Fujiko Mushashibo

Fujiko Mushashibo (武蔵坊 藤子; Musashibō Fujiko) (born 22 December 1985) is a Magisterian professional wrestler. She is currently signed with the Magisterian women's wrestling promotion Pure Women's Wrestling Association (PWWA), and also works overseas with the Japanese joshi puroresu promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW).

The younger sister of the legendary Yoshimi Mushashibo, she was also trained by his older brother and debuted in 2003. Briefly wrestling under her real name for the first pair of her matches, she gained early stardom under the masked identity of Shadow Ashikawa who is feared for her incredibly painful submission moves. She would drop the gimmick by unmasking during her entrance in 2012.

Her matches with Tegan Merritt, Chelsea Lane, and Jess Bell earned her a reputation as one of the best female professional wrestlers of all time. Mushashibo was selected Female Wrestler of the Year by the Magisterian Sports Observer in 2014 and 2015. Mushashibo has five PWWA World Championships to her name and is a two-time PWWA Queen's Crown winner (2013, 2016). She also held the title of TJPW Princess of Princess Champion.

Early life
Fujiko Mushashibo was born on 22 December 1985 in Mathias, Glendrissaigese SPR to Japanese immigrant parents. Her older brother, Yoshimi Mushashibo, was born in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, Japan, the city where she is billed from. Her brother, Yoshimi, who became a professional wrestler in 1993 and became one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, introduced her to the sport at an early age.

Fujiko enrolled in the National People's University to study history and politics, but she 'really disliked it' and dropped out. She later returned to college at the Mathias Federal Institute of Technology, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 2009.

Early career (2003—2004)
In 2001, Yoshimi asked her if she wanted to get some wrestling training in the GCG Dojo Camp which she immediately accepted on the way. She began training there along with the guidance of her brother Yoshimi Mushashibo, Shuji Inukai, and Nobuatsu Tatsuko. After two years of intense training, she made her professional wrestling debut in December 2003 under her real name.

Early years and Shadow Ashikawa (2004—2007)
In March 2004, Fujiko joined the Pure Women's Wrestling Association promotion. Fujiko feuded with Anja Henni after joining PWWA and overcame her, only to lose to her a month later. Fujiko sustained an injury during her bout against Henni and had to miss three months. In September 2004, she reappeared as Shadow Ashikawa, a physically menacing masked figure known for her significantly painful submission moves and a magnificently cruel, rigid style of attack.

The Shadow Ashikawa character became an instant fan favorite, and it was one of the primary contributors in her first wrestling championship win with the PWWA World Championship in January 2006, which she held until December 2006, when she lost it to Laura Evangeline. In 2007, she was kayfabe injured after being hit with a brainbuster; this was done so that she could be removed from storylines and complete her education.

Return, unmasking and superstardom (2009—2016)
Fujiko returned in 2009, with her first major feud being against Laura Evangeline. The feud one of the most finest matches in PWWA's history and subjectively in Magisterian women's wrestling history. Feeling that the Shadow Ashikawa gimmick has gone stale, Fujiko made the shocking move by unmasking during her entrance in 2012.

The questionable action was justified as Fujiko's career went through a period of superstardom, which saw her secure the PWWA World championship four more times and win the Queen's Crown tournament twice (2013, 2016). Her bouts from 2013 to 2015 gained widespread critical acclaim, with four of them obtaining 5-star ratings from writer and sports historian Simon Stanford.

Later career (2017—present)
By 2017, she began to move down the card to give way for the newer generation of female wrestlers. While she gradually ran out of steam, she remains a popular figure for the promotion. Since 2017, she made her international debut in Japan, working matches in the joshi puroresu promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW), where she won their main title, the Princess of Princess Championship, in 2017.

Legacy
Fujiko is widely considered as one of the finest female professional wrestlers of her period, known for her submission skills and highly stiff attack style, which she learned from Shuji Inukai. Mushashibo was named the Female Wrestler of the Year by the Magisterian Sports Observer in 2014 and 2015.