YAMATO DAMASHII

Yamato Damashii is roughly translated as Samurai Spirit or old spirit of Japan and has become synonymous with Enson Inoue. He was given this nickname by the Japanese media because of the way he carries himself inside and outside of the ring.

In his own words this is what Yamato Damashii is to him.  Taken from an interview by Hody Jae Huh.

The meaning of Yamato Damashii to Enson 

In 1994 a racquetball company called Purebred, was formed by Enson Inoue. It was his vision at the time to produce the highest quality racquetball equipment on the market. Luckily for the world prior to leaving Japan where Enson was a professional racquetball player and English teacher, he decided to test himself in the ring. In 1994 he auditioned to fight for the Shooto organization.

Enson playing racquetball where he was ranked 27^th in the world

Enson started training martial arts at the age of 16 in Hapkido and Taekwondo. At the age of 21 he started studying Gracie Jiu Jitsu under Relson Gracie, and would train many hours a day to hone his ground game. By the time of his audition, he was a skilled grappler and good athlete. As a result,  he was asked by Shooto  to skip amateurs and go directly to the professional rankings. In January 1995, he won his first Shooto match and pro MMA debut. In 1997 he would capture the Shooto Heavy Weight Championship and would go on to hold that  title for another two years. Former Shooto Organization champions include current UFC 185lb champ Anderson Silva, Pride Champion Takanori Gomi, Pride Veterans Caol Uno, Joachim Hansen, Vitor Ribero, Hyato Sakurai, Shinya Aoiki,  Eric Paulson and Jake Shields                                             

   Enson holding the Shooto Championship Belt

Enson then went on to test himself in Vale Tudo Japan where he fought Frank Shamrock in an epic battle. In Vale Tudo Japan he also defeated the current UFC Heavy Weight Champion Randy Couture by arm bar.

       Enson submitting UFC Heavy Weight Champion Randy Couture

Enson then moved on to the UFC where he defeated Royce Alger and eventually moved over to Pride FC where he fought the best fighters in the world. His legacy of fighting with Yamato Damashii, or Samurai Spirit is something that made him a legend in Japan.

        Pride 7, Photo by Susumu Nagao

Today Purebred is one of the premier MMA clothing, equipment and apparel companies in the world. With gyms in Omiya, Kyoto, Osaka, Saipan, Guam, and affiliates in Thailand, and Vancouver Washington, as well as several retail stores, Purebred is truly an international organization.