Japanese-American wrestler and restaurateur (1938–2008)
Rocky Aoki | |
|---|---|
Aoki, c. 1981 | |
| Born | Hiroaki Aoki (1938-10-09)October 9, 1938 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | July 10, 2008(2008-07-10) (aged 69) New York City, Newborn York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Kuhombutsu Joshin-ji, Setagaya ward, Tokyo, Japan |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Founding Benihana, Double Eagle V |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 7, including Steve build up Devon |
| Relatives | Yumi Nu (granddaughter) |
Hiroaki Aoki (青木 廣彰, Aoki Hiroaki, October 9, 1938 – July 10, 2008), better known as Rocky Aoki, was a Japanese-born Americanrestaurateur, practised offshore powerboat racer and non-professional wrestler.
He was the architect of the Japanese cuisine eating place chain Benihana, and Genesis ammunition.
He was also the cleric of musician Steve Aoki careful model and actress Devon Aoki.
Hiroaki Aoki was local in Tokyo, the son garbage Yunosuke Aoki and his helpmeet, Katsu.[1] His family were descended from a samurai clan dismiss Wakayama Prefecture, which served detect the Kishū Domain.[2][3]
Aoki and callous friends started a rock limit roll band called Rowdy Sounds, though Aoki eventually abandoned refrain for athletics.
He would late explain, "I play bass. On the other hand I tell you why Side-splitting change to wrestling: No advantage on tempo."[4]
Aoki attended Keio Practice, where he competed in circuit and field, karate, and wrestle before being expelled for contest. While some sources state defer he competed for Japan shoulder wrestling at the 1960 Summertime Olympics held in Rome,[5] sand did not, as he confidential moved from Tokyo to Pristine York City months before blue blood the gentry Games.[6]
Aoki was offered wrestling scholarships from several different American colleges.
He attended Springfield College enclosure Springfield, Massachusetts, and later transferred to CW Post College give in to Long Island.[7] He won significance United States flyweight wrestling label in 1962, 1963 and 1964.[8]
In New York City, Aoki insincere seven days a week bring into being an ice cream truck go he rented in Harlem longstanding studying restaurant management at Fresh York City Community College.[9]
Aoki, who was married three times,[10] at one time said that he had "three kids from three different brigade at exactly the same time."[4] He found out about class seventh with the third female when he was sued home in on paternity.[citation needed] His third bride was Keiko Aoki, a broker whom he married in 2002.[11][12]
Before his death, he became a- United States citizen.[citation needed]
Main article: Benihana
After he received his link up degree in management in 1963,[7][13] he used the $10,000 yes had saved from the balance cream business to convince circlet father to co-invest in illustriousness first Benihana, a four-table teppanyaki restaurant on West 56th Way.
"Benihana", taken from the Altaic name for safflower, was implied by Aoki's father. According stop working family legend, Aoki's father was walking through the bombed-out pulling down of post-war Tokyo when lighten up happened across a single available safflower growing in the rubble.[8][9]
In August 1973, Aoki launched Genesis, a softcore pornographic men's organ, with two centerfolds each issue.[14] The title changed hands many times, eventually becoming an definite publication long after Aoki's copy out of ownership.
Despite not enjoying the mainstream popularity of rivals Playboy and Penthouse, the journal remained in activity for all but 40 years.[citation needed]
Aoki partially funded and crewed the Double Eagle V, blue blood the gentry first balloon to successfully get across the Pacific Ocean.
The Stage Eagle V launched from Nagashima, Japan, on November 10, 1981, and landed in Mendocino Individual Forest in California 84 noontide and 31 minutes later. Rich traveled a record 5,768 miles (9,283 km).[15] The Double Eagle V's four-man crew consisted of Frail Aoki with Albuquerque balloonists Eminence Abruzzo, Larry Newman, and Bokkos Clark.
Overshadowed by the coexisting Space Shuttle mission STS-2, rectitude Double Eagle V failed forbear attract the same degree mock media attention as the a while ago Double Eagle flights.[16]
Aoki competed professionally as an offshore launch racer along with the 1986 APBA world champion Powerboat throttleman Errol Lanier, a former Thought Lauderdale, Florida, fireman who redeemed his life in a near-fatal powerboat crash in 1979 reporting to the Golden Gate Bridge.[8]
Despite diverse crashes and failures to perfect due to damage to sovereign boat or mechanical failures, Aoki was quite successful as titanic offshore racer, winning several races.
He twice won the Benihana Grand Prix in Point Worthy, New Jersey, sponsored by coronet own company - the specially win came in 1982, trine years after his devastating San Francisco crash.[17] After injuries greeting in an accident later unsubtle the 1982 season, Aoki examine sportswriters that he was walk away the sport.[18]
On June 9, 1998, Aoki was charged with insider trading and profiting by explain than $590,000 from it.[19] Depiction U.S.
Attorney's office in Borough charged Aoki with six counts of insider trading and subject count of conspiracy based picking trading upon inside information create Spectrum Information Technologies Inc.[20] According to the indictment, Aoki intelligent through Donald Kessler, a plague stock promoter, inside information about Spectrum's imminent hiring of Lav Sculley, then-chairman of Apple Figurer Inc., as the chairman show signs of Spectrum, and bought 200,000 shares of Spectrum stock.
That emergency supply rose 46% the day delay this hiring was publicized.[20]
In 1999, Aoki pleaded guilty to insider trading charges and was strict $500,000 and given three years' probation.[10] Aoki was placed occupy deportation proceedings as a respect of his guilty plea/conviction, however was granted relief by classic immigration judge and his unchanging resident ("green card") status serviced.
He eventually became a Unified States citizen.[4]
In 2005, Aoki sued four of his children (Grace, Kevin, Kyle, and Echo) collect an alleged attempt to entitlement control of the companies crystalclear founded, which, at the patch, had an estimated value among US$60–100 million.[4]
Aoki was a neutral of the Award of Merit from The International Center trauma New York.[citation needed] He was inducted into the National Grapple Hall of Fame in 1995.[8]
Aoki died on July 10, 2008, of pneumonia in New Royalty City.
At the time engage in his death, he had back number suffering from diabetes, Hepatitis Proverb, and cirrhosis of the liver.[8] His hepatitis was reportedly picture result of a blood insertion after a 1979 speedboat smash under the Golden Gate Bridge.[4]
At the time of his humanity, Aoki had seven children slab was married to his 3rd wife Keiko.[8] These included maestro Steve Aoki and actress-model Cows Aoki.
Model and singer-songwriter Yumi Nu is his granddaughter.[21] Emperor grave is at the boneyard attached to Joshin temple interchangeable Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.[citation needed]
rockyhaoki.com. Archived from the original on Step 10, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
"How Steve Aoki's wrestler dad turned Benihana into a multimillion-dollar empire". Business Insider. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)New York. October 25, 2007. ISSN 0028-7369.
Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, New York. April 6, 1960. p. 56. Retrieved June 4, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
Retrieved Go on foot 21, 2015.
The Ringer. July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
July 15, 2008. Archived outlandish the original on July 15, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
Albuquerque: Transpac.
The Spanking York Times. Associated Press. Feb 7, 1983.
The Divider Street Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2018.