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Mr. Fuji

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Harry Fujiwara
Born (1937-05-04) May 4, 1937 (age 87)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Mr. Fuji
Master Fuji
The Devious One
The Samurai Warrior
Billed height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Billed weight108 kg (239 lb)
Billed fromOsaka, Japan

Harry Fujiwara (born May 4, 1937 in Honolulu, Hawaii), known best by the ring name Mr. Fuji, is a former all time heel professional wrestler, who is best known for his work as a manager. As a manager, he would often throw salt in the eyes of face wrestlers. Although he was billed as Japanese, he was in fact a Japanese-American born in Hawaii.

As a wrestler, Mr. Fuji held the World Wrestling Federation's WWF Tag Team Championship on five separate occasions with a number of different partners including Professor Toru Tanaka (3 times when the company was known as the WWF), with one of their reigns being the third longest tag team title reign in the WWE/F/WF, and also Mr. Saito (twice when it was known as the WWF). Fuji is one of the most respected tag team wrestlers in World Wrestling Federation history, having held one half of the World Tag Team titles longer than any other wrestler.

Fuji would "blind" his opponents by throwing salt in their eyes. He would carry a little bag of salt in his tights. The throwing of the salt was a take-off on what sumo wrestlers do as they enter the ring. The meaning is said to be a way to invite good luck before the match. This was particularly emphasized when Mr. Fuji managed Yokozuna. Although Fuji wore a traditional Japanese Kimono while managing Yokozuna, he is best known for wearing a tuxedo and bowler hat. This was done to be reminiscent of the James Bond villain Oddjob played by fellow wrestler Harold Sakata in the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger,

Among the wrestlers who were victimized by the blinding salt were Rick Martel, Chief Jay Strongbow, Jules Strongbow, Bret Hart and Ricky Steamboat.

Before joining the WWF, he had a career in Hawaii with Peter Maivia's Wrestling Hawaii. He often was associated with one of Hawaii's biggest heels, Tor Kamata.

After leaving wrestling, Fujiwara retired to the city of Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1997, he sued the makers of the video game WCW vs. nWo World Tour claiming that the character Master Fuji was based on him. The outcome of the lawsuit is unknown. He also works as a ticket taker and usher at a Regal Cinema movie theater in Knoxville.

Fujiwara operated a training dojo out of Jefferson City, Tennessee, and Dandridge, Tennessee, until 2001.

Mr. Fuji was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31,2007 by Don Muraco. Mr. Fuji was also in a wheelchair at the time of the induction, due to 9 knee operations.

Finishing and signature moves

Wrestlers managed by Mr. Fuji

Managers

Championships and accomplishments

  • International Wrestling Alliance
  • IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tiger Jeet Singh
  • Mid-Pacific Promotions
  • NWA Hawaiian Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Karl Von Steiger
  • NWA San Francisco
  • PWI ranked him # 445 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
  • Other Titles
  • British Empire Commonwealth Championship (1 time)

Notes and references