Antonio Inoki’s 65-Year Legacy: The Four Women He Loved and the Loneliness Behind the Legend
Burning Spirit" was shy when it came to women, and he "refused anything that came his way.
The four wives that were never revealed even in his autobiography
“My brother was an extremely lonely person. Contrary to his image as the ‘Burning Fighting Spirit,’ roaring in the ring and defeating his rivals, he was utterly weak against loneliness and was far from someone who would seduce women. He was a theatrical person who seemed to live on the attention and praise of those around him.”
This is how Keisuke Inoki (77), the younger brother of professional wrestler Antonio Inoki, who passed away in October 2022 at the age of 79, described his true nature.
On February 20, Keisuke published his book “My Brother: The Antonio Inoki Only I Knew” (Kodansha), which chronicles Inoki’s post-war migration to Brazil, his encounter with Rikidōzan, numerous historic events in professional wrestling, and his unknown struggles with illness—stories that only his real brother could tell, covering 70 years of history.
While there have been many books about Inoki, none have touched on his personal life, particularly his marriages. Even Inoki’s own autobiography never revealed details about his “four wives.” Here, we introduce some episodes about his encounters and separations with these women.
His first marriage took place in 1965, during his time in the Japan Pro Wrestling Association. At the time, Inoki was 22 years old, and the marriage was de facto. His partner was Diana Tuck, an American woman he met while training in Portland.
“I never met his first wife, Diana,” Keisuke revealed to “FRIDAY.”
“Our family emigrated from Yokohama to Brazil in 1957. My brother, who was scouted by Rikidōzan and joined Japan Pro Wrestling, was the only one who returned to Japan in 1960. Later, we received a letter informing us of his marriage to Diana, but I remember our mother, Fumiko, being deeply depressed. She must have felt that my brother was going somewhere beyond her reach.”
Inoki and Diana had a daughter and lived in a house in Noge, Setagaya, which was previously owned by enka singer Midori Hatakeyama. However, Diana struggled to adapt to Japanese life and returned to the United States in 1969, ending their four-year marriage. Tragically, their daughter, born from this union, passed away from illness at the age of eight.
