Culture Clash: China’s “strongest” Shaolin fighter vs Japan’s cosplaying kickboxer!
Master Blaster 15 hours ago
On 9 September China’s popular fighting program Wulin Feng held a mixed martial arts special program. In this particular edition the main event was between Yi-long, a star of Shaolin kung fu in China and Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima, a Japanese K1 fighter with a penchant for dressing up like pretty girls and other anime characters.
Although the circumstances of this match are surrounded by controversies and a dark past, the aftermath has perhaps shown us the best in both Chinese and Japanese fighting cultures.
■ The stage was set
Like many fighting organizations Wulin Feng has been dogged by rumors of match fixing for the sake of higher ratings. There has been nothing to substantiate these claims but nevertheless a dark cloud of suspicion has hovered around it.
In addition, this Wulin Feng event was to be held in Khorga, near the border of Kazakhstan and inside the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region coming up on the 60th anniversary of its designation as such under the Chinese communist party.
Normally, if we were to assume this match works in the ways of professional wrestling, Nagashima would be the heel to Yi-long on his home turf. However, in the ethnically tense area of Xinjiang, the locals may not be the most ecstatic of people over a win by a Han Chinese fighter. Whether fixed or not, the outcome of this match would be a hard one to predict.
■ The fight
Generally hearing the words “Shaolin Kung Fu” inspires a certain sense of awe and perhaps a Wu Tang Clan beat to run through your head. So when Yi-long is touted as “China’s Strongest Shaolin Monk” you tend to want to put your money on him.
▼ Some Yi-long highlights
That being said, Nagashima is far from a pushover as well. He’s been active in various martial arts circuits for nearly 10 years and won the K-1 World Max 2010 Japan Tournament. He is admittedly an otaku and loves cosplaying in the ring which is also an excellent way to lull your opponent into overconfidence.
According to media reports out of China, in the first round Nagashima was able to land several heavy blows on Yi-long who appeared somewhat dull and fatigued. In the second and third rounds Yi-long managed to regain some momentum. However, having gotten knocked down by Nagashima twice during the match judgment went to the cosplay fighter.
▼ Perfect winning pose
■ Aftermath
Chinese and Japanese fighting news reports came out with the headlines “Yi-long’s crushing defeat” and “Yi-long defeated by Japanese K-1 fighter.” A sullen Yi-long expressed his disappointment in a message to fans on China’s version of Twitter, Weibo.
“Dear fans, I’m really sorry for yesterday’s disaster. Looking back on the match, my opponent was stronger. There was a tight schedule for this match, and I didn’t have time to recover. If I’m a professional fighter I should prepare better.”
Indeed Yi-long had three matches within a ten-day period including the one against Nagashima. It was also reported that he injured his groin during a fight on 7 September and had difficulty running. Furthermore he was unable to rest during the six-hour drive to the venue in Khorga.
■ Honor
Now, when “China’s strongest Shaolin monk” is befallen by someone who was previously more famous in China for his Nico Yazawa costume, you’d expect people to be upset. Actually, in a rare case of internet civility, Chinese fight fans expressed sympathy and understanding for Yi-long while also giving Nagashima his due as a great fighter.
“Next time get a good rest before the match.”
“Of course you lost because you didn’t have a break. It would have been weird if you won.”
“The Wulin Feng people made a bad schedule.”
“The Japanese guy’s fighting style was great. It’s different from Thailand fighters who only care about money.”
“Nakashima was originally a top-class fighter. It’s not surprising he won. And Nagashima doesn’t abandon his principles for money like they do in Thailand.”
Okay, Thailand got unexpectedly hit by some shrapnel of negativity but for the most part everyone expressed respect for both competitors in this match. Nagashima reciprocated the sentiment as well, first going on the rest of the world’s version of Weibo, Twitter.
▼ “Result: I won by knocking him down twice. But matches in China are really tough. I’ll write about it on my blog, but my head feels like it was hit with a bat. Anyway, I arrived at the hotel by a bus escorted by police wearing gloves.”
He then left a message on Weibo in Chinese for his newfound fans.
“Yi-long was very strong! Thank you Yi-long, it was an honor to fight.”
And so, while China’s hero of Shaolin Kung Fu was defeated, he will likely emerge a stronger fighter, and Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima who was once an unknown in the country can now count on the attention of many new fans. Who says fighting never solves anything?
Source: 格闘迷、中国経済網（中国語）、バトルニュース、Twitter @jienotsu、Sina Weibo @長島自演乙雄一郎009
Original article by Meg Sawai
Reply With Quote
