A Record of One Man’s Love, Passion, and Lifelong Dedication to Myanmar’s Ancient Art of Bare-Knuckle Fighting
Based on original testimonies by Takuya Takamori, coordinator of the Myanmar-Japan Lethwei goodwill tournaments (2004–2017) and identifier of the Bagan Lethwei murals (2005).
A Decade of Exchange: 2004–2017
Takamori continued to serve as coordinator and liaison throughout a remarkable sequence of tournaments spanning more than a decade:
July 10 & 11, 2004: Myanmar Traditional Martial Arts Lethwei — Myanmar vs. Japan Match
Venue: Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium, Myanmar
[Japanese Delegation]
- Seiji Wakasugi (Fighter / Wajutsu Keishukai Fukuoka Dojo) Loss by KO
- Takeharu Yamamoto (Fighter / Power Nine Gym) Loss by KO
- Akitoshi Tamura (Fighter / Martial Arts Society Tanaka-juku) Win by KO
- Kichitaro Niimi (Fighter / Martial Arts Society Tanaka-juku) Draw
- Toshio Fujiwara (Team Leader / Representative of Fujiwara Gym / First foreign Muay Thai Champion, former Rajadamnern Lightweight Champion)
- Yoshinori Nishi (Director / Representative of Wajutsu Keishukai Headquarters / Nicknamed the “Supreme Ruler of Hokuto,” one of the strongest fighters of the 80s who fought Rob Kaman and Rickson Gracie)
- Kenichi Tanaka (Director / Representative of Martial Arts Society Tanaka-juku / First Shooto Lightweight Champion)
- Mitsuru Miyata (Manager / All Japan Kickboxing Federation, Event Promotion Manager)
[Special Participants]
- Hisae Watanabe (AJ Gym / International Women’s Muay Thai Light Flyweight Champion)
- Masami Ozaki (President of Mixed Martial Arts “Pancrase”)
[Tournament Coordinators]
- Takuya Takamori (Representative of Children’s NGO “Futokoro”)
- Win Zin Oo
September 11, 2005: Nagasaki Peace Hall, Nagasaki Prefecture International Martial Arts Tournament: Kushima’s Fight 10
- Saw Zwe Lay vs. Seiji Wakasugi (Wajutsu Keishukai Fukuoka) = Draw
- Lone Chaw vs. Hiroshi Imamura (Wajutsu Keishukai HQ) = Lone Chaw won by 1R KO
March 17, 2006: Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo International Martial Arts Tournament: Kushima’s Fight 12
- Saw Zwe Lay vs. Masayuki Sato (FSA Kenshinkan) = Saw Zaw Lay won by 1R KO
- Kyaw Nyein vs. Tatsuya Ishiguro (Former NJKF Welterweight Champion) = Draw
- Lone Chaw vs. Tetsuya Yamauchi (Former J-NET Middleweight Champion) = Lone Chaw won by 3R KO
August 19, 2007: Differ Ariake, Tokyo International Martial Arts Tournament =Lethwei=
- Min Win (2006 Golden Belt Tournament Lightweight Top 8) vs. Yuya Takeuchi (Wajutsu Keishukai HQ / UN-JK Lightweight #1) = Min Win won by Decision
- Tar Toe Wah (2006 Golden Belt Tournament Welterweight Top 8) vs. Masayuki Sato (FSA Kenshinkan / Kenshinkan All Japan Light-Middleweight Champion) = Tar Toe Wah won by 3R TKO
- Saw Zwe Lay (2006 Golden Belt Tournament Lightweight Top 4) vs. Yoshiharu Murai (Rishinjuku / Former MA Kick Featherweight #1) = Saw Zwe Lay won by 3R TKO
- Soe Paing (2006 Golden Belt Tournament Light Middleweight Champion) vs. Naoki Samukawa (Bungeling Bay / J-NET Middleweight Champion) = Naoki Samukawa won by 1R Chokehold
- Lone Chaw (2006 Golden Belt Tournament Openweight Champion) vs. Nick Fiordo (Wajutsu Keishukai HQ / UN-JK Middleweight Champion) = Lone Chaw won by 3R TKO
May 2 & 3, 2009: Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium, Myanmar
Myanmar vs Japan 4-on-4 International Tournament
- Crazy Hill (Bungeling Bay) vs. Tway Ma Shaung (2007 Gold Flag Tournament Champion) = 2R Tway Ma Shaung won by KO
- Toshiya Kurenai (Axe Kick / PK.1 World Muay Thai Super Welterweight Champion) vs. Kyal Lin Aung (2006 Golden Belt Tournament Champion) = 5R Draw
- Hiroaki Jinkawa (Wajutsu Keishukai) vs. Saw Nga Man (2009 Gold Flag Tournament Champion) = 1R Saw Nga Man won by KO
- Naoki Samukawa (Bungeling Bay / First M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion, former J-NET Middleweight Champion) vs. Lone Chaw (2006 & 2007 Golden Belt Tournament Champion) = 5R Draw
August 13 & 14, 2011: Thein Phyu Lethwei Stadium, Myanmar
Myanmar 4-on-4 Japan – International Tournament
- Motohiro Shinohara (Bungeling Bay) vs. Soe Lin Oo (2-time Golden Belt Champion, 2-time Dagon Flag Champion) = 5R Soe Lin Oo won by KO
- Toshiya Kurenai (Freelance / PK.1 World Muay Thai S-Welterweight Champion) vs. Kyal Lin Aung (Golden Belt Champion) = 5R Draw
- CRAZY 884 (Bungeling Bay) vs. Phoe Kay (Myanmar National Tournament Gold Medalist) = 5R Draw
- Naoki Samukawa (Bungeling Bay / First M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion, former J-NET Middleweight Champion) vs. Saw Nga Man (Myanmar National Openweight Champion, Dagon Flag Champion) = 5R Draw
September 21, 2013: International Event: Myanmar vs. Japan, 4-on-4 (Venue: Thein Phyu Stadium)
- Arashi Fujihara (Bungeling Bay / 23rd All Japan Kickboxing Federation Bantamweight Champion) vs. Nyan Lin Aung = 5R Draw
- Naoki Samukawa (Bungeling Bay / First M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion, former J-NET Middleweight Champion) vs. Tun Tun Min = 5R Draw
February 14, 2016: Myanmar
International Event: Myanmar vs. Japan, 2-on-2 (Venue: Thein Phyu Stadium)
- Daiki Kaneko (Reversal Gym Kawaguchi “REDIPS”) vs. Tha Pyay Nyo (Golden Belt Champion) = 2R Tha Pyay Nyo won by KO
- NAOKI (TEAM REPEL) vs. Saw Gaw Mu Doe (Golden Belt Tournament Champion) = 1R Saw Gaw Mu Doe won by KO
May 1, 2016: Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
ZONE 4
- Daiki Kaneko (Reversal Gym Kawaguchi “REDIPS”) vs. Nyan Lin Aung (2015 Golden Belt Runner-up) = 2R Nyan Lin Aung won by KO
- Ploytaksin Nor Naksin (Thailand) vs. Saw Gaw Mu Doe = 1R Saw Gaw Mu Doe won by KO
May 21, 2017: Tokyo Tower Media Center
- Saw Gaw Mu Doe vs. Worawut Sitkanpan (Thailand) – Saw Gaw Mu Doe won by KO
- Daiki Kaneko vs. Daryl Lokoku (Congo) – Daryl Lokoku won by KO
During this period, Takamori also served as advisor for “Nonfiction W: Lethwei, the World’s Most Dangerous Martial Art — Souls in Fists Shaken by Myanmar’s New Era”, a 2013 documentary broadcast on WOWOW television, planned by Mr. Masami Ozaki and produced in close consultation with Win Zin Oo.
What He Saw in the Eyes of the Fighters
Takamori has been careful, always, to distinguish Lethwei from mere violence. The answer he offers is the one Win Zin Oo gave him during their very first meeting:
“Myanmar also has issues with juvenile delinquency. Lethwei serves as an aid in rehabilitating these young people.”
Looking closely at the young men training in Win’s gym, Takamori saw something he felt was disappearing in Japan: “a sincere, strong desire for self-improvement and a thirst for learning.”
He saw concentration, effort, gratitude toward teachers, and care for those who would come after. He saw the same foundations that underlie education itself.
“Martial arts and education may seem like different things,” he has said, “but they share the same underlying foundations.”
He never practiced Lethwei himself. He was 37 when he first saw it in Hinthada, and he briefly considered taking it up. In the end, he decided against it. The sport gave him something different to do.
Stepping Away
Starting around 2011, as Myanmar began its path toward globalization, as Thein Pyu Stadium was completed, as matches begin to be live streamed online, Takamori noticed his feelings beginning to change.
Lethwei was no longer a hidden frontier. Others were arriving now, with capital and industry connections he did not have. The art he had devoted years to was becoming entertainment and thriving.
“I felt a sense of joy mixed with a certain loneliness,” he has reflected. “A feeling that Lethwei was no longer something that belonged only to me.”
As years went by, he slowly stepped away from active involvement, praying for the sport’s continued growth, and eventually returned to teaching children in his coastal town in Hyogo.
What He Leaves Behind
Of everything Takamori wishes to pass on to history, there is one thing above all others – it is for others to recognize the name Win Zin Oo who walked the path of hardships on elevating Lethwei for years with him.
This path that Takamori walked is monumentous. Without riches, fame, and reward, he spent his life pioneering a relationship between Japan and Myanmar. With only gratitude and sincerity, and a friend for support, he found ancient murals in overlooked temples that etched the proof of historicity. He helped forge bonds between nations, and gave all towards a sport that gave only personal satisfaction.
And his belief is that Lethwei, which had endured for a thousand years before he found it, will endure long after him, because it is not merely violent or harsh, but beautiful.
“It could not have lasted for 1,000 years if it were merely violent and harsh. It is because there is beauty there that there are people who wish to inherit it and pass it on.”
– Takuya Takamori
