Masahiko Kimura Net Worth

About Masahiko Kimura

Masahiko Kimura (木村 政彦), often known as Kimura Masahiko, was a Japanese professional wrestler and judoka who died on April 18, 1993. His estimated net worth was $500,000. A lot of people agree that Kimura is one of all-finest time’s judoka. Masahiko Kimura, who had never lost a judo match between 1936 and 1950, became the first person in history to win the All-Japan Judo Championships three times in a row.

Japanese judoka and professional wrestler Masahiko Kimura had an estimated net worth of $500 thousand dollars at the time of his death, in 1993.
  • Date of Birth and Lifespan: Masahiko Kimura was born on September 10, 1917 in Kumamoto, Japan. He died on April 18, 1993 of lung cancer at the age of 75.

Masahiko Kimura faced Helio Gracie, the co-creator of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, in a judo/jiu jitsu submission duel in Brazil back in 1951. Gracie entered the fight as the smaller and overwhelming underdog. You probably would have been affected by a few things if you had attended the battle in Brazil.

You would have firstly been in awe at Kimura’s incredible use of Ippon Seoinage, a hand tossing move, to put Gracie on his back. The strength of Gracie’s character to put up with Kimura’s control and discomfort for more than 12 minutes would then have astounded you. The moment Kimura locked his opponent’s arms in a reverse ude-garami, breaking their arm, you would have turned away and grimaced. That day, Gracie gained several supporters because he didn’t give up and let the break happen before his corner quit. The fight-ending move, however, was renamed the “Kimura” that day in honor of Kimura.

To learn more about one of history’s best judokas, keep reading.

Early Martial Arts Training: A Future Prodigy

From the beginning, Kimura was unmistakably on the rise in judo. After just six years of training, he was elevated to the rank of yondan (4th dan) at the age of 15. This was an incredible achievement. In 1935, he outlasted eight opponents at the Kodokan Dojo to become the youngest-ever godan (5th degree black belt). He won the title of All Japan Open Weight Judo Champion by the age of 20, and he held it without losing for 13 years. Tatsukuma Ushijima served as Kimura’s instructor. He was well-known for his extremely challenging workouts, which at one point included 1,000 push-ups and nine hours of practice every day.

Losses and the Adoption of Karate

According to legend, Kimura only lost four judo matches in his entire life, all of which occurred in 1935. Around that time, Kimura started karate training under Gichin Funakoshi in the hopes that it would help him develop his hands. After studying with the founder of the Shotokan for two years, he moved to learning Goju Ryu by So-Nei Chu (a Chojun Miyagi pupil), eventually becoming an assistant instructor in his dojo with legends like Gogen Yamaguchi and Mas Oyama. According to Kimura’s biography, his future tournament success was greatly influenced by the makiwara (a padded hitting post he learnt to use with So-Nei Chu and Oyama). His utilization of this also occurred at the same time as his All Japan triumphs. He apparently never dropped a match in a tournament again after that.

Damage to Opponents

Like the legendary Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin, Kimura’s opponents genuinely feared getting hurt. During his training at the Tokyo Police and Kodokan dojos, Kimura’s opponents and fellow students verbally begged him not to utilize his osoto gari (a foot throwing technique).

You see, many of Kimura’s competitors experienced concussions and lost consciousness during training. Therefore, you may appreciate their caution.

Professional Wrestling, Controversy, and the 7th Dan

Amazingly, Kimura reached 7th dan at the age of 30 before his rank was frozen due to disagreements with the Kodokan over his decision to turn professional wrestler, his refusal to give back the flag from the All Japan Judo Championship, and his awarding of dan ranks while in Brazil.

The east was still keeping its artistic practices from the west fairly hidden at the time. Offering dan rankings in a South American nation was thus somewhat taboo.

His Battle With Helio Gracie, as Described:

“20,000 people, including the president of Brazil, attended the fight. Helio was 80 kg and 180 cm tall. I discovered a casket as soon as I reached the stadium. I enquired about it. When I asked, “For Kimura only. This was provided by Helio.” It was so hilarious that I almost started laughing out loud. I was pelted with raw eggs as I walked up to the ring. The gong sounded. My lapels were grabbed by Helio, who then struck me with O-soto-gari and Kouchi-gari. But I was in no way moved by them. It’s my time now. I used O-uchi-gari, Harai-goshi, Uchimata, and Ippon-seoi to blow him away in the air. I threw him by O-soto-gari at roughly the ten-minute mark. I was trying to knock you out. However, the mat was so soft that it barely affected him. I was considering a finishing move as I kept throwing him. He was once more thrown by O-soto-gari. I immediately pinned Helio using Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame after he had fallen. I didn’t move for two or three minutes before attempting to smother him with my tummy. To get air, Helio shook his head. He tried to shove up my body with his extended left arm since he could stand it no longer. I then twisted up his arm after grabbing his left wrist with my right hand. Udegarami was used. I assumed he would give up right away. Helio, though, refused to tap the mat. I was forced to continue pulling on the arm. The stadium went silent. He was on the verge of shattering the bone in his arm. Finally, the stadium was filled with the sound of bones cracking. Helio persisted in refusing to give up. His left arm had already lost all strength. I was forced to twist the arm again by this rule. There was still plenty of time. I once more twisted my left arm. More bones were broken. Still, Helio did not tap. A white towel was tossed in when I tried to twist the arm once more. I triumphed via TKO. My hand went up in the air. Brazilians from Japan barged into the ring and threw me into the air. Helio, on the other hand, seemed incredibly depressed while letting his left arm hang.”

Kimura lost his fight with lung cancer on April 18, 1993.

Masahiko Kimura’s net worth was $500 million at the time of his passing. At 75 years old, he was.

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