Author: Daniel Herbertson

Yamato-Damashii Diaries – Day 4: Ruins of Kesennuma, Missing Rikuzentakata

Filed under: JapanIn the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride and UFC veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

F…

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In the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride and UFC veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

For his next visit to the Tohoku region, MMA Fighting joined Inoue to document the journey and bring new light to the ongoing crisis in Japan.

On day four, we find ocean liners scattered through the burned remains of Kesennuma, look for bodies in the missing city Rikuzentakata, start our investigation into the looting, rape and murder we had heard about and battle feelings of helplessness.

Yamato-Damashii Diaries – Day 2: Fukushima

Filed under: JapanIn the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

For his n…

Filed under:

In the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

For his next visit to the Tohoku region, MMA Fighting joined Inoue to document the journey and bring new light to the ongoing crisis in Japan.

On day two, we visit an evacuation center on the edge of the Fukushima evacuation zone, assist a man who gave Inoue his start in Japan and we start to hear dire stories of things to come.

Yamato-Damashii Diaries – Day 3: The Town That Was Taro

Filed under: JapanIn the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

For his n…

Filed under:

In the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

For his next visit to the Tohoku region, MMA Fighting joined Inoue to document the journey and bring new light to the ongoing crisis in Japan.

On day three, we stocked up on supplies despite financial issues, relive the nightmare of the tsunami and try to find the town that was Taro.

Yamato-Damashii Diaries – Day 1: Tokyo to Fukushima

Filed under: JapanIn the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

For his n…

Filed under:

In the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

For his next visit to the Tohoku region, MMA Fighting joined Inoue to document the journey and bring new light to the ongoing crisis in Japan.

On day one, we made our way from Tokyo to Fukushima through ongoing earthquakes, attempted to deal with massive funding issues and we met the man who introduced Enson Inoue to the Japanese underworld.

Enson Inoue Discusses Charity Work, Life in Evacuation Centers

Filed under: JapanIn the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Genki Sudo, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Ryo Chonan and many more members of the MMA community have rallied to raise money for those affected by the disasters, cr…

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In the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Genki Sudo, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Ryo Chonan and many more members of the MMA community have rallied to raise money for those affected by the disasters, creating volunteer programs and even personally driving trucks full of supplies to northern Japan.

Former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been among those who have traveled to northeast Japan to directly help earthquake and tsunami victims. MMA Fighting spoke with Inoue about his experiences during the earthquake, his charity work in the aftermath and the grim realities in the Tohoku region that you do not see on TV.

Mei Yamaguchi Victorious in Pancrase’s First Women’s Main Event

Filed under: Results, JapanTOKYO – Pancrase, the sport’s second oldest promotion, broke new ground on Sunday night at Differ Ariake, as they finally held its first women’s main event after 17 years of fights.

A hotly contested bout between one of the…

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TOKYO – Pancrase, the sport’s second oldest promotion, broke new ground on Sunday night at Differ Ariake, as they finally held its first women’s main event after 17 years of fights.

A hotly contested bout between one of the sport’s best young stars in Mei “V.V Mei” Yamaguchi and fan-favorite “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba headlined Pancrase’s first event since the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

Like long-time rival promotion Shooto, Pancrase held a charity auction for victims of the Tohoku earthquake with many of the major gyms in Japan contributing items. But while Shooto limped into its promotional return on Friday with a half-length, scaled-down event, Pancrase stormed back into action with a full-scale, well attended event.