Noriko Tsunoda is one of Japan’s most well-known exports, walking into the ring with 13 years of experience as a professional fighter. She has competed in both MMA and MuayThai but MuayThai is her first love and certainly the sport which has brought her the most satisfaction and recognition.

At 36 she is older than the latest crop of challengers but still full of her trademark enthusiasm and love for the sport. When asked why she had decided to become a fighter in the beginning she says smilingly that she wanted to learn how to hit properly and to do in front of crowds!

This ambition has brought many titles to her home – among them the Rangsit Stadium belt (the first stadium in Thailand to offer belts for females under the auspices of the WMC), the WMC All-Asian title and recently the WMC Intercontinental title.

Her desire to fight also put her into the ring under MT rules against a professional wrestler who weighed-in at 70 kgs against Noriko’s 55! She ruefully acknowledges this as her toughest fight. She has stepped into the ring against Wendy Miranda , Australia, Kalliope Yeitsidou , Greece , Petchprewpraw Kasa from the famous Kasa Gym in Thailand as well as many other Thai fighters in Bangkok and out in the provinces with a record so far of 29 fights and 17 wins.

However in spite of this success, like many female MuayThai fighters she struggles financially – and with a 10 year old son to look after, the money she earns from her fights is sorely needed. Luckily for Noriko her parents stepped in a few years ago to act as her Official Sponsors, a business arrangement which takes some of the pressure from her camp.

She trains at Weerasakreck Gym in Tokyo - the same tough schedule which all MuayThai fighters put themselves through. Running every morning  , pad-work , clinching and sparring as well as weights and cardio work under the watchful eye of her coaches, among them Jorge Nogi who usually accompanies her to fights , especially international ones.

From the outside, it seems to us that MuayThai is on the rise in Japan. And indeed, Noriko says that for the novice fighters it is getting easier to find matches and that promoters are more willing to put on female fights. But for fighters like herself and Shibata Sachiyo or Windy Tomori it is actually getting more difficult – these 3 are far more likely to be found in action in Canada or Australia than in their home. But on the bright side, in classes of non-fighters, the students can often be half female which is a hopeful portent for the future of Women’s MuayThai in Japan.

Outside of the gyms, there has also been a surge in female interest in the sport – along with a slow change in view of women as tough and independent as opposed to the more passive image which had dominated the culture.
She didn’t want to name any one person as an inspiration but reckons that any woman who puts her body on the line as a professional fighter under any rules is deserving of the title “ hero” – and how true that is ! She cant yet see a time when she will call it quits , not while she still loves the sport and is getting so much out of competing.

With no fear of the newcomers, her advice to a novice fighter is to Always Try Your Best !

By Niamh Griffin