In May 2008, Kobashi returned to his alma mater, Fukuchiyama Municipal Toei Junior High School, to give a lecture.
The professional wrestling training I did every morning also helped me win third place in the prefectural tournament in judo competitions.
Original source
Since I started longing to become a professional wrestler, my older brother and I would get up at 5 o'clock every morning. We would run to Sandanike Park near our house and start training with push-ups and squats. Whether it snowed or rained, we wore raincoats and persisted in our morning training every day. Although my older brother stopped after entering high school, I continued this training until I graduated from junior high school — a total of more than five years.
At the same time as I entered junior high school, my parents officially divorced. We had been living in government employee housing before, but afterward, we moved to a two-story house that was old and dilapidated. The house was so run-down that sometimes the stairs would break when stepped on. The house was even damaged by termites. The floor of the first floor had also been hollowed out by termites, but my mother still laid a bed over it and slept there. Seeing such a scene, I strongly thought in my heart, "Someday I will build a big house and have my mother live in it." In order to achieve this goal, I felt that the only path for me was to become a professional wrestler, and this idea took root in my heart before I knew it.
After entering junior high school (Fukuchiyama Municipal Toei Junior High School), I was already completely devoted to professional wrestling. After hearing that Jumbo Tsuruta had a background in basketball, I thought about playing basketball or volleyball to get taller. But after entering school, a boy with a judo background sitting next to me asked, "Do you want to come visit the judo club together?"
I thought it wouldn’t be bad to learn martial arts for the future, so I decided to join the judo club. However, the upperclassmen in the judo club at that time were not very good people. The clubroom of the dojo had become a hangout for delinquent smokers. Well, perhaps because these delinquents were seriously practicing judo, no one dared to complain (laughs). I didn’t care at all and kept practicing. So by the time I became a third-year student, those delinquent guys had all disappeared.
Moreover, the professional wrestling training I did every morning strengthened my legs and hips. I became harder to throw down and tougher overall. As a result, judo became more and more fun. When I was in the third year, I won third place in the Northern Kyoto Tournament. Although I was still a white belt, some powerhouse judo schools even scouted me. At that time, I was already 180 centimeters tall and weighed 75 kilograms. Actually, I wanted to go straight into professional wrestling after graduating, but thinking that it wouldn’t work if I went now and that I should at least graduate from high school, I decided to continue my studies.
Whether in junior high or high school, Kobashi always aimed to become a professional wrestler, striving hard in judo. Of course, having a shaved head was required, and things like girlfriends were taboo (the photo shows him in high school).
However, being a privileged student at a private school didn’t mean full exemption from tuition fees. Even if it was completely free, the tuition at Fukuchiyama Municipal High School, a public school, was still the cheapest. However, the general course of Fukuchiyama High School was an excellent college preparatory school, and only the top 100 out of 800 students in the mock exams could get in at that time. I ranked over 600. But after judo club practice, I kept studying hard late into the night. Since there was no desk at home, I studied by the heated table or lying on the bed... Gradually, my grades improved, and in the end, I miraculously passed the entrance exam for Fukuchiyama High School. Then, on the day of the announcement of the successful applicants, in front of the bulletin board, I was about to have a fateful encounter.
The Day of Passing Announcement, Encounter with My Mentor, Mr. Takahashi
On the day of the announcement of successful applicants, I saw my number on the bulletin board. At that moment, I clenched my fist and shouted loudly, "Alright, I did it!" Looking back now, that might have been the first "youthful clenched fist" in my life...
At that very moment, someone tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, there stood a big-built middle-aged man. He suddenly said, "Oh, I really didn’t think you would pass the exam." So in my heart, I was thinking, "Who is this guy? Do I know him?" This judo club teacher was named Yukuo Takahashi. He was from Kokushikan University’s judo club, a strong and athletic person with a large physique and appearance. I have to say, he didn’t give off the vibe of an educator. However, it seems he had always been watching me, observing my performance in junior high competitions, and it’s said that he was thinking, "Will he come?"
Of course, he invited me to join the judo club. But at that time, since I wanted to become a professional wrestler, I was thinking of trying basketball or volleyball to grow taller. I immediately declined him, and he casually said, "Alright," then left. But this was also a characteristic of Mr. Takahashi. He never forced anyone but skillfully stimulated students’ initiative. In the end, Mr. Takahashi became the first "mentor" in my life.
In August 1995, Kobashi and his mentor Mr. Yukuo Takahashi took a commemorative photo together in Fukuchiyama, raising their glasses to celebrate.
One day, he said to me, "Kobashi, we’re short of people for a practice match, can you help?" At that time, I hadn’t joined any club yet, so I agreed. But as a white belt, I was easily thrown by people from powerhouse high schools in the practice match. "Damn, how frustrating," I bit my lip, and at that moment, the teacher again skillfully spoke at just the right time. "Kobashi, can you help with the practice match again?" Before I knew it, I was practicing in the dojo, becoming a member of the judo club. So in the end, I actually never submitted a club registration form...
During practice, I sometimes won and sometimes drew in practice matches against powerhouse schools, which I found very enjoyable. When going to school in the morning, before class, I would bench press using a wooden board I cut myself. After practice after school, I would carry borrowed training equipment with a total weight of 50 kilograms and run up the embankment. Of course, this caused the skin on my back to chafe painfully and itchily, and this intense training forced me to stop early (note: it was already extremely intense to begin with...). In my first year, I obtained my first dan black belt, making judo even more fun.
In my third year, I became the captain of the judo club, obtained my second dan, and won the championship in the Northern Kyoto Under-19 Tournament. However, in the National High School Qualifier, I only placed third. There were many times I struggled in difficult situations. But Mr. Takahashi never gave me clear answers; he would only give me some technical hints. At that time, I often thought, "Can’t you just tell me outright!" But now I understand. "Think for yourself, overcome difficulties, and find the answer." This kind of teaching has been useful even after I became a professional wrestler. In the end, when I was struggling after just starting professional wrestling, I still consulted with the teacher over the phone. Conversely, sometimes I would receive calls from him when he was drunk, and this situation continues to this day. He truly is my mentor.
In his third year of high school, Kobashi won the championship in the Northern Kyoto Tournament, wearing a tense expression and putting the medal around his neck.
Then, the moment of graduating from high school gradually approached. The option of continuing my studies no longer existed. I deeply realized how outstanding top high school students who could win judo championships at the national level were. "With my current situation, I can’t succeed in professional wrestling." I once temporarily set aside my dream of becoming a professional wrestler and chose to work at a local company. (To be continued)
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