Enson Inoue - ヤマト魂

People who know me will attest to the fact that I'm a bit of a Nipponophile, Japanese culture fascinates me on many levels, especially the aesthetic.  Manga, Anime, Bonsai, woodblock prints, Japanese cinema, Japanese gardens, Zen...... I love it all.  Of course there's plenty about Japanese culture that I'm not at all in to and I acknowledge that - I'm no Nipp-Otaku.  When I was first getting in to MMA I was far more a fan of PrideFC than I was the UFC, part of which was because it was so Japanese, and, just like K-1, the Japanese audience watch in silence which is awesome.  Many MMA fighters have commented on the way that they're treated by the Japanese public - as warriors, inheritors of the samurai way.

Throughout the reign of PrideFC there was one fighter who summed up the Samurai Spirit more than anyone, Enson Inoue.  Enson was renowned for his refusal to quit even when being beaten to literally within an inch of his life (Vs. Igor Vovchanchyn, PrideFC 10) or in danger of having his arm ripped off (Vs. Heath Herring, PrideFC 12):


Yeah he asked me to give up or he is going to break my arm and I replied, "If you can break it then go ahead and break it."  It was cracking and popping so I was wondering if he could actually break it.  Then the referee came running over and asked me if I wanted to give up so I answered him by hitting Heath on the back of the head with my free hand.  That was a funny situation

As a Hawaiian Japanese, Enson embraced the culture of his familial homeland, living, training and fighting there.  Being tough and decorated with tattoos Enson was often associated with the Yakuza (Japanese organised crime) and he has gone on record as saying that he had links with Yakuza adopting one of their expressions:

Live as a Man,
Die as a Man,
Become a Man.   

Enson last fought in April 2010 but he's still a popular figure in the world of MMA.  He has maintained a presence on the MMA.tv Underground forum, answering fans questions and most recently (and the reason for this post) been the subject of a fascinating two part interview on the Open Mat Radio.  Amongst other things Enson discusses his time in prison, disaster relief, tattoos and Japanese MMA.

Often a divisive character but always interesting, these two interviews are definitely worth a listen....
Listen here