Antonio Inoki Fighting Spirit Day

Antonio Inoki is a sports legend in Japan. He died on this day, October 1st, in 2022. He was a pro wrestler by profession, but he was so much more than that by character and he continues to live on in the hearts of his fans, both in Japan and worldwide. He rose to international fame after his match with Muhammad Ali in 1976. 

Inoki's "toukon" was very famous. Toukon is a fighting spirit. His catchphrase "genki desu ka" (which I can still hear him saying) simply means "how are you doing?" but the way he said it just lit up a room. He had charisma in bucket loads. October 1st was made Antonio Inoki Fighting spirit day after his death. As above, he died on this day, but the date is also tied into his name. Because the first kanji of fighting spirit 闘 can be pronounced ten, as per the 10th month, and the one (1) is like the "I" on Inoki. 

The featured photo of this post is of a statue of Antonio Inoki taken in Kawagoe this summer, where I went to see a travelling Antonio Inoki exhibition.  I was always a fan of the man, because he endeavoured to use sports to invigorate people and create bridges. Later in life he worked to promote peace through his international political work. He is gone, but not forgotten and this anniversary ensures that he will be remembered for many years to come.