Japanese man risks all to become bullfighter in Spain (Feature)

By Sinikka Tarvainen Aug 15, 2009, 2:08 GMT

Madrid - In 1997, Taira Nono was watching a television documentary on Spain's bullfighting tradition in his Tokyo home. It became a TV program which changed his life.

'I got so excited that I felt blocked,' the 40-year-old, who is now known as Spain's Japanese bullfighter, told the daily El Mundo. 'I felt something very special, something I had never experienced before.'

Nono knew he had discovered his destiny, and did not hesitate to defy all odds to fulfill it.

He studied Spanish on his own, left his job as a fish salesman at a Tokyo market, tried to explain his decision to his baffled parents, and boarded a plane to Spain.

On arrival at Madrid airport, he bought a bullfighting magazine and headed straight to where Spain's 'national fiesta' was taking place at the time.

After eight months, Nono was deported to Japan, but returned two years later with a work permit.

Gradually, the Japanese bullfighting enthusiast made friends with young toreros, and bought a young bull to practice with.

Twelve years after he first arrived in Spain, Nono is a well-known figure in the southern city of Huelva, where he earns a living picking oranges.

Nono says he earns only half of what he did in Japan, forcing his parents to assist him financially, but sees the dream of becoming Spain's first full-fledged Japanese bullfighter as being worth the sacrifice.

Nono has already participated in dozens of bullfights, donning the sparkling 'suit of lights' and even receiving some praise from experts for his skills and willpower.

He recently took part in his first bullfight involving mounted lancers, but has not yet graduated into the category of professional matador, which would allow him to fight full-grown bulls.

The Japanese newcomer has also failed to find a manager, and sees his already being middle-aged as an obstacle to eventually making a break-through in the business.

'I know ... I should start thinking of retiring, but ... I want to show that bullfighting is something I have in me,' says the torero, who admits that he sometimes thinks about returning to Japan.

Bullfighting is a multimillion-dollar industry in Spain, where toreros kill thousands of bulls annually.

But it often has a bad reputation in other countries, with Britons and other Europeans campaigning against it as a form of animal torture. Some Islamic religious authorities have also condemned it as being contrary to Islam.

Nevertheless, Nono is not the first foreigner aspiring to be a bullfighter in Spain. His countryman Atsuhiro Shimoyama, known as the Child of the Rising Sun, had his career dashed by a charging bull which left him partly paralyzed in 1995.

Foreigners from Russia and Italy have also fought in Spanish bullrings.

However, even if Nono never makes it as a professional bullfighter, he has undoubtedly made a personal contribution to building bridges between Japan and Spain, with his performances drawing Japanese tourists to bullrings.

The Japanese torero speaks Spanish with a southern accent, likes flamenco music, Andalusian food and takes the siesta.

He wed his Japanese wife in a Huelva bullring, and - though he confesses he is an atheist - he follows the bullfighters' tradition of praying to the Virgin Mary before facing the bull.

'I think it can help me,' Nono says.