Daikokubo Benkei

###

Hidaka, Wakayama, Japan

**Kazumi Kotani** (小谷 一美, *Kotani Kazumi*), is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by his ring name **Daikokubo Benkei** (大黒坊弁慶) who has wrestled on Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) on most of his career. He also wrestles in Tokyo Pro Wrestling (TPW), where he is a former TWA World Tag Team Champion.

In BJW Kotani is a former BJW Heavyweight Champion, a former
BJW Tag Team Champion, a former WEW Hardcore Tag Team Champion and he also won the 2003 Maximum Tag League.

## Early Life

In high school, he practiced judo, then he started wrestling sumo after entering high school. He was inivited into a sumo fight due to his excellent achievements. He was guided by a teacher from Nihon University and went to study at the same university. He played an active role in the fight department of sumo at the day. He decided to become to a great sumo wrestler after winning the National Championship of sumo wrestling.

He was introduced to Hiroshi Wajima in 1980 and stepped on the first ring with the curtain on March 1980 place with Yokozuna's achievements. There was an upper back, showing a strong force in the sumo fight with the front. Although it has been rumored, it was long in the Makushita era, he was promoted to ten in place of March of 1984, but he couldn't win. More ten positions he finished in three places. At the end of 1985, he decided to retire from sumo at 28 years of age in November 1985.

## Professional wrestling career

### Wrestle Association R (1993–1994)

After he left Sumo he would join professional wrestling signing with Wrestle Association R (WAR) under the ring name **Arashi**, debuting for the company on November 11, 1993, against Yuji Yasuraoka as Arashi, but would later left to form Tokyo Pro Wrestling (TPW) with several others and would rename himself to **Dunktane**.

### Tokyo Pro Wrestling (1995)

In Tokyo Pro Wrestling Dunktane was one of the Tokyo Pro's main wrestler. In 1995 in a show when Tokyo Pro Wrestling made a show in The Great Kabuki, Kotani renamed himself to **Daikokubo Benkei** and a formed a team with Kabuki, boasting one of the best strengths in the group. This is the fact that the potential of Benkei has been drawn out by the wrestler company and the promotion would later close its doors.

### Post-Tokyo Pro career (1995–1999)

After the closing of Tokyo Pro Wrestling, he started to wrestle in the Japan Pro Wrestling and IWA Japan. He would also wrestle in other japanese promotions like Fuyuki Army, where he took part of a tournament for the Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling's FMW Six Man Street Fight Tag Team Championship.

### Big Japan Pro Wrestling (1999–2012)

He joined Big Japan Pro Wrestling in 1999. Later in 2000 Benkei would take part of the BJ Grand Prix 2000 losing at the first round to Mike Samples. Later in 2000 Benkei would form a stable with Abdullah Kobayashi and Naoki Numazawa named Skinheads. Benkei would later in 2002 became the second BJW Heavyweight Champion, and he would retain the title for almost a year but he would lost the title to Daisuke Sekimoto on August 18, 2002. Benkei and Kobayashi would win later the BJW Tag Team Championship and later during their reign as BJW Tag Team Champions, they would also at the same time the WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship and even winning the 2003 Maximum Tag League. During the middle and the end of 2003 Benkei and Kobayashi would first lost the WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship and this followed up in December both losing the BJW Tag Team Championship.

In 2012 after doing a surgery due to deterioration of his articulations, he would have a long-term hiatus but he refused to retire in 2014. From the missing point, such as staff to the stores and he also appears in the store after his retirement. His official retirement match was on October 23, 2014 when he teamed up with Kazuki Hashimoto and Masashi Otani losing to the SECRET BASE wrestlers Amigo Suzuki, Jun Ogawauchi and Mototsugu Shimizu.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ Powerslam
	+ Seven Lucky Gods Special (Reverse Legsweep)
	+ Running Splash
* **Signature moves**
	+ Chokeslam
	+ Elbow Drop
	+ Headbutt
	+ Top Rope Splash
	+ Sitout powerbomb
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Antichrist Superstar" by Marilyn Manson (BJW)
	+ "Hound Dog" by R\*O\*C\*K\*S (BJW)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **Big Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ BJW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
	+ BJW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Abdullah Kobayashi
	+ WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Abdullah Kobayashi
	+ Maximum Tag League (2003) - with Abdullah Kobayashi
	+ BJW/Chikara The Global Gauntlet II (2009)

* **Tokyo Pro Wrestling**
	+ TWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Abdullah the Butcher