Wrestling For People With Disability

A video of professional wrestler Makoto Tsuruzono, who continues to fight on the ring of wrestling for people with disability, shot on September 29 to October 17, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Makoto Tsuruzono says, “I want to destroy those images of disabled people.” On the ring, he bangs his fist on the opponent disabled wrestler without mercy. He continues to climb into the ring to overturn such biased images of a disabled person as “troubled” or “pitiful.” Standing 153 cm tall and weighing 43 kg, he has virtually no sense in his body below the chest as he was born with spinal bifida, a spinal malformation. Objecting to discrimination he suffered at school as well as against his parents, he stayed out late at night and fought with others repeatedly in his teens. At age 17, he left home for two months. He got an infection while sleeping rough in a park and lost his left foot. Now he supports his body with his well-trained both arms.