There is a name that many in the trading universe should know, but hardly anyone knows personally. Takashi Kotegawa – this mysterious Japanese day trader has achieved something that borders on the impossible. From just under $13,600 to over $150 million in eight years. No venture funding, no inherited wealth, only charts and discipline.

Whenever I think of trading legends, this name immediately comes to mind. Kotegawa is practically a phantom figure – few photos online, no social media presence, no big interviews. The only things we have are his trades and the results. And believe me, they speak for themselves.

He started in 2001, exactly when the dot-com bubble burst. Bad timing, you might think? No. Kotegawa quickly realized: In bear markets, you make money faster if you know how. He looked for stocks that were at least 20 percent below their 25-day moving average, watched RSI and Bollinger Bands, and then entered on trend reversals. Usually exited the same day, sometimes held a part overnight. Sounds simple, but the execution? That was pure mastery.

Takashi Kotegawa needed nerves of steel and absolute focus for that. His bedroom was his trading office – multiple monitors running tickers, ready for any moment. While other trading beginners played with demo accounts, Kotegawa jumped straight into the deep end. With real money.

The moment that made him a legend came in 2005. J-Com Holdings, a Japanese company, went public. A trader at Mizuho Securities made a mistake – a huge one. He wanted to sell a stock for 610,000 yen but instead placed an order for 610,000 shares at 1 yen. The price collapsed. Kotegawa was ready. He bought 7,100 shares at the bottom, and as the market recovered, he made $17 million in a single day. Later, this trade would be worth $400 million. Since then, Kotegawa has been known as the "J-Com Man."

Yes, luck played a role there. A massive mistake by another trader, at the right place and time. But such moments are only exploited if you are prepared. Kotegawa was.

What fascinates me most: He could have run after this trade. Millionaire in his early 30s, mission accomplished. Instead, he remained humble. No supercars, no yachts, no Instagram flexing. The only big purchase was a new apartment – his bedroom had become too small. That says a lot about the person.

Takashi Kotegawa still trades today, and given the market developments of recent years, his wealth has likely grown further. But he stays in the background. No courses, no seminars, no merchandise. Just trading.

For me, that’s the greatest lesson: True traders trade out of passion, not out of greed for attention. Kotegawa embodies that perfectly. While others post their gains, he works quietly on his charts. And that’s probably exactly why he is so successful.