Robert "Kinji" Shibuya (May 16, 1921 – May 3, 2010) was an American professional wrestler and actor.
| Kinji Shibuya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Robert Shibuya |
| Born | May 16, 1921[1] Utah, United States[1] |
| Died | May 3, 2010 (aged 88)[1] Hayward, California, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Hawaiʻi |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kinji Shibuya Kenji Shibuya Sato Keomuka |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Billed weight | 249 lb (113 kg) |
| Billed from | Japan |
| Trained by | Tsutao Higami |
| Debut | 1952[1] |
| Retired | 1976[2] |
Professional wrestling career
editIn 1952, promoter Al Karasick suggested Shibuya try professional wrestling.[1] He was originally given a villainous gimmick of a Japanese bad guy after World War II.[1] He wrestled in the United States and Canada's Stampede Wrestling and All-Star Wrestling.[1] Shibuya credited Verne Gagne for first making him popular as a villain in 1955.[2]
Shibuya was the frequent tag team partner of Mitsu Arakawa, who was billed as his cousin.[1] In 1957, they held the Minneapolis version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[1]
Personal life
editShibuya was born in Utah and raised in California with his four brothers.[1] He attended Belmont High School in Los Angeles. He played football for the Los Angeles City College football team, and he also played football at the University of Hawaiʻi.[1] After college, Shibuya played semi-professionally for the Honolulu Polar Bears and Honolulu Warriors.[1]
Shibuya was featured on a "This is Your Life" segment on the television show Canvas Cavity and appeared on the show several times in the 1970s and 1980s.[2] After retiring from wrestling, he also had small acting roles on shows such as Kung Fu and Mr. T and Tina.[1] He also appeared in the films Days of a Bawdy Ballad and Hammett.[1]
He was married for 59 years and had two children,[1] including Robert Shibuya, the Chairman & CEO of Mohr Partners, a global corporate real estate advisory firm based in Dallas, Texas. Shibuya died on May 3, 2010, of natural causes.[1][2] He was cremated, and his funeral service was held at a Buddhist temple.[2]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (5 times) - with Masa Saito (2), Great Mephisto (1), Great Sasaki (1), and Mitsu Arakawa (1)
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1993)[3]
- Central States Wrestling
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[4][5]
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Masa Saito (3), Goliath (1), Killer Kowalski (1)
- NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (5 times)
- NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) (1 time) - with Mitsu Arakawa
- NWA Western States Sports
- Stampede Wrestling
- World Class Championship Wrestling
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oliver, Greg (May 8, 2010). "Kinji Shibuya dead at 88". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Lano, Mike (May 20, 2010). "Remembering Kinji Shibuya: Hated and beloved". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Honorees". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Texas: NWA / World Class American Heavyweight Title [Von Eric]". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 265–266. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA United States Heavyweight Title (1967-1968/05) - American Heavyweight Title (1968/05-1986/02)". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- ^ Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 275–276. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
External links
edit- Kinji Shibuya's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com
- Steward, Carl (May 14, 2010). "Remembering Kinji Shibuya: 'bad guy in the ring, gentle soul outside it". San Jose Mercury News.
- guyOliver, Greg (May 20, 2010). "OBITUARY: Kinji Shibuya". Nichi Bei.
