Taro Miyake Wrestler
Taro Miyake (Miyake Taruji) (c. 1881–1935) was a Japanese professional wrestler. In 1905 he departed Japan for London, where he famously defeated the reigning champion in the jujutsu style, Yukio Tani. Miyake and Tani then joined forces, opening a jujutsu school and co-authoring a book titled "The Game of Ju-Jitsu". He is credited for helping establish judo in the United Kingdom at the start of the 20th century. In London, he sat for the well-known English artist and lithographer Albert de Belleroche.Miyake toured all over the U.S. in the 1920s. In 1928 Miyake returned to Japan and toured there with three other wrestlers, but professional wrestling was not popular in Japan back then and the shows did not sell tickets. He was also known for having defeated Yukio Tani. As of 1932, in his 50s, he was still competing in bouts at Madison Square Garden. He died in 1935.
