The Shinya Hashimoto/Keiji Muto Trilogy

     Shinya Hashimoto vs Keiji Muto, NJPW 6/5/1997

Fucking masterpiece of a wrestling match, there’s no other way to put it. So much wrestling is focussed on action-action-action, but this was like a great suspense flick with the most intense ending you’ve ever seen. Right from the go it’s clear what both men are all about, Hashimoto wants to kick, and Muto wants to get underneath him and take out his legs. What follows was some of the best defense-based and slow building pro wrestling ever caught on film. Neither guy was willing to make the slightest mistake and this made all their exchanges really interesting. There is so much great stuff going on. Almost none of what they do would fit into a highlight clip or GIF and yet it’s wrestling of the highest caliber. I love how even a basic knee that Hashimoto throws when locking up sets up a thunderous kesagiri chop that immediately draws a gasp from the crowd, with a panicking Muto firing back right away with a messy hitting solebutt and taking down Hashimoto immediately, with Hash not even wanting to allow a basic headscissor being locked in. Watching prime Hashimoto from a 2026 perspective is insane because I am used to seeing guys allowing themselves to be hit, asking the other guy to hit them, even laying down so they can be hit in a bizarre game of contrived tough man posturing etc. With Hashimoto, Mutoh absolutely does not want to be hit by anything. He wants absolutely none of those neck chops and none of those kicks. So even though this is a pro wrestling match, it feels like an MMA fight with an expert striker vs a takedown artist. And whenever Hashimoto unleashes it’s like the thunder of an erupting volcano. Absolutely great Hashimoto performance as he’s awesome as a monster that wants to strike but is getting worn out. Muto was also absolutely great here. He did a lot of great stuff, such as a really sweet legscissor takedown, I also really liked how he teased a dragon screw but instead went for his flashing elbow. Even his goofy handspring elbow looked great as he hit it so fast with absolutely no breathing time. There’s this great bit where Hashimoto rages on the outside after being frustrated by Mutohs tactics so Mutoh cockily offers him the re-entry. Hash gets back in and he has this amazing look on his face, like he is going to kill Mutoh. And seconds later Mutoh is on the mat getting the shit kicked out of him. The whole match was full of great little moments like this and it just kept building and building to a molten hot finale. I can see why some fans were more drawn to the All Japan stuff that was chock full of cool moves while this match spent like 20 minutes building to a dragon screw, but holy shit this is just great stuff on a completely different level. Loved the unique twist on their signatures, Hashimotos revenge leg kick, Mutoh hitting the moonsault to Hashimotos legs, Hash firing away this great last gasp barrage off offense. Really felt like they put their all into this and if that’s not the best a wrestling match can be I don’t know what is.

Shinya Hashimoto vs Keiji Muto, 12/10/1993

Not quite *as* great as the 1997 match, but still a solid stone cold classic. Match was already built around the chess game of takedown artist Muto frustrating Hashimoto and trying to avoid the dangerous strikes. Highlights include Hash shrugging off a surprise attempt at an octopus hold, and both guys going into a judo scramble. I also appreciate that there was no legwork/figure 4 stuff, although Muto really wanted to go for it. Hash throwing leg kicks, daring Muto to go for the leg, and then responding to some gritty surprise headbutts by rushing Muto like an angry bull is why he’s the GOAT. He was also able to make Mutos basic short arm scissor look killer. His response was, of course, to rain punches onto Muto. Hash then got up with blood coming out of his nose and a sliver of blood from his mouth like a slit in his face and you know the fight is on. Second half was quite epic as you had Hash laying devastation on Muto with his kicks and Muto pushing the bleeding Hashimoto to the brink of defeat. Several ridiculously well timed moments. The sequence with Mutoh landing on his feet on the attempted moonsault was an example of something that modern workers probably would have rushed in an effort to force as many moves and reversals into a short sequence as possible, whereas these two were smart enough to slow down enough to make the payoff feel really rewarding. We also get some beautiful Hashimoto wrestling such as hitting a perfect German Suplex on Muto. Hash drilling Muto with a surprise bulldog was also another great unexpected moment. Muto trying to resist the DDT with all his remaining lifeforce only to end up eating the deadliest brainbuster ever may be a top 10 moment in any wrestling match. This crowd was really freaking rabid for Hash’s DDT too. You may say ‘well, it was 1993, times were different, a DDT was exciting…’ but fuck that, these people had already seen Liger and his shooting star press and Tiger Masks shit and whatnot, and here they were flipping the fuck out for a 30 minute match culminating in a DDT because these guys are fucking masters at this.

Shinya Hashimoto vs Keiji Muto, 8/15/1995

‘nother masterpiece between these two. At this point it’s a coin toss which of these matches is the best but fuck, they are all great. This was one was a bit more conventional but still had that strategic, struggle-loaded chess match feel early on with neither guy wanting to get caught. Muto seemed a bit less engaged, perhaps because he was worn down from the G1. Hash catches him a lot early, sprawling on a takedown attempt, catching his jumping savate kick. Even almost turning the tide in his favor by going for Mutohs arm briefly. It’s not quite the same level of intricacy as Muto showed in the 93 and 97 matches but it’s still some pretty damn good pro wrestling. Loved the bit where Hash struggled against a German Suplex so Muto went for the Dragon, and then the Octopus Hold. Pretty damn epic ending with Hash trying to bust Mutos skull with some beautiful high kicks. Man alive does Hashimoto just look like a god when he’s charging up and gathering energy for those kicks. Mutoh seemed dead in the water and was left with a few great desperation counters. It’s New Japan so something like a straight armbar is a totally believable possible finisher to go for. Another epic jumping DDT from Hash ends up spiking Muto causing his bandage to come off with blood streaming down. Doesn’t get more italo western than that when it comes to pro wrestling.

RIP Tadao Yasuda

 

Tadao Yasuda vs Tatsumi Fujinami, NJPW 8/13/1999

Great little sprint from the G1 Climax. I love how it immediately establishes the tone of the G1, everything matters. That is felt very strongly here just from the way Fujinami would move about the ring before locking up, really putting over Yasudas massive size and lumbering danger. They don’t waste a second in letting you know what they are all about, Yasuda rushing with sumo palm strikes, Fujinami always trying to grab a leg and twist it off. I love how Yasuda started pounding away whenever Fujinami tried for the dragon screw, and his own modified dragon screw ruled. Nifty finish. More pro wrestling should be like this.

Tadao Yasuda vs Kensuke Sasaki, NJPW 8/10/1999

Kensuke Sasaki in 1999, already a former IWGP champion. Tadao Yasuda, middle aged, late starter at wrestling, and rocking a sleazy mustache. But fuck all that, this match is all about Yasuda being an explosive surprise. Sasaki goes down for a Yasuda shoulderblock, proving Yasuda is indeed bigger and more massive, and then Yasuda proceeds to stomp a mudhole in him. Really dug Yasudas of the sumo palm strikes in this, even getting the better of Kensuke during a strike exchange, and of course the big one that he caught Sasaki right to the mush with. Sasaki looks really contemptful like he is pissed that this old sumo fart just gave him a beating. Even picking him up for a torture rack just to overcompensate. The crowd is all there rallying behind Yasuda for a possible upset and while it’s not anything deep it’s really fun big boy pro wrestling.

Tadao Yasuda vs Keiji Muto, NJPW 8/14/1999

More Yasuda G1 magic. Normally there is no way Yasuda stands a chance in hell against Muto, but it’s the G1, and Muto is super banged up and barely gets a thing going. This allows Yasuda to really give Muto a stomping further banging on his leg, with an enthusiastic crowd willing him all along the way. Yasudas facial expressions are so great, he’s like a man praying to god when he locks in those boston crabs, like he really wants that shit to work. Yasudas jumping elbow drop where it looks like a fridge was dropped on Mutohs leg is really great. I also love them teasing Yasuda losing in the same way he did to Fujinami earlier, and Mutoh does pull off a really really choice finish. Can’t ask for much more from a 5 minute match.

Tadao Yasuda vs Satoshi Kojima, NJPW 8/13/1999

The biggest match for Yasuda in this G1, because Kojima is about the one guy in his block that he has a chance of beating. As such the match is less about Yasuda the Underdog and more Yasuda standing tall and beating the dogshit out of Kojima with his awesome straight sumo palm thrusts, with Kojima selling in amazing fashion. Kojima had a bit more of a punk heel vibe here, snarling at the audience and trying to do damage to Yasudas limbs, which I think suits him very well. While the build of the match is not mind-blowing greatness it’s a lot of fun, serious pro wrestling enhanced by their eccentrics. Yasuda totally makes the second half of the match with his awesome selling and mannerisms, and the crowd gets behind him in a big way. Kojima slipping behind and struggling for a german suplex is a good example of why slowing down can sometimes make things a lot more epic. Kojima trying to damage Yasudas shoulder, with Yasuda trying to hang on and somehow get the win felt pretty epic, almost like a Hashimoto match. It made sense and paid off the story of the match. Loved Kojimas unique arm submission and his cluster attack at Yasudas shoulder felt like some of the best work he’s done, and Yasudas fire and trying to gut it out was just pro wrestling perfection, felt so raw and real. Yasuda brings such a fun vibe, while his Inokification was good stuff it would have been really interesting to see had he kept up what he was doing here into the 2000s.

Tadao Yasuda vs El Gigante, NJPW 5/1/1994

Not many match ups spark my interest anymore these days. But Tadao Yasuda vs El Gigante? Fuck yeah I’m watching Tadao Yasuda vs El Gigante. Yasuda is very at the beginning of his late blooming career. He has black trunks and lacks his signature mustache and looks a bit like an illegitimate son of Takashi Ishikawa and Osamu Kido. But boy he already has something to him. Enough that this massive crowd breaks out in a big ‘Yasuda’ chant to will him into taking on the Gigante, and popping big when Yasuda just goes into a sumo stance that the giant promptly mocks. Gigante looks comically huge – even next to the very large Yasuda. His build is just that of a fairytale giant. Not much happens here, but you get Yasuda sumo palm rushing Gigante to the crowds delight. Gigante takes some shoulder blocks from Yasuda – in a way that made me think he had no idea how to take shoulderblocks. Yasuda eye rakes to get on offense and goes for another sumo rush in the corner but Gigante stops him with a big boot and calls him a ‘fucking sumo’. The brain claw seals the deal. Guess they were really trying to do something with El Gigante here, but Yasudas triumph would come later.

Tadao Yasuda vs Tatsumi Fujinami, NJPW 2001/8/5

Yasuda lost miserably as an underdog just 2 years before, but now he got the Inoki power upgrade and is a dangerous shooter type, so the dynamic is completely reversed. Fujinami looks very aged but has grown out his curls to mid length just to flex on everyone with his hair genetics. Yasuda throws Fujinami and works him over with some pretty hard knees on the ground and pounding on his head with punches, but Fujinami can always hit a dragon screw and turn the tide. They even reference the finish from the 1999 match in a cool spot. Similiar affair as before but with vastly different roles and it’s cool.

Tadao Yasuda vs Kazunari Murakami, NJPW 2001/8/10

Inokiist dream match! Man these G1s just used to be packed with awesome matches. This is more about Murakami than Yasuda, though Yasuda makes for a cool elder tough guy to the rabid pitbull that is Murakami. Murakami may be the greatest ever at these evil glares and sudden violent explosions. It feels almost a bit like a Wahoo vs Johnny Valentine match. Murakami is so aggressive and unhinged that Yasuda becomes the underdog and has to try and surprise him with something, though I loved how he just threw Murakami over the guardrail.

Tadao Yasuda vs Yuji Nagata, NJPW 6/4/2001

By 2001 Inokiism was fully there, and they both have MMA gloves for this. Much like all your best Tadao Yasuda matches, this is short and sweet. It’s basically nearly full blown shootstyle. Yasuda is big and hard to takedown but tenacious Nagata manages to do it anyways. Nagata bitch slaps Yasuda in the ropes and this triggers an angry sumo rush and signature long legged stomping from Yasuda. However, the more energetic Nagata is able to suplex Yasuda on his neck and then quickly put him to pasture with a series of kicks. Impressive showing for Nagata.

Tadao Yasuda vs Manabu Nakanishi, NJPW 8/6/2001

Killer monster battle with a quick pace. Nakanishi is a total caveman here and he is mauling Yasuda with angry palm strikes and throwing him around. Yasuda can always catch someone with a punch though or choke them out. He is a bit of a weird guy to book as a submission artist but it kind of works. Early 2000s NJPW ‘anything can finish’ factor makes this really compelling and I loved the nifty details, such as the way Nakanishi would use a lariat to the leg to set up his stretch muffler, or hit a spear to Yasudas bad leg, as well as the finish.

Tadao Yasuda vs Yuji Nagata, NJPW 8/8/2001

Nagata is like a hyena here mauling a bigger lion. He’s just all over Yasuda, who is totally backed into a corner, as Nagata takes him apart with relentless takedowns, faster kicks, and trying to tear his arms out. All Yasuda can do is try and go for a choke and maybe punch Nagata in the face and hope for the best. Intense stuff that works mostly because you buy Yasuda could come back with just one submission. There are few wrestlers in wrestling history who had that kind of believability in a basic front choke or sleeper, and for Tadao Yasuda to be that guy is just incredible. Another intense little match and Nagata looked like a killer.

 

Tadao Yasuda & Shinya Hashimoto vs Tamon Honda & Masao Inoue, ZERO1 4/18/2001

 Awesome match. It's early Zero1 vs NOAH so we get heated interpromotional action filmed at glorious dutch angles. This was all action in the best way, just 4 guys constantly going at each other. The early Yasuda vs Honda match up is pretty great, just two big guys pummeling each other and trying to go for chokes, with Honda throwing the bigger man around, even hitting a sweet dead end later. Obviously Hashimoto is really great here and Inoue is great as an outmatched guy throwing everything he has at a monster in sheer desperation, these guys just did this match perfectly as Hashimoto ends up mauling Inoue into oblivion with Inoue unable to continue. Yasuda does look great in this kinda match and he does bust out the old sumo palm strike even with the gloves. It's a bit of a different side to him than the cowardly heel shooter stuff and he is quite suitable here.

RIP Osamu Nishimura

 

Osamu Nishimura & Keiji Mutoh & Tadao Yasuda vs. Shinya Hashimoto & Yuji Nagata & Junji Hirata (NJPW 10/15/1995)

Really awesome match for a 12 minute 6 man tag. Nishimura isn’t Mr. Muga yet, he’s clad in blindingly silver gear and wrestles a more generic but energetic style. He puts the heat on Hirata early on, and then challenging Hashimoto. Hashimoto won’t tag in for a while, until he’s finally had enough and a hellish vengeance is unleashed on Nishimura as he just gets destroyed but he still hasn’t enough and dropkicks Hash in the back of the head. Awesome. Yasuda is also pretty great here like a more massive version of Taue, sumo rushing people and putting the boots to Hash. Mutoh doesn’t do shit in this match and it’s for the better. I also enjoyed Nagata and Hirata delivering straight forward punishment. But in general this is a really awesome ‘Hash fucks everyone up’ match and another chapter in the book called Why Shinya Hashimoto is the GOAT.

Osamu Nishimura & Manabu Nakanishi vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Masahiro Chono, NJPW 6/5/2002

This is a legendary match in Osamu Nishimuras career, which for some reason has never been available in full until NJPW made it just now available on NJPW World. Bit sad they waited until Nishimuras death to release that, but this is an absolutely amazing match. Namely it is famous because of that moment where Nakanishis leg is injured and he leaves the match, leading Nishimura to remove his boots and turn into a barefoot grappling demon, but there’s lots of amazing wrestling surrounding it. I’ve never been super big on the non-Hashimoto, non-Fujinami side of NJPW heavyweight wrestling, so I was surprised how well Nakanishi, Tenzan and Chono did here. There is some really cool Chono/Nishimura grappling, people don’t think of Chono as much of a grappler but he does have that Lou Thesz heritage and he gets into some pretty interesting stuff with Nishimura. They work this in a very old school, almost Jim Crocket feeling fashion, not as in that there’s a ton of holds or something, but rather that everyone here really works to make the maximum out of basic things such as strikes. I also really appreciated that Tenzan and Nakanishi didn’t do any braindead endless chop exchanges, instead what we got was far more interesting with Nakanishi kind of bullying Tenzan with his own mongolian chops, and an angry Tenzan sometimes angrily shoot headbutting him. First half the match had lots of good stuff, also because I am used to modern wrestling being a trained monkey show even something as simple as Chono working over someone with knees in the corner was refreshingly straight forward. There were a few great moments, in particular Nishimura almost choking out Tenzan. They did a great segment with Nish really wrenching the fuck out of Tenzans neck, and Nakanishi coming in to smash Tenzans head into the mat like a gorilla was just perfect. They also do a nice job increasing the stakes of the match, with Chono going for his yakuza kicks early on and increasing the pressure on Nishimura, while Nishimura ends up taking a big beating. A really good energetic 1^st half that sets up the amazing second half which has the legendary barefoot warrior Nishimura moment, as well as an amazing Nakanishi performance. It feels shameful that Nakanishis performance here is rarely brought up among the greatest ever, but his leg selling really was that fucking good, and him smashing Tenzan to a bloody pulp may be one of the Top 10 greatest moments a match has ever had. Stretch run is absolutely fantastic working the crowd into a frenzy and also has the greatest nearfall for a backslide ever. They really drove the point home going for minimalism and getting the maximum out of the basics, that point is especially hammered home when Chono hits like 10 Russian Leg Sweeps on Nakanishi, followed by Nishimura repaying him with 10 barefoot dropkicks. An enraged Nishimura throwing the referee around and punching a bloody Tenzan in the face is about as good as wrestling gets. Amazing amazing match, I cannot say enough to emphasize how cool this was, just about the perfect broadway, never boring, interesting all the way through with some amazing moments and wrestling hewn in and Nishimura being just the best in his stubborn glory.

Osamu Nishimura vs Kazuo Yamazaki, NJPW 12/10/1995

You look at this match up and think “this sounds like a technical clinic”. But this is 1995, Nishimura is basically a young lion who looks like a lankier version of Muto, and he has not yet become the embodiment of MUGA. Instead of holds Nishimura bitchslaps Yamazaki and then it turns into both guys throwing down, with Yamazaki throwing bombs with his aggressive headbutts and razor sharp kicks and Nishimura throwing hands and blasting him with dropkicks. It’s a fun look at what could have been though MUGA Nishimura is still cooler. Nishimura shocks the crowd with how much he is able to beat up Yamazaki but then he goes for suplex and Yamazaki pulls him into a Fujiwara Armbar which he cranks as far back as I’ve ever seen a Fujiwara Armbar being pulled back for the tap. Just about a 5 minute match but it was really cool and this kind of ‘it can end at anytime’ stuff is what kept NJPW exciting in the 90s.

Young Shinya

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Masahiro Chono, NJPW 3/20/1987

My god did these two look like legends from the very beginning. I mean, Chono less so, but Hashimoto is pretty much as good as you’ve ever seen him here. They do some really cool matwork, really fast takedowns and tight hold for hold work while moving through everything smoothly, Hashimoto absolutely pelts Chono with kicks, they slap the shit out of each other, the crowd is hot, Chono hits an AWESOME out of nowhere backdrop suplex, Hash works a great sleeper… just great energy in this. Hashimotos suplexes were awesome although I can see why he stopped doing bridging suplexes with his frame. This would be a great match for any two wrestlers, for two young lions this was amazing.

Shinya Hashimoto & Masahiro Chono & Keiji Muto vs. Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura & Shiro Koshinaka, NJPW 7/29/1988

The Three Musketeers unite. Maybe for the first time? This was super heated and action packed because all three young guys basically want to take a chunk out of Fujinami. Fujinami throwing punch combos in retaliation was awesome. And my god does Hashimoto look like a walking badass already. Karate pants, spin kicking people, just being a mean old tank. It's also fun to see these future stars doing some different things from later. Hashimoto hits a crazy spinning gutbuster, Chono does a spin kick. Mutoh was already himself, grinding the match to a halt with a meaningless Figure 4. Aside from that this was a house of fire. Really awesome to check out.

2002 MOTY Project Update #15

 

Genichiro Tenryu & Nobukazu Hirai vs. Kaz Hayashi & Satoshi Kojima, AJPW 10/6/2002

Hirai is an ex-WAR junior with a kind of amusing scuzzy charisma. He is fun as a misplaced guy in a big main event and has some cool exchanges with Hayashi. That said, this is 1000 % the Tenryu. He looks like you'd expect a Top 5 all time wrestler to look like. Just being a wrecking ball, throwing punches, chairs, spilling water, generally treating Hayashi and Kojima like garbage, and it all ruled. This wasn't just a "Tenryu walks over and potatoes somebody" stifffest, there was plenty of fast paced, thinking heavyweight wrestling going on. Kojima and Hayashi were pretty much warm bodies here, although I guess they tried a little harder than usual here throwing punches of their, but their main job was to be there and get swatted and kicked around by Tenryu, and it was a great little match.

 

Genichiro Tenryu & Arashi & Nobutaka Araya & Nobukazu Hirai vs. Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Hase & Jinsei Shinzaki & Satoshi Kojima, AJPW 9/16/2002

Also a pretty great 8 man tag. Tenryu bringing the Wrestle And Romance to AJPW ruled. The Mutoh side of the match was pretty loaded, so Team WAR did a neat job cutting off the ring and playing the numbers game to prevent Team Nu AJPW from doing their thing. Whenever Tenryu was involved the match was literally a string of great moments. Him blocking Shinzakis rope walk chop and hitting him in the throat was just badass. Then you had Tenryu carrying an Arashi in ring section by throwing objects at Mutoh. Also loved him trying to use the chair only to get bloodied himself, then losing it an beating the snot out of Kojima with blood streaming from his eye.. Match build to a series of pretty great cutoffs in the final act, including Tenryu even busting out the mist, Hirai finding a neat way to neutralize Mutoh and Team WAR overcoming the odds. Also was impressed that they were able to make that slug Arashi look like a big deal.

2002 MOTY PROJECT MASTER LIST

WAR 1/5/1994

Masao Orihara vs. Norman Smiley

Oddly enough, Norman Smiley fit perfectly into WAR. I've yet to check out his mexican work but this may be the best stuff he's ever done. He was allowed to work as this tough as nails shooter who would dominate on the ground and potatoe dudes with nasty shots. Basically an UWF version of Regal. His holds looked clinical and when it was time to kick Orihara like a dog he wasn't playing around. I imagine if Smiley had faced Hashimoto in a big match or something we'd all be Smiley superfans. Orihara works as a Smiley opponent because he is CRAZY and will bust out unexpected highspots. Worth checking out.

 

Great Kabuki vs. Nobukazu Hirai

They start exchanging some solid armlocks before we get to the juicy part: Kabuki punching Hirai in the face. Hirai is spry, firing back bringing out some junior spots, but this was over almost as quickly as it began.

Ultimo Dragon vs. Ishinriki

 

This was very much an Ultimo Dragon match, although because this is WAR they potatoe each other on a level above your typical junior affair. Dragon uncorks some nasty spin kicks, and Ishinriki fires back with sumo clotheslines, palm rushes almost killing Dragon with a suplex. I pefer Ishinriki in heavyweight slugfests but he is a fun junior.

 

Mil Mascaras vs. Pierroth Jr.

 I enjoy watching Mil Mascaras grapple, but you can imagine how much offense Pierroth Jr got in here. It felt like a miracle that he was able to make Mil take a bump.

 

Shiro Koshinaka & Tatsutoshi Goto vs. Ashura Hara & Hiromichi Fuyuki

Another round of beefy dudes clobbering eachother. This wasn't peak WAR interpromotional material, but I still probably liked the best out of all the matches on the show. Particularily because the whole match felt thoroughly violent, and Fuyuki and Koshinaka were really at each other's throat. They randomly broke out into this super violent exchange that lead to a poor sap getting punched repeatedly and all was right in the world. I continue to enjoy Goto in these Heisei Ishingun tags as old guy with 2 moves who comes in to lariat and backdrop fools and nothing else, altough there was some sloppiness on his part. Hara's career was winding down but he could still take some big bumps. These matches pretty much write themselves but they still work in some things you won't expect.

  

Genichiro Tenryu & Koki Kitahara vs. Keiji Muto & El Samurai - FUN

 

WAR interpromotional tag that lags a little behind the standard for those due to Mutoh and Samurai not being quite up to the violent standards that these matches have. You watch these matches for some kind of violent showdown to happen and these two aren't the types to bring it. Kitahara was also unusually subdued. However I'd still recommend this for Tenryus amazing performance. He would really eat the fuck out of Mutohs flimsy offense and looked great flying around to put over the match. Add in the usual dose of signature Tenryu face kicking, throat chopping, powerbombing and lariating madness and have yourself something fun. 

 

THE LIBRARY

 

KOKI KITAHARA DOCUMENTATION PROJECT