, born July 18, 1969), is a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and politician, currently wrestling for Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW) under the ring name . Aside from professional wrestling, he is also a former Iwate Prefectural Assembly legislator. He has wrestled in Japan and in the United States in various professional wrestling promotions. He is said to have an incredible tolerance for pain, mainly in reference to the injuries he has had including a cracked skull on two occasions. Professional wrestling career Universal Lucha Libre (1990-1993) After failing the entrance exams to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Murakawa joined Universal Lucha Libre and had his debut on March 1, 1990 against Monkey Magic Wakita. He later adopted the name Masa Michinoku, derived from his own given name and the alternate name for his Japanese home region of Tōhoku, Michinoku. He portrayed a Japanese folkloric gimmick who wore a cloak and a sandogasa hat in his ring entrance, which he traded for a white ōendan gakuran every time he wrestled abroad. His underling Taka Michinoku would receive a similar character. During a tour in Mexico for Universal Wrestling Association, Murakawa adopted the character of Ninja Sasuke, a ninja gimmick inspired by the legendary Sarutobi Sasuke. He started wearing a black bodysuit with a matching mask, and utilized a wrestling style set between lucha libre and martial arts. Upon returning to Japan after a second Mexico tour, he finally tweaked his name to The Great Sasuke, and adopted a red, black and white mask patterned after kumadori makeup, reminiscent of the one worn by fellow Japanese wrestler Mach Hayato. Shortly after, Sasuke proclaimed he was going to found a professional wrestling promotion in Tohoku, initially thought as an ULL branch, and left the promotion with a large group of wrestlers. He would found Michinoku Pro Wrestling, the first Japanese independent promotion not to be based around the Tokyo area. Michinoku Pro Wrestling (1993-present) Junior competition MPW kicked off in March 1993, when Sasuke and the rest of babyface wrestlers entered an intense feud against the villainous Super Delfín and his Delfín Corps. This rivalry would last many years. In 1994, New Japan Pro-Wrestling celebrated the first Super J Cup, a junior heavyweight tournament for wrestlers from all over the world. Sasuke was drafted and reached the finals after beating NJPW favourites Jushin Thunder Liger and El Samurai, but fell to Wild Pegasus at the