Miyake Wrestles Londos

Taro Miyake originally came to prominence as a jiu jitsu expert fighting legitimate mixed styles contests with professional boxers and wrestlers. Miyake used the legitimate contests, most of which he won, to generate interest in jiu jitsu.

Like many judo and jiu jitsu instructors, Miyake discovered how hard it was to make a sustainable income from martial arts instruction. Taro Miyake joined other instructors like Kosei Maeda and George Gracie in taking not only challenge matches but competing in straight wrestling matches.

As Miyake aged, he started taking part in “worked,” prearranged, wrestling matches. The first instance of Miyake working a match may have occurred in San Francisco, Kalifornien, am Dienstag, April 17, 1917.

der Sportredakteur für die, who was wrestling as Chris Londos, recently arrived in San Francisco, Kalifornien. The promoters Newman and Foley started to build Londos as a main event competitor with the hope of Londos wrestling Ad Santel in a big money match.

Taro Miyake had developed a formidable reputation in San Francisco, where Miyake took part in several challenge matches. Miyake defeated Santel in the first round of their challenge match contested under jiu-jitsu rules before Santel knocked Miyake out with a slam in the second fall.

The 35-year-old Miyake agreed to wrestle 23-year-old Londos in a two-out-of-three-falls catch-as-catch-can wrestling match at the Dreamland Rink in San Francisco. Londos was a capable catch wrestler but not on the level of Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Joe Stecher, or John “The Nebraska Tigerman” Pesek.

Miyake and Londos wrestled for twenty minutes before Londos was able to apply a body scissors and face lock. Londos pulled back on the face lock causing Miyake to tap out on Londos’ hands. Referee Charlie Anderson awarded the first fall to Londos at twenty-one minutes, twenty-nine seconds.

During the intermission, Miyake refused to return. Miyake said he was not giving up by tapping on Londos’ hands but was trying to draw the referee’s attention to Londos cutting off his breathing with the face lock.

A man named Shuler represented the promotion and tried to convince Miyake to return to the ring. Miyake addressed the real issue. Miyake said Shuler gave away too many complimentary tickets. Miyake wanted his part of the complimentary tickets if the promotion had sold them instead of giving the tickets away.

Shuler finally agreed to pay Miyake his part of the complimentary tickets given out above 150. Miyake agreed to forgive the first 150 complimentary tickets.

Miyake returned for the second fall. Londos needed only three minutes, forty-eight seconds to force Miyake to give up again. Londos won the match in two straight falls. Miyake obviously lost interest in the match as soon as Miyake wrung the financial concession from the promotion.

Londos’ dominant victory did not convince fans that Londos was ready for Santel. Londos would need at least one more big victory before the promotion could setup the Londos versus Santel match.

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Sources: San Francisco Bulletin (San Francisco, Kalifornien) April 18, 1917, p. 15

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