory.[19][20][21][22][23]

In media

His exploits were the basis of an manga series called Kick no Oni, written by Ikki Kajiwara and published in Shōnen Gahōsha. The manga was later adapted to a anime series by Toei Animation, and was broadcast on TBS from October 2, 1970, to March 26, 1971.[5][24] Besides in domestic Japan, the anime series became very popular in Brazil during the 70's and early 80's, released there as "Sawamu, o Demolidor".[25][26]

Sawamura has recorded two songs during his life. "Uta ikasu machida ze" (いかす街だぜ - "It's a cool city") in 1969[5] and the theme song for the 1970 Kick no Oni.

In movies, he has had minor roles in 1968 movie Gorotsuki, the 1970 Tōei film "Ninkyō kōbō-shi kumichō to daigashi" and 1974 Tōei movie "Gokuaku kenpō".

In TV, he has had guest appearances in television shows, such as Return of Ultraman (Episode 27), Henshin Ninja Arashi (Episode 36), the 1974 TV Show The Bodyguard (Episode 2) and Tatakae! Doragon (Episode 21).

Influence and tributes

Japanese professional wrestler Jumbo Tsuruta used a jumping knee strike in tribute to Sawamura.[27]

The Japanese name for the Pokémon Hitmonlee is Sawamurā, which is a reference to Sawamura.[28]

In 2005, a Pachinko Machine named "CR Kick no Oni" based after him was released. [29]

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing Record
  • 241 total fights[5]
    • 232 wins
    • 5 losses
    • 4 draws

See also

Notes
  1. As dubbed by Tokyo Broadcasting Announcer Akira Ishikawa, who was broadcasting the YKK hour kick boxing broadcast at that time.

References
  1. "「キックの鬼」沢村さん死去". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  2. ""真空飛び膝蹴り"「キックの鬼」沢村忠さん死去…７８歳". スポーツ報知. 報知新聞社. 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  3. “キックの鬼”沢村忠さんは引退後、9年間消息不明に…その間何をやっていたか【2021年墓碑銘】 - デイリー新潮 2021年12月18日
  4. "Japanese Kickboxing Legend Tadashi Sawamura Dies". Nippon.com. April 2, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  5. "「キックの鬼」沢村忠さんが死去 肺がんで入院" ["Kick Demon" Tadashi Sawamura dies, hospitalized for lung cancer]. Nikkan Sports. April 2, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  6. Archived August 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  7. 「キックの鬼」こと沢村忠の原点は中国武術と芸能への憧れ - 日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL・2021年7月16日
  8. 大蔵貢社長の独裁で「新東宝」に歪み…“エログロ路線”も下降線をたどる - 日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL・2021年7月17日
  9. 俺たちの熱狂バトルTheヒストリー〈沢村忠の真空飛び膝蹴り〉 - リアルライブ・2015年6月19日
  10. 高田文夫は「授業へ出る足を止めていつも沢村先輩のキックを見ていた」と述懐 - 日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL・2021年8月18日
  11. 『新・極真カラテ強豪100人（ゴング格闘技1月号増刊）』　日本スポーツ出版社、1997年（平成9年）、47頁。
  12. 　「沢村忠×佐山聡」『ゴング格闘技7月号増刊-異種格闘対談-GONKAKU Remix CROSS TALK BATTLE Vol.1』　日本スポーツ出版社、2003年（平成15年）、188-191頁。
  13. 　「極真の龍と呼ばれた男-山崎照朝伝（後編）」『フルコンタクトKARATE』　福昌堂、11月号、1995年（平成7年）、50頁。
  14. 『蘇る伝説「大山道場」読本』　日本スポーツ出版社、2000年（平成12年）、141頁。
  15. 「【あの人は今こうしている】石川顕（TBSアナウンサーだった） Archived 2012-01-11 at the Wayback Machine」　ゲンダイネット、2008年（平成20年）8月5日。
  16. Archived February 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  17. "「キックの鬼」沢村忠さん死去 真空飛びひざ蹴りで人気" ["Kick demon" Tadashi Sawamura dies, famous for his vacuum jumping knee kick]. The Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). April 2, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  18. 魔窟・銀座の「みかじめと愛欲」60年戦争（6）口説けないなら番組に出す
  19. 【追悼】“真空飛び膝蹴り”沢村忠はリアルに弱かったのか？ 全241戦「フェイク試合だった」疑惑を検証する(1/5ページ) NumberWeb 2021/04/01 11:04 (2022年5月9日閲覧)
  20. 【追悼】“真空飛び膝蹴り”沢村忠はリアルに弱かったのか？ 全241戦「フェイク試合だった」疑惑を検証する(2/5ページ) NumberWeb 2021/04/01 11:04 (2022年5月9日閲覧)
  21. 全241戦「フェイク試合だった」疑惑を検証する(3/5ページ) NumberWeb 2021/04/01 11:04 (2022年5月9日閲覧)
  22. 全241戦「フェイク試合だった」疑惑を検証する(4/5ページ) NumberWeb 2021/04/01 11:04 (2022年5月9日閲覧)
  23. 全241戦「フェイク試合だった」疑惑を検証する(5/5ページ) NumberWeb 2021/04/01 11:04 (2022年5月9日閲覧)
  24. "キックの鬼 - TOEI ANIMATION". Toei-anim.co.jp. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
  25. Eduardo Torelli. Revista Henshin. São Paulo: Editora JBC (21). ISSN 1518-3785. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy (2015). The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation. Stone Bridge Press. 9781611729092.
  27. Osano, Kagehiro (May 13, 2020). Jumbo Tsuruta, The Strongest Champion of Eternity (in Japanese). Wani Books. ISBN 978-4847099199.
  28. Tobin, Joseph; Acereda, Alberto; Derusha, Will (2004-02-05). Pikachu's global adventure: the rise ... - Google Books. ISBN 0822332876. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
  29. "CRキックの鬼FK". P-World (in Japanese). Retrieved February 22, 2023. 導入開始　： 2005年11月 (Start of introduction: November 2005)
  30. Archived February 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  31. "「キックの鬼」沢村忠さん死去 真空飛びひざ蹴りで人気" ["Kick demon" Tadashi Sawamura dies, famous for his vacuum jumping knee kick]. The Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). April 2, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
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