1950s Rikidozan Pro Wrestling Champion Japanese Menko Card Vintage Japan For Sale

Original vintage 1950s Japanese rectangular menko featuring legendary professional wrestler Rikidozan (力道山).The colorful illustrated front shows Rikidozan in the wrestling ring with a blond foreign opponent. Japanese lettering reads プロレス 王者, meaning approximately “Pro Wrestling Champion.”Rikidozan was the pioneering superstar of Japanese professional wrestling and one of Japan\'s great postwar sports celebrities. His matches against visiting foreign wrestlers helped fuel the enormous popularity of professional wrestling and television in 1950s Japan.The reverse features a traditional Japanese game design with 庄屋, an open-hand symbol, and the printed number 085713.An identical example with the same front artwork and matching 085713 reverse has been documented in a Japanese sale group of vintage Rikidozan wrestling menko.Condition: Original vintage condition with expected age toning, edge/corner wear and minor surface/printing imperfections. Colors and central image remain very attractive. Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition.A terrific early Japanese wrestling collectible featuring the “Father of Puroresu.”Sold exactly as pictured.