Ultimate Pro Wrestling ( UPW ) was a California-based independent pro wrestling company owned and operated by Rick Bassman , that operated from 1999–2007.
54-483: The company had working relationships with Pro Wrestling Zero1 and World Wrestling Entertainment . It served as a developmental company for WWE , where they would scout wrestlers and send others for training, from 2006 to 2007. Some of the major names to go on to stardom are John Cena , Samoa Joe , The Miz , and Christopher Daniels . The promotion was featured on a Discovery Channel special called Inside Pro Wrestling School . Deceased individuals are indicated with
108-490: A dagger (†). Tag Teams: The UPW Heavyweight Championship was a championship contested for by Heavyweight wrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. The UPW Lightweight Championship was a championship contested for by Cruiserweight wrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. The UPW Tag Team Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. The UPW Southern California Heavyweight Championship
162-560: A festival on July 13. There are several different torii and mon ( 門 ) gates located on both the causeway and shrine grounds. When moving through the grounds from east to west, the first torii visitors encounter is the Daiichi Torii ( Ōtorii ). This large steel structure was the largest torii in Japan when it was first erected in 1921 to mark the main entrance to the shrine. It stands approximately 25 meters tall and 34 meters wide and
216-420: A general rule, the enshrined are limited to military personnel who were killed while serving Japan during armed conflicts. Civilians who were killed during a war are not included, apart from a handful of exceptions. A deceased must fall into one of the following categories for enshrinement in the honden : Although new names of soldiers killed during World War II are added to the shrine list every year, no one who
270-727: A plan to reform the promotion, which would include holding a show in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan on April 13, 2021, as part of the promotion's 20th anniversary. A further goal would be holding a show in the Roygoku Kokugikan annually, while also providing Zero1 wrestlers with fixed contracts and social security. During a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic , the promotion suffered from severe financial problems. Kazuhiro Iwamoto resigned from his position as president while wrestlers Tatsuhito Takaiwa , Ikuto Hidaka , and Kohei Sato all departed
324-512: A private donation from Emperor Shōwa. In addition to Yasukuni's main shrine buildings, there are also two peripheral shrines located on the precinct. Motomiya ( 元宮 ) is a small shrine that was first established in Kyoto by sympathizers of the imperial loyalists that were killed during the early weeks of the civil war that erupted during the Meiji Restoration . Seventy years later, in 1931, it
378-423: A secret ceremony. Emperor Shōwa, who visited the shrine as recently as 1975, was privately displeased with the action, and subsequently refused to visit the shrine. In 1979, the details of the enshrinement of war criminals became public, but there was minimal controversy about the issue for several years. No Emperor of Japan has visited Yasukuni since 1975. The head-priest Junna Nakata at Honzen-ji Temple (of
432-570: A whole year until the next summer's tournament. They also hold a Yasukuni Shrine show every April and a yearly junior tournament called the "Tenkaichi Jr." Yasukuni Shrine Yasukuni Shrine ( 靖国神社 or 靖國神社 , Yasukuni Jinja , lit. ' Peaceful Country Shrine ' ) is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo . It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Japan , from
486-506: Is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded in 2001. Formerly known as Pro Wrestling Zero-One and Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max (stylized as Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE and Pro Wrestling Zero1-MAX, respectively), it was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 2001 until late 2004, and briefly reaffiliated in 2011. It was also affiliated with AWA Superstars of Wrestling (AWA) from 2005 until late 2007,
540-434: Is the first torii . The current iteration of this torii was erected in 1974 after the original was removed in 1943 due to weather damage. This torii was recently repainted. The Daini Torii ( Seidō Ōtorii ) is the second torii encountered on the westward walk to the shrine. It was erected in 1887 to replace a wooden one which had been erected earlier. This is the largest bronze torii in Japan. Immediately following
594-640: Is where the shrine's priests perform Shinto rituals. The building is generally closed to the public. The building located on the right side of haiden is the Sanshuden ( 参集殿 ) (Assembly Hall), which was rebuilt in 2004. Reception and waiting rooms are available for individuals and groups who wish to worship in the Main Shrine. The building located directly behind the Sanshuden is the Tochakuden ( 到着殿 ) (Reception Hall). The building located directly behind
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#1732876689898648-566: The Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, 1894–1895 and 1937–1945 respectively, and the First Indochina War of 1946–1954, including war criminals . The shrine's purpose has been expanded over the years to include those who died in the wars involving Japan spanning from the entire Meiji and Taishō periods , and the earlier part of the Shōwa period . The shrine lists
702-637: The Daini Torii is the shinmon ( 神門 ) . A 6-meter tall hinoki cypress gate, it was first built in 1934 and restored in 1994. Each of its two doors bears a Chrysanthemum Crest measuring 1.5 meters in diameter. West of this gate is the Chumon Torii ( 中門鳥居 ) (Third Shrine Gate), the last torii visitors must pass underneath before reaching Yasukuni's haiden . It was recently rebuilt of cypress harvested in Saitama Prefecture in 2006. In addition to
756-609: The Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA) from 2006 to 2009, and has been affiliated with the United Wrestling Network (UWN) since 2017. The promotion was founded by former New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) stars Shinya Hashimoto and Shinjiro Otani . In 2000, Hashimoto proposed an independent promotion within NJPW called "New Japan Pro-Wrestling Zero", but the idea was shot down. When Hashimoto
810-718: The Ministry of Health and Welfare established a system for the government to share information with the shrine regarding deceased war veterans. By April 1959, most of Japan's war dead who were not already enshrined at Yasukuni were enshrined in this manner. War criminals prosecuted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East were initially excluded from enshrinement after the war. In 1951, government authorities began considering their enshrinement, along with providing veterans' benefits to their survivors, following
864-569: The Shingon sect Daigo-ha ) requested the pontiff Pope Paul VI to say a Mass for the repose of the souls of all people in Yasukuni, which would include the 1,618 men condemned as Class A, B and C war criminals, and he promised to do so. In 1980, Pope John Paul II complied, and a Mass was held in St. Peter's Basilica for all the fallen civilians and fallen dead worshiped in the shrine. The museum and website of
918-600: The Shinto Directive , which ordered the separation of church and state and forced Yasukuni Shrine to become either a secular government institution or a religious institution independent from the Japanese government. Yasukuni Shrine has been privately funded and operated since 1946, when it was elected to become an individual religious corporation, independent of the Association of Shinto Shrines . The GHQ planned to burn down
972-653: The Yasukuni Shrine , which is controversial for its relation to World War II . Larger Japanese wrestling promotions like NJPW, AJPW, and Noah have traditionally stayed away from such venues due to their controversial nature. On September 12, 2006, Zero1-Max joined 12 other wrestling companies to form the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA), a professional wrestling alliance that intended to "foster an environment of cooperation rather than competition." The alliance planned to hold occasional "Super Shows" where all member promotions would send wrestlers to compete under
1026-557: The honden (as of October 17, 2004) from each of these conflicts. The Yasukuni shrine does not include the Tokugawa shogunate 's forces (particularly from the Aizu domain) or rebel forces who died during the Boshin War or Satsuma Rebellion because they are considered enemies of the emperor. They are enshrined at Chinreisha. There are a multitude of facilities within the 6.25 hectare grounds of
1080-596: The honden is known as the Reijibo Hōanden ( 霊璽簿奉安殿 ) (Repository for the Symbolic Registers of Divinities) built in styles of Kirizuma-zukuri , Hirairi , and Doubanbuki . It houses the Symbolic Registry of Divinities ( 霊璽簿 , Reijibo ) —a handmade Japanese paper document that lists the names of all the kami enshrined and worshiped at Yasukuni Shrine. It was built of quakeproof concrete in 1972 with
1134-440: The 2014. During a September 16, 2016 press conference, Dream On Stage was announced as Zero1's new parent company. Also announced was a partnership between Zero1 and Akebono 's Ōdō company. On May 22, 2017, Zero1 partnered with the United Wrestling Network to become the group's official Japanese affiliate. On July 3, 2018, it was announced that the promotion be undergoing a management change, with Yoshitaka Ono stepping down as
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#17328766898981188-515: The CEO. Katsumi Sasazaki would be appointed the representative director and president of the promotion, while Shinjiro Otani took on the chairman of the board position and Masato Tanaka and Kohei Sato split the vice-president role of the promotion. On February 1, 2020, Zero1 president Kazuhiro Iwamoto announced that the ownership of the promotion would be transferred from the previous management company Dream On Stage to iFD. Iwamoto additionally announced
1242-490: The Emperor. Enshrinement at Yasukuni signified meaning and nobility to those who died for their country. During the final days of the war, it was common for soldiers sent on kamikaze suicide missions to say that they would "meet again at Yasukuni" following their death. Military songs created at that time often included information about Yasukuni, such as Doki no Sakura(同期の桜) and Calming the country(国の鎮め). At that time, however,
1296-728: The Faith (Propaganda Fide) of the Roman Curia issued the Instruction Pluries Instanterque, and approved visits to Yasukuni Shrine as an expression of patriotic motive. This response of the Catholic Church helped the Jesuit university avoid a fateful crisis, but it meant its bowing down to the military power and control by Emperor system. By the 1930s, the military government sought centralized state control over memorialization of
1350-653: The GPWA banner. Noah's CEO Mitsuharu Misawa was inaugurated as the first chairman of the GPWA, while Zero1-Max's Yoshiyuki Nakamura was announced as the alliance's president. The GPWA would later fold in 2009. In 2008, the promotion shortened its name to Pro Wrestling Zero1 . In 2011, the promotion returned to the NWA as their Japanese territory. In March 2011, NWA presented Zero1 with the NWA Pan-Pacific Premium Heavyweight Championship in celebration of
1404-641: The Nation" and was chosen by the Meiji Emperor . The name is formally written as 靖國神社 , using the kyūjitai character forms common before the end of the Pacific War. The enshrinement of war dead at Yasukuni was transferred to military control in 1887. As the Empire of Japan expanded, Okinawans , Ainu and Koreans were enshrined at Yasukuni alongside ethnic Japanese. Emperor Meiji refused to allow
1458-523: The Yasukuni Shrine and build a dog race course in its place. However, Father Bruno Bitter of the Roman Curia and Father Patrick Byrne of Maryknoll insisted to the GHQ that honoring their war dead is the right and duty of citizens everywhere, and the GHQ decided not to destroy the Yasukuni shrine. The Roman Curia reaffirmed the Instruction Pluries Instanterque in 1951. In 1956, the shrine authorities and
1512-538: The Yasukuni Shrine complex. The Minamimon is marked by a small wooden gateway. (from Kudanshita Station ) Yasukuni shrine is an individual religious corporation and does not belong to the Association of Shinto Shrines . Yasukuni shrine has departments listed below. The Gūji ( 宮司 ) controls the overall system, and the Gon-gūji ( 権宮司 ) assists the Gūji. In 1933, Minister of War Sadao Araki founded
1566-677: The Yasukuni Shrine have made statements criticizing the United States for " convincing " the Empire of Japan to launch the attack on Pearl Harbor in order to justify the Pacific War , as well as claiming that Japan went to war with the intention of creating a " Co-Prosperity Sphere " for all Asians. See details on related controversy in Controversies surrounding Yasukuni Shrine . There are over 2,466,000 enshrined kami (deities) listed in
1620-548: The Yasukuni's Symbolic Registry of Divinities . This list includes soldiers, as well as women and students who were involved in relief operations in the battlefield or worked in factories for the war effort. There are neither ashes nor spirit tablets in the shrine. Enshrinement is not exclusive to people of Japanese descent. Yasukuni has enshrined 27,863 Taiwanese and 21,181 Koreans. Many more kami – those who fought in opposition to imperial Japan, as well as all war dead regardless of nationality – are enshrined at Chinreisha . As
1674-491: The coalition saw that Japan, which was in a tight corner, was using Yasukuni for propaganda purposes. The main point is that the Yasukuni is used as a means of pressure to induce soldiers to choose suicide bombing to escape desperate situations, or to socially bury those who are captured or want to surrender. After World War II, the US-led Occupation Authorities (known as GHQ for General Headquarters ) issued
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1728-564: The enshrinement of Taiwanese due to the organized resistance that followed the Treaty of Shimonoseki , but Taiwanese were later admitted due to the need to conscript them during World War II . In 1932, two Sophia University (Jōchi Daigaku) Catholic students refused visit to Yasukuni Shrine on the grounds that it was contrary to their religious convictions. In 1936, the Society for the Propagation of
1782-452: The list but one died during trial and one before trial so they were never convicted. This has led to many controversies surrounding the shrine . Another memorial at the Honden (main hall) building commemorates anyone who died on behalf of Japan and so includes Koreans and Taiwanese who served Japan at the time. The Chinreisha ("Spirit Pacifying Shrine") building is a shrine built to inter
1836-462: The names, origins, birthdates and places of death of 2,466,532 men. Among those are 1,066 convicted war criminals from the Pacific War , twelve of whom were charged with Class A crimes (the planning, preparation, initiation, or waging of the war). Eleven were convicted on those charges with the twelfth found not guilty on all such charges though he was found guilty of Class B war crimes. The names of two more men charged with Class A war crimes are on
1890-457: The planning, preparation, initiation, or waging of the war) to Yasukuni Shrine. These individuals were gradually enshrined between 1959 and 1967, often without permission from surviving family members. In 1966, information on fourteen men who had been charged with Class A war crimes was forwarded to the shrine. Eleven were convicted on these charges, one was convicted of Class B war crimes, and two died before completing trial. This group included
1944-543: The prime ministers and top generals from the war era. In 1970, the shrine passed a resolution to enshrine these individuals. The timing for their enshrinement was left to the discretion of head priest Fujimaro Tsukuba, who delayed the enshrinement through his death in March 1978. In 1978, his successor Nagayoshi Matsudaira, who rejected the Tokyo war crimes tribunal's verdicts, enshrined these fourteen convicted or alleged war criminals in
1998-600: The promotion to Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max , with Otani and Nakamura taking over the promotion's general operations. Among other major changes made to the promotion's structure was the decision to join AWA Superstars of Wrestling (AWA) as the alliance's only Japanese member. Due to their new affiliation with the AWA, the promotion's previous National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliation was given to rival promotion NJPW. Since April 2005, Zero1 has held yearly pay-per-view events at
2052-640: The promotion's tenth anniversary. In July, Daisuke Sekimoto won the Fire Festival to become the first NWA Pan-Pacific Premium Heavyweight champion. Later in 2011, Zero1 left the NWA, renaming their NWA-branded championships to "New Wrestling Alliance" championships. Following their 2011 departure from the NWA, Zero1 launched an American affiliate, Zero1 USA, taking over the promotion previously known as NWA Midwest. In 2012, an Australian division of Zero1, known as Zero1 Australia, opened in Adelaide taking over what
2106-401: The promotion. In July 2020, it was announced that the company was acquired by Daiko Holdings Group. That same month, they hired former Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling women's wrestler Megumi Kudo as their general manager. Zero1 holds a heavyweight tournament every summer in the last week of July called the " Fire Festival " (Himatsuri) where the winner holds the "Fire Sword" (a katana) for
2160-520: The shrine, as well as several structures along the 4 hectare causeway. Though other shrines in Japan also occupy large areas, Yasukuni is different because of its recent historical connections. The Yūshūkan museum is just the feature that differentiate Yasukuni from other Shinto shrines. The following lists describe many of these facilities and structures. On the shrine grounds, there are several important religious structures. The shrine's haiden , Yasukuni's main prayer hall where worshipers come to pray,
2214-443: The shrine. The site for the Yasukuni Shrine, originally named Tōkyō Shōkonsha ( 東京招魂社 , "shrine to summon the souls" ) , was chosen by order of the Meiji Emperor . The shrine was established in 1869, in the wake of the Boshin War , in order to honor the souls of those who died fighting for the Emperor. It initially served as the "apex" of a network of similar shrines throughout Japan that had originally been established for
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2268-483: The signature of the Treaty of San Francisco . In 1954, government directed some local memorial shrines to accept the enshrinement of war criminals from their area. No convicted war criminals were enshrined at Yasukuni until after the parole of the last remaining incarcerated war criminals in 1958. In 1959, the Health and Welfare Ministry began forwarding information on Class B and Class C war criminals (those not involved in
2322-530: The souls of all the people who died during World War II , regardless of their nationality. It is located directly south of the Yasukuni Honden. Japanese soldiers fought World War II in the name of Emperor Shōwa , who visited the shrine 8 times between the end of the war and 1975. However, he stopped visiting the shrine due to his displeasure over the enshrinement of top convicted Japanese war criminals. His successors Akihito and Naruhito have never visited
2376-456: The souls of various feudal lords' retainers, and which continued to enshrine local individuals who died in the Emperor's service. Following the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion , the Emperor had 6,959 souls of war dead enshrined at Tōkyō Shōkonsha. In 1879, the shrine was renamed Yasukuni Jinja. The name Yasukuni , quoted from the phrase「 吾以靖國也 in the classical-era Chinese text Zuo Zhuan (Scroll 6, 23rd Year of Duke Xi), literally means "Pacifying
2430-487: The stated wishes of the family members. Some families from foreign countries such as South Korea have requested that their relatives be delisted on the grounds that enshrining someone against their beliefs in life constitutes an infringement of the Constitution. Japan has participated in 16 other conflicts since the Boshin War in 1869. The following table chronologically lists the number of people enshrined as kami at
2484-401: The three torii and one gate that lead to the main shrine complex, there are a few others that mark other entrances to the shrine grounds. The Ishi Torii is a large stone torii located on the south end of the main causeway. It was erected in 1932 and marks the entrance to the parking lots. The Kitamon and Minamimon are two areas that mark the north and south entrances, respectively, into
2538-420: The war dead, giving Yasukuni a more central role. Enshrinements at Yasukuni were originally announced in the government's official gazette so that the souls could be treated as national heroes. In April 1944, this practice ended and the identities of the spirits were concealed from the general public. The shrine had a critical role in military and civilian morale during the war era as a symbol of dedication to
2592-600: Was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. The UPW No Holds Barred Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. The UPW Internet Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Pro Wrestling Zero1 Pro Wrestling Zero1 ( Japanese : プロレスリングZERO1 , Hepburn : Puroresuringu Zerowan , stylized as PRO WRESTLING ZERO1) , often referred to simply as Zero1 and sometimes referred to as Pro Wrestling Zero1 Catch as Catch Can (stylized as ZERO1 and PRO WRESTLING ZERO1 CATCH AS CATCH CAN, respectively),
2646-541: Was fired by NJPW in November 2000, he registered the Pro Wrestling Zero-One name. In its early years, Zero1 had working agreements with Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), NJPW, Riki Pro , Hustle , Big Mouth Loud, King's Road, and Dragondoor. These agreements enabled Zero1 wrestlers to challenge for and hold the other promotions' titles. The promotion also operated their own dojo, which
2700-559: Was killed due to conflicts after Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty that formally ended World War II in 1951 has been qualified for enshrinement. Therefore, the shrine does not include members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces which was established after the peace treaty. Enshrinement is carried out unilaterally by the shrine without consultation of surviving family members and in some cases against
2754-551: Was moved directly south of Yasukuni Shrine's honden . Its name, Motomiya ("Original Shrine"), references the fact that it was essentially a prototype for the current Yasukuni Shrine. The second peripheral shrine is the Chinreisha . This small shrine was constructed in 1965, directly south of the Motomiya . It is dedicated to those not enshrined in the honden —those killed by wars or incidents worldwide, regardless of nationality. It has
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#17328766898982808-436: Was originally built in 1901 in styles of Irimoya-zukuri , Hirairi , and Doubanbuki (copper roofing) in order to allow patrons to pay their respects and make offerings. This building's roof was renovated in 1989. The white screens hanging off the ceiling are changed to purple ones on ceremonial occasions. The honden is the main shrine where Yasukuni's enshrined deities reside. Built in 1872 and refurbished in 1989, it
2862-578: Was previously known as NWA Pro Australia; in 2014 the relationship between Zero1 and Zero1 Australia ended with the Australian-based promotion renaming to Wrestle Rampage. Later in 2012, the Zero1 Hong Kong and Zero1 Mexico branches opened. In 2013, Yoshiyuki Nakamura opened a new division of Zero1 in Belarus. On December 17, 2013, Zero1 announced a corporate restructuring taking place at the start of
2916-414: Was referred to as the "Takeshiba Coliseum". On November 30, 2004, Shinya Hashimoto gave up ownership of the promotion, telling the press that due to financial problems he had decided to step away from the company. A new parent company "First On Stage" was formed consisting of president Yoshiyuki Nakamura, ring announcer Oki Okidata, Shinjiro Otani and a company named Baltic Curry. First On Stage renamed
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