The Day Martial Arts Beat the Red & White Author’s Surprising Pitch to Akebono
The non-fiction book “The Day Martial Arts Defeated the Red and White Singing Contest” (Kodansha) is gaining attention. On New Year’s Eve of 2003, three major TV channels broadcast martial arts: TBS aired “K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!!”, Nippon TV aired “Inoki Festival 2003”, and Fuji TV aired “PRIDE Otoko Matsuri 2003”. Among them, “K-1”, which broadcast the match between Akebono Taro and Bob Sapp, recorded a peak viewership rating of 43%, surpassing the legendary NHK Red and White Singing Contest, even if just for four minutes. This book meticulously portrays the behind-the-scenes events. In the first part, it introduces the background of the unrealized “Mike Tyson vs. Sapp” fight that “K-1” had hoped for. In the second part, non-fiction writer Masashi Hosoda reveals the backstage story leading up to the birth of the legendary “Akebono vs. Sapp” fight that became a saving grace.
—With the broadcast date looming, “K-1” officials must have been anxious as the anticipated “Tyson vs. Sapp” fight was not coming to fruition. Even though the event was approaching, Sapp’s opponent had yet to be decided.
Hosoda: The breakthrough came in an unexpected way. At the time, Sadaharu Tanikawa, the producer of “K-1”, was casually chatting with a sports newspaper reporter when the topic of “I heard Akebono has been going to a kickboxing gym lately” came up. Tanikawa, at that moment, just brushed it off, thinking, “With that huge body, losing weight must be tough.” But when he got home, he reconsidered, thinking, “Wait a minute. Akebono, that might work.”
—After that, Tanikawa went all the way to Fukuoka, where the Kyushu Sumo Tournament was being held, and ambushed the former Yokozuna Akebono Taro using the typical reporter’s method of waiting day and night. Tanikawa himself was a former magazine reporter.
Hosoda: Tanikawa’s light-footedness in going all the way to Fukuoka probably stems from his background as a reporter for a specialist magazine. With a mindset of “Oh no, I’ve got an empty page to fill. Let’s go get a scoop,” he went into action. Starting at 6 a.m., he waited by a utility pole about 30 meters from the training ground of the Higashi-Seki stable, where Akebono was training. When he spotted Akebono, he nervously called his cell phone, thinking, “He might get mad at me.”
“Can you step outside for a minute?”
—Akebono answered the phone immediately, didn’t he?
Hosoda: Tanikawa casually asked, “Can you step outside for a moment?” and within less than a minute, Akebono appeared slowly at the utility pole where Tanikawa was waiting. It was early morning, so there was no one else around. Tanikawa straightforwardly made his pitch: “Master, I want you to appear in ‘K-1’ on New Year’s Eve. I want you to fight Bob Sapp.” When Akebono murmured, “Bob Sapp, huh…” he started lightly punching the utility pole.
Tanikawa was taken aback by Akebono’s reaction but quickly handed him an envelope containing the contract and mentioned having a dinner that night to confirm his agreement. Tanikawa said he was certain Akebono would show up at the dinner after seeing him punching the pole.
—Later, Tanikawa and the former producer, Kazuyoshi Ishii, helped Akebono leave the Japan Sumo Association.
Hosoda: Akebono’s decision deserves praise. In hindsight, it seems there was a sense of “Akebono was feeling mentally down after his retirement.” After retiring from active sumo in the first tournament of 2001, Akebono joined the Sumo Association as a new staff member, but he was reportedly “temporarily treated coldly.” This wasn’t limited to Akebono; there were probably complicated feelings toward former Yokozuna and Ozeki. For other staff, it might have been jealousy, thinking, “That guy beat me so many times.” In short, it was envy toward the star wrestler.
—There were also rumors of discord between him and his master, the head of the Higashi-Seki stable (former Sekiwake Takamiyama, at the time).
Hosoda: From Takamiyama’s perspective, he might have thought, “You’re being soft,” toward the mentally struggling Akebono. Takamiyama had a tough time integrating into Japanese society, so it’s no surprise he was strict with his apprentice, Akebono.
Was it good for Akebono?
—Various circumstances intertwined, and the miraculous “Akebono vs. Sapp” match became a reality. However, there remains the question, “Was it really good for Akebono?”
Hosoda: The match ended in 2 rounds and 47 seconds with a decisive victory for Sapp. But I think it was good for Akebono. Although he didn’t achieve results in K-1, he thrived in pro wrestling afterward, like a fish in water. Being in the spotlight on New Year’s Eve in 2003, with the whole of Japan watching, brought Akebono back to life.
—It attracted so much attention that it even surpassed the viewership of the Red and White Singing Contest.
Hosoda: I was recently on the radio show hosted by Shunpūtei Ichinosuke, and announcer Mai Kawaminami said, “I was a university student at the time, but I also watched that (Akebono vs. Sapp) match.” I was surprised. Even a young woman, who had no interest in martial arts or pro wrestling, remembered thinking, “I wonder what happened with Akebono’s match,” and switched the channel from the Red and White. It became a true social phenomenon.
—That’s certainly true.
Hosoda: Of course, Akebono’s latent potential and Sapp’s fame played a role, but if it hadn’t been on terrestrial TV, it wouldn’t have become such a widespread social event. Nowadays, martial arts broadcasting is centered on subscription services, which can be frustrating. Naoya Inoue’s boxing matches are emblematic of this. Despite his incredible achievements, his matches haven’t become national events. As for “Akebono vs. Sapp,” it became a huge incident that overtook the Red and White because it was in the golden age of television.
—It’s clear not only from the movement in the martial arts world but also from the brilliance of the TV industry at the time. Thank you very much.
Hosoda: Thank you very much.
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Masashi Hosoda
Non-fiction writer. Born in Okayama Prefecture in 1971, raised in Tottori City. After working as a caster for the CS channel Samurai TV and as a scriptwriter, he became a non-fiction writer. His books include Sakamoto Ryoma Didn’t Exist (Saizusha) and Why Do Musicians Abandon Their Wives? (East Press). His 2020 work, The Man Who Made Tadashi Sawamura Throw a Vacuum / Biography of Showa-Era Promoter Osamu Noguchi (Shinchosha), won the 43rd Kodansha Yasuharu Honda Non-Fiction Award. Rikidozan’s Widow (Shogakukan) won the 30th Shogakukan Non-Fiction Award. In December 2024, he published The Day Martial Arts Defeated the Red and White Singing Contest (Kodansha).
PHOTO： Reuters/Afro
