Pinx, and the Legacy of Hana Kimura
Her Third Memorial Show Reveals She's Still As Important As Ever
Front Matter
The image used in these reviews are linked to the Twitter account responsible for them: simply click through to bring up the original post. If you are a photographer whose image I have used here, and you do not grant me permission to reproduce your work, please let me know (Twitter: @FlupkeDiFlupke) and I will remove it. Thanks!
写真家さん、ここにイメージが写すことが許可しなければ聞いて下さって私は大至急除きます (ツイターの @FlupkeDiFlupke です)。ありがとうございます！
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“No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence.”
Terry Pratchett - Reaper Man
The 23rd of May 2020 feels like forever ago and yesterday at the same time. Waking up and reading the news that I had hoped like hell wouldn’t come is a memory that has burnt into my brain, a nightmare that I still wish the morning sun could dispel. Heartbreakingly, that wish will never come true, and three years on, I still find talking about Hana hard. When she comes up in conversation, I feel lost, unable to sum up someone that felt so alive. I’ve yet to be able to bring myself to watch a match of hers, and I’m paralysed by fear when thinking about something as simple as sending a tweet to mark the day. It all seems too big, too impossible to capture.
Those feelings leave me in awe of events like her third memorial show, Pinx. Because if I feel like that, someone who only knew one aspect of Hana, how do those who actually knew her have the strength to do it? The people who understood her flaws and her dreams, the people who knew what she was like after she’d drank one too many glasses of wine or who could tell from a word whether she was happy or sad. The wrestlers who come together for these shows didn’t know the idea of Hana Kimura, which at the end of the day is all we as fans ever got, but the reality. And yet when that date comes around, they still manage to turn it into one of celebration.
And that is so fucking important. Because I hate that Hana’s life has become a byword for tragedy. Google her name, and you’re bombarded with stories about her end. Yes, it’s a lesson that should never be forgotten, one that we should be doing everything we can to prevent happening again, but it is not Hana. It’s a part of her, but anyone lucky enough to be touched by even the faintest ripple of her waves knows it was the smallest bit. Hana Kimura was so much more than her end.
Pinx, like Bagus and Matane before it, understood that. Kyoko Kimura, whose bravery in the aftermath of what happened is extraordinary, understands that. Hana’s legacy is not her death. It’s Sakura Hirota dressing up as her (a decision that the first time around made me uncomfortable but has now become a warming tradition) and making people laugh as she tries to survive a match with Minoru Suzuki. It’s wee Rina, who once burst into tears of joy when Hana drafted her to be a member of Tokyo Cyber Squad, walking into Korakuen Hall as a champion, showing the strength to carry that legacy on her shoulders. It’s Kyoko, standing at ringside throughout, marshalling events and doing everything she can to make the world a better place in Hana’s name. And it’s everyone watching, both at home and in the room, still finding happiness in what she stands for even when she’s gone. That the laughter and smiles come through a veil of tears only speaks to the power of Hana Kimura, and as long as there are people around who remember her name, that power will live on.
You can find information on how to watch Pinx and support Kyoko Kimura here: https://twitter.com/HanaKimurapinx