DESIGN /
FEATURES
July 22, 2020
"First, a Hashtag." The Riki Ichō T-Shirt Born from a Viral Tweet
MEDICOM TOY
Riki Choshu Interview
On June 26th last year, Riki Choshu, the "Revolutionary Soldier," had his final match as a professional wrestler in a packed Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. On December 25th, his official Twitter account was launched, and his heartwarming tweets, so different from his image during his active wrestling days, became a hot topic, garnering an astonishing 535,000 followers (as of July 16, 2020). To commemorate the release of T-shirts and soft vinyl figures from Medicom Toy, we asked Choshu-san, who has become a new influencer revolutionizing social media, about various things.
It's been about seven months since you started Twitter on December 25th last year. How do you view the current situation?
I've had a blog for a while, but it never got much attention, so I don't understand why this is happening. As for the content, both the blog and Twitter are the same to me. My wife laughs and says, "This is a blog," but I can't even tell the difference.
What was the reason you decided to start Twitter in the first place?
My staff suggested it. I had already retired from the ring in June last year. I think my staff just casually said, "Why don't you try it?" It's tough when there's nothing to write about. But my staff urges me to "write something." That makes me want to tell them, "Then you try it."
Your tweet on March 12th, "I'm gradually learning Twitter functions with the help of kind people. First, the hashtag. Riki Choshu," garnered a particularly huge response.
It was like being tricked by someone named Yamamoto (※) I work with. He said some clever things, and I fell for it. Is that really that funny? It was just a mistake, right? I don't understand what's so funny about it. It makes me wonder what kind of things are considered popular these days.
(※) Refers to Takahiro Inoue, editor-in-chief of the magazine "KAMINOGE," who has covered Choshu for many years. Choshu-san refers to Inoue-san as Yamamoto.
That tweet led to the release of a T-shirt from Medicom Toy that reproduces your Twitter posts.
Available at Medicom Toy direct stores, online stores, and select retailers.
Sizes: Available in 6 sizes from S to 3XL
Price: ¥2,700 (excluding tax)
Release Date: Scheduled to ship late August 2020
Distributor: Ingram
<Message from Tatsuhiko Akashi, President and CEO of Medicom Toy>
I never imagined that the new ring for the revered Revolutionary Soldier
would be on the web.
Every time I read your posts, I feel
a sincere and unpretentious strong style.
I wanted to work with this new Riki Choshu,
so I planned this T-shirt.
Please reign as champion in the world of TWITTER too!
The T-shirt prominently features your Twitter icon photo and the much-talked-about "Riki Choshu" from the account "@rikichannel1203." What were your thoughts when you saw the design?
Thoughts? What thoughts... Who would wear something like this out in public? Their family or partner would give them a strange look (laughs).
No, no! As soon as it was announced, reservations poured in, and in response to requests for larger sizes, we quickly added XL and XXL, making it available in a total of six sizes. Furthermore, Medicom Toy will also release a "Riki Choshu (Revolutionary Soldier Ver.)" soft vinyl figure.
SFS Riki Choshu (Revolutionary Soldier Ver.)
The latest addition to the Sofubi Fighting Series, which transforms legendary figures from the pro-wrestling world into soft vinyl dolls with a retro aesthetic, is "Riki Choshu (Revolutionary Soldier Ver.)." This is a made-to-order item, so don't miss out.
Size: Approximately 250mm in height
Price: ¥8,800 (excluding tax)
Sales Method: Orders will be accepted from Friday, July 24, 2020, 00:00 to Monday, August 31, 2020, 23:59 at 1/6計画 stores and all Medicom Toy online stores.
*For details, please visit our website (www.medicomtoy.co.jp/).
Release Date: Scheduled to ship December 2020
Distributor: Ingram
If my memory serves me correctly, something similar was released before, wasn't it? Or am I mistaken?
Yes, it has been released! In April 2014, "Riki Choshu" was released as the second installment of the "Legendary Pro Wrestler Project," and in October of the same year, "Riki Choshu (Ishin Army Ver.)" was released as the fifth installment. This will be the third figure.
It's very retro, isn't it? Dolls like this were popular in the Showa era. I have grandchildren, and I plan to give one to my grandson. I don't know if he'll like it, though (laughs).
That's your grandchild who just celebrated their first birthday, whom we saw on Twitter! I'm sure they'll be delighted! By the way, your timeline is always so peaceful, but Twitter has its good sides and its harmful sides that can hurt people. What are your thoughts on the power of words on social media?
There have been unfortunate news stories recently, haven't there? Words can be frightening. Especially now that social media is developing so rapidly, it's even scarier. It's common for the person who was hurt to remember the words, while the person who said them doesn't remember at all. I'm careful on social media too. Even if I think something is okay to post, my manager immediately contacts me to delete it, which makes me angry every time, but I do try to be careful.
We continue to face uncertain times with COVID-19 and natural disasters. What do you do to stay positive and energetic amidst these challenges?
These news reports come in every day. I've been self-isolating for a long time now. I don't go out much to begin with, but even so, when it goes on for this long, it can be depressing. But there's nothing we can do. We just have to do our best. To protect our loved ones, each of us must act with awareness.
Thank you for your time despite your busy schedule. Lastly, you currently only follow U.S. President Trump on Twitter. Is there anyone you plan to follow in the future?
Is there any benefit to following someone? I don't really see any benefit right now, so I don't have anyone in particular I want to follow.
Inquiries
Medicom Toy User Support
Tel. 03-3460-7555
He excelled in wrestling during his university days at Senshu University and participated in the 1972 Munich Olympics. On August 8, 1974, he debuted under his real name, Mitsuo Yoshida, in a match against El Greco at the Nihon University Auditorium, promoted by Antonio Inoki's New Japan Pro-Wrestling, winning by submission with the Scorpion Lock. Although he later changed his name to "Riki Choshu" through a fan contest, he remained a relatively obscure mid-card wrestler for some time. However, in 1982, upon returning from a tour in Mexico, he suddenly rebelled against New Japan Pro-Wrestling, leading to a feud with Tatsumi Fujinami (now Tatsumi), who was then a star wrestler second only to Inoki. This series of matches with Fujinami was dubbed the "Song of Countless Famous Matches" and captivated Japan, sparking an unprecedented pro-wrestling boom. Amidst this fervor, in 1983, he formed the "Revolutionary Army" with Masa Saito and others, later joined by Animal Hamaguchi, and they enjoyed immense popularity as the "Ishin Army." In 1984, he made a dramatic exit from New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In December of the same year, he founded Japan Pro-Wrestling and moved his main stage to All Japan Pro-Wrestling/Nippon Television. He returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling in May 1987. In the 1990s, he also demonstrated his prowess as a producer, leading New Japan Pro-Wrestling's golden era with successful nationwide dome tours and setting attendance records at the Tokyo Dome (at the time).
He made a much-regretted retirement on January 4, 1998, at the Tokyo Dome event, but made a comeback on July 30, 2000, in a barbed-wire deathmatch in response to repeated provocations from Atsushi Onita. In March 2003, he founded WJ Pro-Wrestling, but it collapsed after just one year. He then made a surprising return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, astonishing fans. Starting in January 2010, along with Tatsumi Fujinami and the original Tiger Mask, he launched "LEGEND THE PRO-WRESTLING," creating the pro-wrestling legend boom that continues to this day. In 2018, his own produced event, "POWER HALL," began. On June 26, 2019, he had his final retirement match at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, bringing his pro-wrestling career to a close.
