(24 January 1934 - 9 May 2016) is often credited for creating the sport and the term

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

Biography

Osamu Noguchi family moved to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

in 1938 at the invitation of

Yoshio Kodama was a Japanese right-wing ultranationalist and a prominent figure in the rise of organized crime in Japan. The most famous '' kuromaku'', or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century, he was active in Japan's political arena and crimi ...

, Noguchi spent his childhood being entertained by Japanese jazz singer

Dick Mine was a Japanese singer. His recording career spanned nearly the entire Shōwa era. Life and career Dick Mine was born on October 8, 1908, in the city of Tokushima. Mine's father, Enjurō Mine, had taught at Tokyo Imperial University and was th ...

in nightclubs run by his father

Susumu Noguchi Susumu Noguchi (June 1, 1908May 1, 1961) was a Japanese professional boxer who was best known for winning the Japanese Welterweight title. In June 1931, Susumu Noguchi tried bombing Junnosuke Inoue's residence. Susumu Noguchi served a short pri ...

. When the Japanese were defeated in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

, the Noguchi family were repatriated back to Japan. After Osamu Noguchi graduated Meiji University, he became the manager of Noguchi Boxing Gym which was owned by his father

, and worked as a boxing promoter. In 1961, Noguchi became the owner of Noguchi Gym after his father died, and also promoted his younger brother

Kyō Noguchi Kyō Noguchi (June 14, 1939January 1, 2009) is a Japanese former professional boxer who was best known for winning the Japanese flyweight title and fighting for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title. Professional career On April 2 ...

's boxing matches on television with NET (Nihon Educational Television Co., Ltd, now

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

). However, Noguchi was arrested for matchfixing of world title fights, and was backlisted from the boxing promotion in Japan, including being cut off from his contract with NET. In 1964 Osamu Noguchi and

Tatsuo Yamada was a Japanese actor best known for the protagonist of Sōgo Ishii's 1980 film ''Crazy Thunder Road''. Filmography * ''Crazy Thunder Road'' (1980) * ''Yokohama BJ Blues'' (1981) * ''Welter'' (1987) * '' Evil Dead Trap 3: Broken Love Killer'' ( ...

organised a 3-on-3 competition of

Kyokushin Karate is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

competition with Tadashi Nakamura,

Kenji Kurosaki is a Japanese martial arts instructor, specializing in Full-Contact Karate and Kickboxing. He is a 7th Dan Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate and operates various martial schools focusing in different arts. He is most well known as a pioneer of Fu ...

and

Tadashi Sawamura was a Japanese kickboxer whose real name was . He was one of the first popular participants in the sport, and enjoyed great fame throughout his career. He is sometimes credited with sustaining the early boom in the popularity of kickboxing.< ...

being the representatives for Karate and defeating their Muay Thai opponents at the

Lumpinee Boxing Stadium Lumpinee Boxing Stadium ( th, สนามเวทีมวยลุมพินี) is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The stadium is named after Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. Opened more than a decade later than Rajadamnern ...

in Thailand. This would be the basis of what would be popularly known as the sport of Kickboxing and established the Japan Kickboxing Association. In 1970 under the guidance of

Yoko Yamaguchi was a Japanese lyricist and novelist. In 1985, Yamaguchi won the Naoki Prize for her novels, ''Enka no Mushi'' ("Japanese Ballad Lover") and ''Robai'' ("Old Japanese Plum"). Life and career Yamaguchi was born in Nagoya as the illegitimate child o ...

persuaded Noguchi to sign

Hiroshi Itsuki is a Japanese singer and composer. As of 1987, he had sold 20 million singles and 4 million LP albums. Itsuki is usually regarded as an ''enka'' singer, but he has also released a cover version of Southern All Stars' J-pop song "Tsunami". Care ...

as a singer with great success. In October 1972, Noguchi opened a Kickboxing gym on

Ratchadamri Road Ratchadamri Road ( th, ถนนราชดำริ, , ; also spelled Rajdamri) is a road in Bangkok. It runs a distance of in a north–south direction from Pratu Nam Intersection, where it meets Phetchaburi and Ratchaprarop Roads, to Sala D ...

which sparked a backlash in Thailand. In 1976 Noguchi, founded th
World Kickboxing Association (WKBA)
On 9 May 2016, Noguchi died.

Popular culture

Osamu Noguchi appears as character in the anime

Kick no Oni , also known as ''The Demon of Kickboxing'', is a manga written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Kentaro Nakajou. It was based on the life of the kickboxer Tadashi Sawamura. History Written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Kentaro Nak ...

an animated cartoon based on the life of the kickboxer

References

1934 births 2016 deaths People from Bunkyō Kickboxing executives People from Tokyo Boxing promoters Meiji University alumni Kickboxing promoters {{kickboxing-bio-stub