Heisei Ishingun was a Japanese

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

led by Shiro Koshinaka during the 1990s, primarily in

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

History

After an intense feud with each other early from 1988, Shiro Koshinaka and

Kuniaki Kobayashi was a Japanese professional wrestler, most notable for being the generational rival of the famous Tiger Mask character in Japanese ''puroresu''. He wrestled numerous acclaimed matches against Tiger Mask I and Tiger Mask II. Early life Kob ...

formed a tag team, and feuded with many other teams from 1988 to 1992. Between those rivalries, they feuded with Masashi Aoyagi and Akitoshi Saito who were karate fighters, to prove which sport was the best. After defeating them many times, Kobayashi, Koshinaka, Saito and Aoyagi formed a stable. Kengo Kimura and the

Great Kabuki , better known as , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is famous as the first to blow Asian mist in his opponents' faces. Professional wrestling career Mera was born on September 8, 1948, in Nobeoka, Japan. He started wrestling in ...

from WAR soon joined the group. In 1993, they were initially called Han-Senshukai Dōmei (Anti-Wrestlers Alliance) referring to WAR and

Genichiro Tenryu , better known as is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was h ...

. After this feud was over, they changed their name to

Heisei The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when hi ...

Ishingun, after

Riki Choshu , better known by his ring name , is a South Korean-Japanese retirement, retired Puroresu, professional wrestler who is best known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as both a wrestler and a Booker (professional wrestling), bo ...

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

Ishin Gundan stable. In 1993, Michiyoshi Ohara and Tatsutoshi Goto joined the group and helped Koshinaka against main eventers. In 1994, Aoyagi left to return to

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. In 1996, after the J-J-Jacks split up,

Akira Nogami is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, currently working as Akira (occasionally stylised in all-capitals). He has also worked as a trainer. Professional wrestling career New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1984–2004) After graduating from high ...

joined, while Kabuki left. Kimura partially left in late 1996 to re-form his old team with

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as well, but served as an associate until their dissolution. In 1997, Goto and Ohara briefly left for nWo Japan who were feuding with the Ishingun; however, both men did not make any progress inside the unit and were kicked out by

Keiji Mutoh is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...

and

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, and were accepted back by Koshinaka into the Ishingun. In 1998, Saito left the group and professional wrestling to focus on his bartending business, while Genichiro Tenryu joined in and took his place in the group. In mid-1999, Heisei Ishingun disbanded as Goto, Nogami and Ohara joined Masahiro Chono's

Team 2000 Team 2000 was a professional wrestling stable (wrestling), stable that competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Throughout its tenure, T2000 was New Japan's top heel (wrestling), heel stable. History Background In August 1998, Masahiro Chono was ...

. Koshinaka went back to being an NJPW loyalist, while Kobayashi and Kimura retired and Tenryu, a ''de facto'' free agent, continued supporting NJPW loyalists in their battles against Team 2000. During their time as a group, Heisei Ishingun feuded with wrestlers from

WAR War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

UWF International Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. The UWF international was the successor to the ''Newborn UWF'' th ...

, and nWo Japan. On February 8, 2017, Akira, Akitoshi Saito, The Great Kabuki, Masashi Aoyagi and Shiro Koshinaka made a one-night reunion as Heisei Ishingun under

's Pro-Wrestling Masters banner. The group once again had a one night reunion on October 1, 2017, when Akitoshi Saito and Shiro Koshinaka teamed with Maybach Taniguchi to defeat Mitsuya Nagai, Tatsumi Fujinami and Leona at Pro Wrestling Noah’s Great Voyage in Yokohama.

Heisei Ishingun members

* Shiro Koshinaka (1992–1999) - leader *

(1992–1999) - co-leader * Masashi Aoyagi (1992–1994) * Akitoshi Saito (1992–1998) * Kengo Kimura (1992–1999) - semi-associate after 1997 *

(1992–1996) * Michiyoshi Ohara (1993–1999) * Tatsutoshi Goto (1993–1999) *

(1996–1999) *

(1998–1999)

Championships and accomplishments

* WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (Goto, Koshinaka & Ohara) *One Night Tag Team Tournament Winner (1996) (Ohara & Nogami) *

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. T ...

(Koshinaka & Tenryu)

References

{{WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship New Japan Pro-Wrestling teams and stables