Mitsunobu Kikuzawa

Mitsunobu Kikuzawa (菊澤 光信, Kikuzawa Mitsunobu), better known by his wrestling persona Kikutaro (菊タロー, Kikutarō) and formerly Ebessan (えべっさん, Ebessan), is a freelance Japanese professional wrestler primarily competing for Kensuke Office, Osaka Pro Wrestling and Wrestle-1. Though best known for wrestling under a mask, he also regularly works unmasked under the ring name Kikuzawa (stylized in all capital letters), representing Tokyo Gurentai. Kikuzawa has also made appearances in North America, competing in promotions such as Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and Ring of Honor (ROH).

Career

Kikuzawa started his wrestling career in 1994, wrestling under his birth name for Japanese hardcore wrestling promotions including FMW and W*ING. He was only a jobber and never made much of a name for himself at this stage in his career. Kikuzawa eventually signed with Osaka Pro Wrestling and Dramatic Dream Team (DDT), where he continued to use his real name while competing for DDT, but began wearing a mask while wrestling for Osaka Pro as a character named Ebessan (based on Ebisu, the Japanese god of good fortune); using comedic spots to get over with the crowd, Kikuzawa was immediately accepted by the Osaka Pro crowd. Moving up the ranks quickly in the comedic promotion, he soon made Osaka Pro his full-time home in 2001. He became well known for his rivalry with Kuishinbo Kamen, the two having many fun and comedic matches. They even worked as a tag team from time to time.