On Sunday Teiken announced the death of long term manager, and genuine icon, Haru Nagano, who passed away on New Year's Day, aged 99, citing that she was under-going medical treatment prior to passing due to old age. Teiken have revealed that the funeral will only be attended to by family and those close to Nagano, and have issued a statement, declining condolence visits, offerings and flowers.
For those unaware Nagano was a long term manager at Teiken, and is widely regarded as one of, if not the, most important woman in Japanese boxing history. Nagano was born in 1925, she graduated from the Jissen Girls' School in 1948. She began working for Teiken way back in the 1940’s (with some sources saying 1948 and others saying 1946), which was led by Akira Honda, the then president of the JPBA, at the time.
At the time she began working there, she wasn't aware it was even a boxing company, however she would become integral to the companies success. She served as clerk at the gym, before obtaining a mangers license in 1952.
When Akira Honda passed away in 1965, aged 64, the plan was for Akira’s second eldest son, Akihiko Honda, to take over the gym. At the time however he was just 17 and the JPBA refused to allow it, leading to Haru Honda, Akira's Akihiko's mother, to be appointed the nominal champion, whilst Nagano managed the gym.
In recent years Nagano had had some health issues, including breaking her leg last year, but still kept involved in the sport, offering advice to fighters, some of whom referred to her as being like a big sister, whilst she was better known as the "Mother of Japanese Boxing"
In total she worked for the gym for more than 70 years, working alongside the likes of Masao Oba, Tyuyoshi Hamada, Toshiaki Nishioka, Takahiro Ao, spanning the gyms golden era from very early on. She was also integral in the management of many major bouts in Japan, including some of Joichiro Tatsuyoshi and Mike Tyson's Japanese bouts.
Notably she had special connections with several fighters, including Oba who's talent she recognised, and essentially guided him in his private life as well as allowing him to live in the dormitory, and supported him through weight loss as he became Teiken's first world champion.
Although listing all the fighters she worked with in her career would be nigh on impossible, Nagano really did work with a who’s who, of who from Japanese boxing for over 70 years. The Teiken fighters are obvious, including the ones mentioned above alongside Shinsuke Yamanaka, Takashi Miura and Ryota Murata, but also the non-Teiken fighters, and those of gyms like Osaka Teiken, which was closely affiliated with the Teiken Gym based in Tokyo, along with those Teiken worked with for shows, such as those including in the long running Dynamic Glove series which she played a major role in and the bigger shows, with Hozumi Hasegawa being a notable fighter that Teiken world with despite not being a Teiken Gym fighter.
She also made sure to keep herself out of the limelight, declining honours, and working behind the scenes, rather than trying to be the main story. It was, of course, her fighters that were key. That was reflected when Nagano considered closing Teiken twice. First in 1973, Masao Oba passed away following an traffic accident and again in 2009, following the tragic death of Tsuji Masatake, believing her job as a manger was to safely guide fighters to their retirement.
Interestingly Nagano is said to have stated Nasukawa Tenshin, the WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion, was "the greatest talent since Oba". A lofty assessment of someone who will look to carry on the Teiken name, in the post Nagano era.
Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, the General Secretary of the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) paid homage to Nagano, saying "At a time when commission systems are faltering in every country, it is Nagano's great achievement that Japan has been able to maintain its commission and gym systems. In that sense she was an overwhelming person and a true legend. I don't think there will ever be anyone who can replace Nagano again." He also mentioned that there is likely to be consideration for an award for Nagano's achievements in the sport.
Despite her massive role in boxing, and it really is one of the most significant of not just any woman, but anyone in the sport, Nagano didn’t have any relatives involved in the sport, which is something of peculiarity given her long tenure as one of the key figures in Japanese boxing. Despite that her impact on the sport, especially in Japan, will be felt long after her passing.
We want to send our condolences to a true legend, and thank her for her amazing work in the sport. Her legacy might not be the most well known among fans of the sport, and in many ways that's by her choosing, but those involved in the sport, especially in Japan, will feel her impact Nagano had for a long, long time.
