Pachinko Man: The Life and Meaning of Pro Wrestling Legend Rikid_zan
$20.99-
Dropping into the world of KPop Demon Hunters and the “Korean wave” is the first English biography published in the West of professional wrestling superstar Rikidōzan
He was Japan’s biggest celebrity — second only to the emperor. But his public image was a lie.
Pachinko Man reveals the man behind the myth, and the forces that shaped him.
As he pummeled American bad guys in the ring in the 1950s, Rikidōzan was a cultural phenomenon and a symbol of the defeated Japan’s restoration of postwar pride. But his birth name wasn’t actually Mitsuhiro Momota. In a fiercely guarded secret, he was born Kim Sim-rak, part of the persecuted minority from the former imperial occupied territory of Korea. Moreover, he was from North Korea, the communist bastion locked in Cold War conflict with U.S.-aligned South Korea.
Pachinko Man is a riveting story of this sport’s manipulations of fact and fiction, along with its deceptively important relationship to larger political and cultural forces. Legendary wrestling historian Irvin Muchnick documents the birth of puroresu (Japanese pro wrestling) and its passionate swap of official storylines with the American brand.
Rikidōzan’s instinctive genius in his genre, along with his huge appetites and human foibles, made for a titanic impact before his 1963 murder by a fellow traveler in the Yakuza, Japan’s organized crime syndicate. For the first time, North American readers can fully grasp the legacy of a man who didn’t just transform a sport — but helped shape a nation’s identity.
Available January 26, 2027. PRE-ORDER NOW!
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Irvin Muchnick, the late sportswriting great Frank Deford said, “writes with passion and savage humor” and “produces magnificent investigative journalism.” Muchnick’s previous books on pro wrestling include Wrestling Babylon and Chris & Nancy (now in its third edition). Reporting for Muchnick’s most recent book, Underwater, spurred government and sports governance investigations into sexual abuse in swimming in four countries. A native of St. Louis, he lives in Berkeley, California.
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Published: January 2027
ISBN: 9781770418707
Dimensions: 6 x 9 in.
Pages: 176
Reviews
“This biography of Rikidōzan is an important and long overdue contribution to the study of Japanese pop culture and North Korean diaspora, and Irvin Muchnick is just the author to bring this amazing story to life.” — Adam Johnson, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for the novel The Orphan Master’s Son and the National Book Award for the 2015 story collection Fortune Smiles
“In many ways, Rikidōzan was the most influential pro wrestler in history. He was the architect and biggest star of Japanese wrestling, which in his day was more culturally significant than pro wrestling has ever been anywhere in the world. He was a national hero in both Japan and North Korea — to an extent that, unless you understand those cultures and that time, is simply unfathomable. And his handpicked proteges became the most famous pro wrestlers in Japan and South Korea of the ’70s and ’80s. Irv Muchnick explains the rise of the Rikidōzan phenomenon, through the double-crosses, mob ties, legendary television events and its most violent and real conclusion. If you are a fan of Japanese or Korean culture, or pro wrestling history, this book is a must-read.” — Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer
“An impressive, knowing biography of an iconic, legendary ring figure in Japan and Korea, and a primer on the world of professional wrestling at the same time — densely researched, rich in detail, brimming with fascinating facts, memorable tidbits, and insights.” — Robert Whiting, author of The Chrysanthemum and the Bat and You Gotta Have Wa