#antonio inoki

[mrawkweird]

Somebody stop that man.

#AEW #AEW WrestleDream #Christian Cage #Antonio Inoki #Naoto Inoki #Hirota Inoki

[ponchaka]

The fathers of Puroresu

Rikidozan, Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki

#rikidozan #giant baba #antonio inoki #puroresu #pro wrestling #njpw #jwa #ajpw #pro wrestling noah #wwf #wcw #wrestler #fan art #roman trevisiol #roman_henshin #artists on tumblr #posca marker #posca pens #posca #illustration

[thistledropkick]

A while back, I got pretty frustrated trying to figure out what people meant when they used the phrase "strong style." I’d seen people throwing it around frequently in English language wrestling discussion, but I’d never been able to get a real, clear definition for it from anyone, especially not one with actual citations or sources.

I decided to try reading about it on my own. And I immediately learned that people use the phrase "strong style" very differently in English than it’s used in Japanese. 

Strong Style has it’s own Japanese-language wikipedia page. Here are the first couple paragraphs, translated by me:

"Strong Style" is a concept / -ism of professional wrestling. It’s a style in which one expresses one’s "emotions (rage)" in one’s wrestling. [The source for this sentence is given as a now-private Youtube interview with Shinsuke Nakamura.] It was conceptualized by Antonio Inoki, and passed down primarily within New Japan Pro Wrestling.

In Antonio Inoki’s "Autobiography of Antonio Inoki" he said that "Strong Style" is the fusion of the Karl Gotch style of offensive and defensive wrestling techniques and the Riki Douzan style that displayed the fearsomeness of pro-wrestling."

The article goes on to say that in addition to the raw emotion and the stylistic amalgam of Riki Douzan and Karl Gotch, Strong Style is also associated with a specific style of wrestling gear - short black trunks, black wrestling boots, and bare elbows and knees.

When I’d heard people use the term "Strong Style" in English, it had felt like it had a completely different, completely unrelated meaning: "something hard-hitting, MMA adjacent, pro-wrestling that’s similar to a real fight." "Strong" taken literally and simply, as physical strength behind physical blows. But the term as conceptualized by Antonio Inoki had a completely different meaning. The "strong" here was at least as much emotional as it was physical, and the inspiration wasn't so much MMA as it was wrestling.

It’s not unusual for this kind of disconnect to occur between Japanese pro wrestling and the English-language fans, but I was still surprised to learn that the meaning of a term this widely used, and this foundational to Japanese wrestling, had been so profoundly lost in translation.

The Japanese-language wikipedia page also addresses this alternate English-language definition of the term. Towards the end, they include a quote from Shinsuke Nakamura, where he says that unlike in Japan, in America people think of Strong Style as "shoot style" with elements of boxing and amateur wrestling. It also includes a section towards the bottom of the page for "Shoot Style" pro wrestling, which it defines as completely separate from Strong Style, with a European origin and unrelated history.

In any case, reading this gave me a real sense of clarity when trying to understand how the phrase is used within New Japan Pro Wrestling.

#njpw #strong style #antonio inoki #new japan pro wrestling #my translation #I found this really interesting when I was reading it so I figured other people might find it interesting too? #I don't think it's so simple as this in reality - different people have different interpretations of what this phrase means #But having some kind of basic definition of it spelled out clearly by the guy who came up with it was really useful to me

[nctryzob]

#RIP #Antonio Inoki

[jasvvy]

#botchamania #antonio inoki #spiderman

[wrestlingsavedmylife]

Eddie Kingston

#eddie kingston #njpw #antonio inoki

[choke2sleep]

And…..sleeeep. At the infamous Island Deathmatch Antonio Inoki v Masa Saito, after a long grueling 2 hour+ match Inoki finally puts Saito to sleep.

#sleeper #sleepered #sleep #sleep well #wrestling #sleeper him #sleeperhold #pro wrestling #antonio inoki #sleeping

[joearlikelikeswrestling]

#Antonio Inoki #Jushin Thunder Liger #Jushin Liger #njpw #new japan pro wrestling

[rinkulink]

#antonio inoki #rest in peace #muhammad ali #fighting spirit #legend #puroresu #pro wrestling #njpw #mma #strong style

[cyberslam]

#d is posting #Antonio Inoki #njpw

[vintageprofessionalwrestling]

RIP Antonio Inoki

#Antonio Inoki #Giant Baba #Vintage Wrestling

[anamon-book]

週刊ゴング 1985年10月31日号 No.75 日本スポーツ出版社 表紙＝アントニオ猪木

#週刊ゴング 1985年10月31日号 No.75 #週刊ゴング 1985年10月31日号 #週刊ゴング #antonio inoki #アントニオ猪木 #anamon #古本屋あなもん #あなもん #book cover

[takerfoxx]

Antonio Inoki, pro wrestler turned politician and the man who literally founded NJPW, my favorite wrestling promotion, has passed away. He was 79.

In a way this should not be a surprise. He was old, his health had been deteriorating for years, and no one can deny that he lived a rich and full life.

But even so, it is odd when one of the great titans of something you love, who is personally responsible for one of your favorite parts of it, is here one day and then gone the next. His influence is legendary, and his accomplishments, both on and off the mat, are undeniable.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Inoki.

INOKI BOMBAYE!

#antonio inoki #new japan pro wrestling #njpw #wrestling #rip

[wheredoisign]

#AJPW #Katsuhiko Nakajima #Antonio Inoki #pro wrestling

[wrestlingandart]

Inoki

#antonio inoki

[wrestlingsavedmylife]

BOMAYE/KINSHASA

#BOMAYE #KINSHASA #mmm whatcha say #Shinsuke Nakamura #samoa joe #the king of strong style #antonio inoki #muhammad ali #george foreman