Determination: 60 years of Life, Determination Determines Life & Death! Book & DVD by Yoshiaki Fujiwara (Preowned)

My mother gave birth to me with a body bigger and stronger than most people. I can't believe that my childhood in the countryside of Iwate was so long ago. I sometimes wonder if I'm really 60 years old. I used to think that 60 years old meant a lot of old age, but now that I'm 60, it doesn't seem that old. However, compared to when I was younger, time seems to pass so quickly.

I've lived my life doing only what I love. Professional wrestler. Actor. Talent. Illustrator. Ceramicist. In the last few years, I've added a new title, essayist. It's a vague image, but I think being called an artist is probably what makes me happiest. There's no distinction between what's my main job and what's my side job, they're all my professions.

I'm really happy to have been able to live my life doing only what I love. I was 18 when I told my parents, "I'm going to Tokyo," and left my parents' home in Iwate. I worked in a number of jobs before joining New Japan Pro-Wrestling at the age of 23.

The training at the dojo was so tough that I thought about running away, but even if I did, there was nowhere I wanted to run away to. The winters in Iwate are cold and long. I am the eldest son of a farming family, so when I return to the countryside, I have no choice but to become a farmer. Rather than becoming a farmer, it is much better to be a new wrestling apprentice who has a place to live, friends to do what you like with, can eat your fill whenever you want, and even drink alcohol. So I had no complaints about my life back then.

When I was young, I had no idea how long I could do wrestling, and I didn't think about my future. I thought that professionals would retire when their physical strength and ability declined, so I imagined that I would retire until 35-36, or around 40 if I was in good condition, but I never dreamed that I would still be in the ring as an active wrestler even after I turned 60.

My "life as a wrestler" really started when I turned 35. I quit my job as Antonio Inoki's bag carrier, to which I had devoted my entire life, and left New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the company that had raised me, and chose to continue wrestling in a new environment.

25 years have passed since then. The organization I moved to went bankrupt after only two years, but it's strange to say that it was a failure, and I can't say that it was necessarily so. I returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a contract wrestler, and moved to a new organization again in 1989. When that organization disbanded again after two years, I founded my own organization, Professional Wrestling Fujiwara-Gumi.

The biggest challenge of my life came suddenly in the autumn of my 58th year. I guess living is like walking a tightrope. There is a saying that "Once it's past your throat, you forget the heat," but I try to forget pain, suffering, and unpleasant memories. But I think that was a warning from God.

That day, for the first time in my life, I prepared myself for death.

About the Author:

Born on April 27, 1949 in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture.

After graduating from Uzawajiri Technical High School, he worked for a company, but at the age of 23, he joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

He made his debut against Tatsumi Fujinami 10 days after joining.

In 1984, he made his breakthrough as a wrestler after the Choshu Riki Attack Incident.

He then joined UWF when his beloved students moved to other companies, and after UWF was dissolved, he founded Fujiwara-Gumi.

He is known for his submission wrestling skills, and is known as the "demon of joint locks."

There are many students of Fujiwara in the wrestling world.

Currently, in addition to teaching young wrestlers, he is also active as a wrestler, actor, narrator, voice actor, etc.

He also has a wide range of special skills, including pottery, bonsai, and illustration.

Language: Japanese

Length: 213 page book & DVD

Printed in 2010