Interview + opening words by Markus Eck
Inside Photo taken @Nakajima Gymnasium in Sapporo
REFUTA KAMUY – Transcontinental fighting association. Such a highly enthusiastic and fundamentally honest to each other group of truly quivering idealists is not something you experience every day, even in the age of the Internet, if there ever was such a thing before! Thus, a Japanese karate martial artist, wrestling maniac and Metal lover found his way to German PR agency Metal Message ᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ, only to be immediately gifted with new music by the Italian power metallers CELTIC HILLS. As a contact springboard for this Japanese-German fraternization acted the long-time active Chicago Thrashers Aftermath, whose rebellious accuser attacks also our fighter hero likes to use during sweaty training as a musical strength donor.
Suddenly electrified by the CELTIC HILLS album „Huldufólk“, Refuta ‘Iron Fist’ Kamuy immediately trained even more intensively and better. The fact that Celtic Hills even wrote the song „Metal Message“ as a tribute to their tireless promoter Markus Eck out of deepest gratitude, appreciation and joy, animated master Refuta to appoint the uplifting song as his very personal entrance anthem and his fight song in general. When the enormously jump-strong sportsman then also saw the special lyric video for „Metal Message“, it was all over him – so the muscularly really fabulously defined bundle of energy recently even made his own video with the timeless song. So it’s high time to let the damn likeable Nippon fighter have his own say.
- Refuta, thanks a lot for your truly awesome support of Metal Message ᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ and Celtic Hills – how does it feel for you to be an highly appreciated part of such an absolute wonderful intercontinental constellation ?
Thank you so much too! „An absolute wonderful intercontinental constellation“ – that’s right, we crossed the border with Metal and Martial Arts. As the lyric line out of the Celtic Hills song „Metal Message“ – „he brings it to the universe“, that’s exactly what happened!
- The world sees you masked only – allowed to ask you for your age and the reason for the mask?
As a wrestler, this is not a mask, but a real face. I am the guardian deity of Sapporo City, Hokkaido and a villain. I made my debut in 2017, at PWS: Pro Wrestling Sapporo. So, maybe I’m 5 years old as‚ Refuta Kamuy‘. My age in human life? That is a top secret. But that doesn’t mean I can’t answer the whole interview!
- Biography – in which age did you discover Metal for yourself and in which age and why did you start to doing power sports etc.?
Seikima II, the Japanese band, is the first Metal that I’ve ever heard, it was in my childhood in the 1990s. Their influence is huge. I learned that expression is free in a band where the ‚devil plays Metal‘. My power sports was influenced by Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Bruce Lee’s films from an early age. When I’ve red an introductory book on Wrestling in the library, I was also very impressed, but at that time I didn’t think I could do that myselves. I first experienced Karate and Wrestling from high school club activities. When I became an adult, I traveled around Japan on a motorcycle and updated at various martial arts dojos, and it became my current style.
- Which Metal bands are your all-time faves and which bands are able to empower you musically mostly in your workouts and fights?
I have a lot of favourite bands, but let me pick up a few:
Seikima II: To remember the original intention and because it started with them for me.
Megadeth: I often listening to them when I want intelligence, madness, and fighting spirit.
Helloween: Their songs just make me feel great!
Angra: I especially like their releases with singer Eduardo Falaschi, „Rebirth“ and „Temple Of Shadows“. Perfect, if you want to overcome personal hardships!
Aftermath: they thrash hypocrisy and deception! Same as a real workout!
Celtic Hills: their epic simply makes one feel proud!
- Do your sport partners also like to listen to Metal?
Yes, as many wrestlers like Hard Rock and Metal! ‘Mr. Karate Machine‘, who is training with me in my video, does not listen to Metal often, but he is excited by Celtic Hills’ „Metal Message“!
- What do you like most in the song Metal Message and in the music of Celtic Hills?
The bands that Metal Message keeps to introduce, are all great, but if I have to choose from them, I especially like Hand Of Kalliach and On Atlas’ Shoulders. Their song „Age Of Fire” brings my soul to tremble! Hand Of Kalliach’s „Cinders“ and the snow-white landscape seems to come to my mind. There are times like that on winter days here in Sapporo City, Hokkaido. My favourite song of Celtic Hills is „Metal Message”! I love the lyric line „We want it higher!“ I downloaded the whole „Huldufólk“ album and listened to it repeatedly recently. It was amazing from the first song „The Secret Of The Grail“. It’s like the opening of a magnificent story! And every song is high energy and epic … Celtic Hills is amazing!
- How would you describe the Metal scene in your city Sapporo?
As far as I know, we have many enthusiastic fans here. And one can visit many venues to enjoy gigs in Sapporo. Also various Metal acts from overseas come here to tour. Metallica often came to Makomanai Ice Arena for a while, and there are countless bands aiming to play live here as well.
- Which styles of music do you like to hear nowadays then beside Metal?
I like to listen to video game soundtracks. They’re good for learning about how to expressing characters and scenes. I also often listen to a Japanese punk band called The Massmissile during my workout. Seiichi Nakano, their drummer and a friend of mine, has a fantastic technique and his double bass is even faster than my punch!
- How did you end up getting right into wrestling?
When I was very young, I found a book by Hulk Hogan in the library that was like an introduction to wrestling for me. I was shocked by the powerful scenes of people with such a big and wonderful body colliding hard, and then finally fighting even harder with each other. It reminded me of a hero, such as Kamen Rider, who came from television to the real world. When I think about it more deeply, I think that in the end I wanted to be something that ‚transcended’ regular existence. And that has now come true even with this interview – we have crossed the border!
- How would you describe and level your place in the Japanese fighter scene?
To be honest, I think I’m just one of many indie wrestlers. I can’t make a living wrestling yet, so I usually work weekdays (pretending to be human). Then on the weekends I become a wrestler and terrorize the PWS wrestlers. But I keep challenging them ambitiously so it doesn’t stop there. That’s another reason why I’m happy to give this interview.
- Regarding the Japanese Wrestling League, how big or popular is this sport in Japan?
I think it has reappeared in recent years. And now I’m showing it to the interested world again!
- How many matches did you do so far, and how many did you win?
In PWS, we do one or two combat events a month. Of course, COVID-19 has reduced that noticeably, but fortunately lately it is now back to the way it used to be. As for my personal track record, apart from the year of my debut, I have usually won the games. However, I think I have far more prestigious opportunities than pure victory or defeat, such as this enjoyable interview!
- Your body looks just amazing and your fighting actions are a blow – how often and how long do you practise training a week?
Physical training I perform constantly 5 times a week. I also do aerobic and basic skills exercises on 1-2 days. Technical training takes place one day a week, sometimes special wrestling training on Sunday. Now, I obviously can’t do all of this if my regular work, an event commitment, or an injury interrupts my rhythm, but these are my ideal workouts. I also love to train in nature, for example in the mountains, by rivers or by the sea!
- Your special nutrition – what do you eat and what do you strictly avoid?
Oh, I love meat. Especially chicken. And I also like rice a lot. When you live here in Japan like I do, there is simply no day that you don’t eat rice! So I love and appreciate the lunches deliciously prepared for me by my family, who can always please me so highly with these delicious ingredients! And I avoid alcohol as much as I can. I only drink it occasionally. Speaking of which, I forgot – I also like the poor victims on the other side of me in PWS fights! I will ‚boil‘ them all with my fists and kicks!
- Anything you would like to add?
Nice to meet you all here! I am Refuta Kamuy. The wrestler from Pro Wrestling Sapporo – we are active here in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan! Many thanks to my brother Markus from Metal Message ᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ across the ocean and to Jonathan and Celtic Hills for the great songs that gave me this wonderful opportunity to introduce myself. I am truly grateful and honoured. We have crossed the line! I hope that you guys care about the city of Sapporo and Pro Wrestling Sapporo even a little bit, and I will continue to inspire and motivate you for this with all my might! Thank you very much for everything!
Watch Refuta Kamuy’s videos, training with CELTIC HILLS’ song ‘Metal Message’, HERE and HERE.
More information at
https://www.instagram.com/refutakamuy_pws/
https://twitter.com/steelbaron273
https://www.facebook.com/refutakamuy
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 