Hiroshi Tanahashi’s life story can now be told in this series of autobiographical interviews, available for the first time in English!
Ace’s HIGH #9: Breaking In coming June 24!
–So, we’re going to get into your NJPW tryout today. You actually didn’t get into New Japan until your third attempt, right?
Tanahashi: Right. I flunked my first two tries. The first time was when I was in my second year at college.
–Was this open to the public to apply?
Tanahashi: Yeah. I filled out the applications, got through screening, got myself to Tokyo and then I was in the Dojo for the very first time. (Wataru) Inoue took that one too. There were 40 or 50 of us altogether.
–Wow! That’s a lot of people. You must have been pretty nervous.
Tanahashi: Oh, yeah! Shinya Hashimoto, Kensuke Sasaki, Black Cat, all these wrestlers I knew as a fan were now watching over this tryout.
Inoue and I got through it all though.
–But they still didn’t accept you?
Tanahashi: They didn’t accept anybody. I think there was a little puffing out of the chest and ‘huh, maybe we don’t need anyone’ (laughs), but truth is it was luck. Then the dorms were probably completely full and they didn’t have room for anybody else. Sometimes if there are free rooms going, they might let people in even if they’re a little too short really. So a lot of getting into the Dojo is luck.
–And that’s why you had to take the test three times.
Tanahashi: I remember making the long walk back to the station with Inoue after that test. I really thought he should have made it through.
–He stood out to you?
Tanahashi: Oh yeah. He had a good size to him, and a big booming voice. I really did think if anybody was going to make it through from the tryout it would be me or him. What amazed me about him was what he did in between doing all the squats and moving onto pushups. Anybody normal would take a breather, right?
–You would think.
Tanahashi: But Inoue just kept on going, still doing squats, still counting them off in this big voice. (Riki) Choshu came over and had to yell at him to stop!
–Well, when Riki Choshu has to tell you to stop, that’s saying something (laughs). That’s an Animal Hamaguchi Gym prospect for you. What did you talk about on that walk back?
Tanahashi: I can’t remember exactly, but I do remember thinking he was a serious sort, even back then. Anyway, neither of us made it through.
–Did you feel at the time that it was all a matter of timing?
Tanahashi: I didn’t understand at the time, and I really felt bummed about it. NJPW were running in Shiga right afterward, and the old referee, Yamada was at the booth selling programs. I went right up to him and said ‘I got through the whole tryout but i didn’t get in. Why not?’
–That took some nerve!
Tanahashi: Heh. He said to me ‘well, if you feel that way, just take the tryout again’. So I went by myself to do it again.
–By yourself? You mean it wasn’t an open tryout?
Tanahashi: Right. I was able to take a tryout just by myself. Not in a venue, at the Dojo in Tokyo. So I went all the way down there and Shinya Hashimoto and Kazuyuki Fujita took a look at me.
–You really wanted it.
Tanahashi: But I completely blew it. I had a stomach bug, and was throwing up, had diarrhea…
–At your tryout?
Tanahashi: So just the squats destroyed me. They told me to come back when I was better. I left the Dojo, walked around the corner where they couldn’t see me, and collapsed. There was a vending machine nearby, so I bought three cans of juice and drank them all, and threw them all up again. I was just really loopy, and so disappointed, all the way to the station.
–Terrible timing for a bug like that.
Tanahashi: The day before i was fine. I went to the gym, and they had a copy of ‘1.2.Sanshiro!’, you know?
–The famous wrestling manga.
Tanahashi: I saw that and thought ‘this’ll get me fired up for tomorrow!’. I remember sitting, still sweating from working out and reading the whole thing. By the time I was done, I had this fever. I should have taken a shower and looked after myself.
–You’re blaming Sanshiro!
Tanahashi: Hah! I love that image of Sanshiro pushing himself and training, getting huge, but it all backfired on me. It’s my fault, I think.
–So when did all this happen?
Tanahashi: I was still in second year, that winter. So I took the tryout twice in one year. That second time really hit me hard though.
–Did you think about calling it a day and quitting?
Tanahashi: Not one bit. I knew I could get in with enough to spare. The rules said 500 squats, I could do 1000. They said bridge for three minutes, I could do it for five. So I knew I would do it.
In part nine, Tanahashi breaks in!
