Although western style boxing is a martial art in the strictest sense of the word, it does not follow any Japanese martial or religious traditional culture such as other arts (now sports) do. Sumo has its roots firmly planted in Shinto beliefs, and other sports such as kendo come from combat training histories intended as a ritual way of life. Perhaps because of this, some Japanese hold a higher regard for these native arts over what could be implied as a more brutish sport, boxing. This is evident by the backlash unleashed on former yokuzuna (grand champion) Akebono Taro after retiring from sumo to do K-1 boxing.
Professional boxer Norio Kimura swings at opponent Eguchi during a match in Tokyo.
Source: ボクシングJP
Akebono’s story piqued my curiosity as to what inspires a young Japanese man to seek a less prestigious, less "Japanese" sport such as boxing. Baseball, by comparison, has captivated the Japanese heart and mind, and consequently transformed into its own ritual way of life. It's become Japanese. The film Kokoyakyu captures this transformation well. Boxing, I thought, is not graced with such mystique or ceremony.
The college boxing club I visited exists today as a mere four-man group. Their dedication is meted out through six days of training per week. Each session may last more than four hours, and after a mere two the sweat pours from the young men as they run through their endlessly repeated cycle: 3 minutes of training, 30 seconds of rest. They work together at nearly every stage of training, coaching and collaborating. They are neither loud nor boisterous, but quiet, focused, and absorbed in their action. Group exercises complete the evening as the young men call out reps round-robin fashion.
With all this seriousness in training, not a single member expressed a wish to become a professional boxer. I found the purpose was more simply a dedication to physical fitness. When asked if they would continue boxing after college some said they would like to, with a hint in their voice that it may be only a fleeting wish to be able to. “Maybe as a hobby,” I was told. With their steely determination and collaborative ethic, boxing has been transformed into something more recognizably Japanese, despite the hyper masculine, soloist media imagery.
2 Responses to “Sports: Boxing in Japan”
Boxing is an interesting sport to look at in the Japanese context because it is as you say not a traditional fighting art here. Yet the Japanese are really into it (I think you can find groups of Japanese into every sport) and there are some interesting stories in the world of J-boxing such as the re-introduction of a heavyweight class and the soap opera of the Kameda family. You ask some good questions and I hope you are able to get answers. So I guess my comments here are pending as well...
Nice pics of the boxing club (I especially like the first one). Only 4 members? I suppose it's not so surprising considering that males are a minority at Gaidai. Has the club ever had any female members? Seems like this would be a great subject for a larger project. Good opportunity for participant-observation... do you box? Anyway, very interesting post.
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