The brutal glory of Japan's all-female pro-wrestlers

There's nothing demure about these moves

Wrestlers Kris Wolf and Starfire fight during their Stardom professional wrestling show
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While Japan fights centuries of traditional gender norms to raise the status of women in the workplace, a small group of women are challenging convention in the ring.

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

Japan's all-female pro wrestlers are called "joshi puroresu," and their style, like their male counterparts', is less gimmicky than American pro-wrestling. Though matches still involve performance art, they can also be quite violent, with full-contact moves causing more injuries and shorter careers. But the sport isn't a new phenomenon.

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

Professional wrestling began in Japan after World War II, in an attempt to raise the country's deflated spirit. Women joined the sport soon after, in the 1950s, but really got their footing after the inception of the Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling Association in 1967. In the 1970s, while the major men's wrestling associations began splintering, all-female wrestling reached a new height of popularity. During the next two decades, some female wrestlers became breakout stars and pop icons, their muscular looks and athletic skills helping to challenge Japan's strict gender norms.

Today, joshi isn't nearly as popular as it was in its heyday, but a smaller, dedicated contingent carries the torch. Sure, audiences for female wrestling matches remain largely male, and the athletes' wild, flashy costumes and outsized personalities play into the sport's entertainment value, but the ring is still a sacred place for these female athletes. Stepping into it, they shed society's conventions. "I have met so many [wrestlers] that are so sweet and shy outside the ring," one wrestler told Reuters photographer Thomas Peter, "and then you get into the ring and they explode."

Below, a look at Japan's female wrestlers in all their glory:

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.

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