| Kinji Shibuya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Robert Shibuya |
| Born | (1921-05-16)May 16, 1921[1] Utah, United States[1] |
| Died | May 3, 2010(2010-05-03) (aged 88)[1] Hayward, California, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Hawaiʻi |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kinji Shibuya Kenji Shibuya Sato Keomuka |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Billed weight | 249 lb (113 kg) |
| Billed from | Japan |
| Trained by | Tsutao Higami |
| Debut | 1952[1] |
| Retired | 1976[2] |
Robert "Kinji" Shibuya (May 16, 1921 – May 3, 2010) was an American professional wrestler and actor.
In 1952, promoter Al Karasick suggested Shibuya try professional wrestling.[1] He was originally given a villainous gimmick of a Japanese bad guy after World War II.[1] He wrestled in the United States and Canada's Stampede Wrestling and All-Star Wrestling.[1] Shibuya credited Verne Gagne for first making him popular as a villain in 1955.[2]
Shibuya was the frequent tag team partner of Mitsu Arakawa, who was billed as his cousin.[1] In 1957, they held the Minneapolis version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[1]
Shibuya was born in Utah and raised in California with his four brothers.[1] He attended Belmont High School in Los Angeles. He played football for the Los Angeles City College football team, and he also played football at the University of Hawaiʻi.[1] After college, Shibuya played semi-professionally for the Honolulu Polar Bears and Honolulu Warriors.[1]
Shibuya was featured on a "This is Your Life" segment on the television show Canvas Cavity and appeared on the show several times in the 1970s and 1980s.[2] After retiring from wrestling, he also had small acting roles on shows such as Kung Fu and Mr. T and Tina.[1] He also appeared in the films Days of a Bawdy Ballad and Hammett.[1]
He was married for 59 years and had two children,[1] including Robert Shibuya, the Chairman & CEO of Mohr Partners, a global corporate real estate advisory firm based in Dallas, Texas. Shibuya died on May 3, 2010, of natural causes.[1][2] He was cremated, and his funeral service was held at a Buddhist temple.[2]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
, Wrestlingdata.com
Links to related articles
| |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
