Taro Miyake
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| Taro Miyake | |
|---|---|
 Miyake visiting Maitrot’s Academy in Paris, 1914 | |
| Born | 1882 Okayama, Japan |
| Died | 1935 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Billed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Billed from | Japan |
| Trained by | Mataemon Torajiro Tanabe |
| Debut | 1898 |
Taro Miyake (Miyake Taruji) (c. 1881–1935)[1] was a Japanese professional wrestler. In 1905 he departed Japan for London, where he famously defeated the reigning champion in the jujutsu style, Yukio Tani. Miyake and Tani then joined forces, opening a jujutsu school and co-authoring a book titled "The Game of Ju-Jitsu". He is credited for helping establish judo in the United Kingdom at the start of the 20th century.[2] In London, he sat for the well-known English artist and lithographer Albert de Belleroche.
Miyake toured all over the U.S. in the 1920s.[3] In 1928 Miyake returned to Japan and toured there with three other wrestlers, but professional wrestling was not popular in Japan back then and the shows did not sell tickets. He was also known for having defeated Yukio Tani.[4] As of 1932, in his 50s, he was still competing in bouts at Madison Square Garden.[2] He died in 1935.[1]
Career highlights
- Lost to Ad Santel in Seattle, WA on October 20, 1917 (KO from Half nelson Slam)
- Won over John Berg in Spokane, WA on March 15, 1918
- Lost to Canadian Jack Taylor in Vancouver, BC on January 23, 1919
- Lost to Jim Londos on April 8, 1920
- Lost to Canadian Jack Taylor in Casper, WY in April 1921
- Lost to Ed "Strangler" Lewis" in Chicago, IL on December 31, 1923
- Won over Fred Bilger in St. Louis MO on February 19, 1924
- Lost to Oresti Vadalfi in St. Louis MO December 4, 1924
- Won over Bull Montana in Columbus, OH on March 2, 1927
- Won over Ray Carpenter in Columbus, OH on March 9, 1927
- Won over Jack Kogut in Columbus, OH on March 16, 1927
- Lost to Ray Carpenter in Columbus, OH on March 23, 1927
- Lost to Jim Londos in Brooklyn, NY on March 11, 1931
- Lost to Jim Londos in Louisville, KY on May 16, 1931
- Lost to ”Tiger” Nelson in Washington DC May 28, 1931
- Lost to Helio Gracie in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil May 14, 1934 - Probably a misunderstanding, as Taro Miyake probably never set foot on Brazil. It's believed that Hélio defeated a Japanese fighter named Miyake from the Ono Brothers (Judo) touring group who was subsequently mistaken for Taro.
Footnotes
- ^ a b Green, Thomas A. and Joseph R. Svinth, eds. Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. Vol. 2. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2010. (pg. 446) ISBN 1-59884-243-9
- ^ a b Green, Thomas A. and Joseph R. Svinth, eds. Martial Arts in the Modern World. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. (pg. 64) ISBN 0-275-98153-3
- ^ Archer, Jeff; Joseph Svinth (January 2005). "Professional Wrestling: Where Sports and Theater Collide". InYo: Journal of Alternative Perspectives. EJMAS.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- ^ Butler, Pat (1963). "Judo Complete". Book Reviews. BestJudo.com. Retrieved June 18, 2007.