Miyu Yamashita Pays Tribute to Late Mentor at TJPW Spring Tour Next Door in Fukuoka

By Noah Leatherland

TJPW were in Fukuoka, an event that acted as a homecoming for Miyu Yamashita. After scoring the win in the main event, Yamashita took the microphone and made a tearful tribute to her late mentor.

Yamashita teamed with Shoko Nakajima to take on Toga and the new Princess of Princess Champion, Yuki Arai. Cheered on by her hometown crowd, Yamashita got the win for her team with a devastating skull kick to Toga. After the match, Yamashita addressed the fans in the ACROS Fukuoka Event Hall and spoke about her late mentor, and what he meant to her and her career:

We won today purely out of sheer determination… Well, actually… this is personal for me. He was the first person to teach me martial arts, and he was the one who inspired me to become a professional wrestler; he was my mentor. Master Daiji of the Toughs Dojo recently passed away. It was so sudden; I was completely taken aback. But whilst I fought today for the fans who came to support us, I also fought with everything I had for Daiji—I know it sounds rude calling him that, even though he was my master. Since I started martial arts, I’ve learnt karate, judo, mixed martial arts and kickboxing. I’ve met all sorts of people along the way, but without Daiji, none of it would have happened. My pro-wrestling career wouldn’t have started either. It’s a terribly painful loss, but I feel like he’d tell me off if I just sat here grieving forever. I feel like he’d say, ‘Enough about me now.’ But I wanted to take a moment here today to say a few words, so I’m glad I was able to. Thank you for listening.

Speaking after the match, although they suffered defeat, Toga and Arai took positives from the match. Toga shared what it meant to share the ring with such seasoned TJPW stars, and Arai made sure to heap the praise on her:

Toga: I was absolutely terrified. I never imagined I’d be part of this line-up. I always thought this was a place reserved for the seniors above me. I felt completely out of place—the only one who didn’t belong—but I’ve gained strength through various experiences, so I hope I managed to show everyone that.

 

Arai: It was incredible. Fighting beside you, I felt the immense pressure of bringing a junior out alongside Yamashita and Nakajima—who are, after all, my true seniors. But when I stepped into the ring today, seeing how cool and reassuring you were, Toga, was amazing. Watching you take on Yamashitatime and again gave me so much courage and made me realise I need to work even harder.

(Quotes translated via DeepL)

Here are the full results for TJPW Spring Tour Next Door, courtesy of purolove.com:

• Sakura Hattori def. Shion Kanzaki (6:25)
• Mahiro Kiryu def. Hyper Misao & Ren Konatsu (8:41)
• Yuki Kamifuku & Kira Summer def. Yuki Aino & Chika Nanase (10:41)
• Mizuki def. Wakana Uehara (8:48)
• HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Mifu Ashida def. Suzume, Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami (9:32)
• Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe def. Raku & Pom Harajuku (13:48)
• Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima def. Yuki Arai & Toga (17:26)