Thursday, March 08, 2007

Solid Japanese Ring Wrestling

I've selected these five photos from two ring matches (available for purchase from Battle Japan) to discuss some of the finer points of properly capturing a ring match that is not diluted with sexual attacks. In the first featured match, we have Mao Takigawa in the black misfitting one piece against Aiko Oshino. Ms. Oshino is issuing a very simple and effective knee to Ms. Takigawa's collarbone, and the photo captures the moment of impact. There is no Casper/Rosemary-like oversized grimace, but the closed eyes and clenched teeth of a women wrestler taking a solid shot.
Ms. Takigawa appears to be suffering not only from Ms. Oshino's spirited attack, but also from the fact that her suit's strap is cutting into her left nipple. A poor choice of outfit, to be sure, but one which benefits the viewer.
These three photos feature the larger Kuroi Yume against Hirayama Yuri. As neither of these ladies are particularly busty, they wear swimsuits that are cut particularly high around their hips. Although Ms. Yume may not be in the best of physical condition, I am a fan of ladies who aren't mere whisps getting into the ring for our viewing pleasure.

One final point is that the ladies' aren't wearing elbow pads. Given how slender many of Japanese women are, the elbow pads often float around their arms that detracts from the overall effect of their proper ring attire. A small detail, to be sure, but as I've written in the past, it only takes the slightest misstep to ruin an otherwise commendable photo.