Former Marigold referee found dead after bear attack

Katsumi Sasazaki — a former pro wrestling referee — is believed to have been found dead after a tragic incident in Japan.

The 60-year-old Sasazaki went missing on Thursday while working at a Kitakami hot spring inn. He was cleaning an outdoor bath when an apparent bear attack happened. Police found bloodstains and animal fur at the scene, as well as items belonging to Sasazaki like scattered cleaning tools, his glasses, and slippers.

A search party later found a body believed to be Sasazaki’s in a wooded area near the scene. The search team shot and killed the adult male Asiatic black bear responsible for the attack.

Sasazaki was a referee for All Japan Women’s Wrestling, Zero1, and Marigold during his career.

The Asahi Shimbun publication wrote:

• Known as ‘Katsumi Tiger,’ the stocky Sasazaki had refereed for a women’s professional wrestling organization until recently and also worked as a bus driver transporting the wrestlers, according to Hideo Arai, 67, president of a Yokohama-based entertainment production company.
• ‘As a renowned referee, he was a pillar of many ring events,’ Arai said. ‘He had a gentle personality and approached matches with a sincere attitude. I knew he had retired and was working at a hot spring, but how could this happen?‘

Marigold founder Rossy Ogawa posted a tweet expressing his sorrow at the news:

• Heartbreaking news has come in that the body of Katsumi Sasazaki, who had been missing after being attacked by a bear at a hot spring facility in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, has been found.
• Sasazaki’s final refereeing role was in the Marigold ring. He was a junior from All-Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling, quiet but dedicated to his work, and had two young daughters. He was supposed to come to the Shin-Kiba event but ended up absent, and we parted without exchanging a single word. Such an end is unimaginable; it can only be described as deeply regrettable and heartbreaking.
• May he rest in peace.