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Japanese HOF Project
I've decided to take my collection in a different direction. My new goal is to get one playing-days card of each Japanese hall of famer. It's been exciting so far, as it provides an opportunity to learn not just about new sets of baseball cards, but an entirely new world of baseball.
Anyhow, I'd like to document this project. We have pick-up threads, but this is different enough that I thought it might merit its own thread. The plan is to post a picture of each card and a little bit of history about the player pictured to give you, dear reader, an idea of who this guy is and his place in Japanese baseball. The tread is on this side of the board because professional Japanese baseball didn't start until 1936, and although there are pre-war Japanese cards (which I'll have to track down eventually) they are very rare. We'll start with these two guys. On the right is Kazuhisa Inao. He pitched from 1956 to 1969 for the Nishitetsu Lions. All Japanese teams are owned by corporations, and they are identified by the name of the company that owns them and then their nickname. Nishitetsu is the national Japanese railroad. The team plays in Fukuoka, down on the southern end of Japan. Inao had a relatively short career, but few were better than he was at his peak. He's sort of the Japanese Sandy Koufax. He won 42 games in 1961, pitching more than 400 innings. He surpassed 30 wins several other seasons. He set a record with a 1.06 ERA as a rookie and won 20 consecutive games in 1957. On the left is Takehiko Bessho. Bessho played from 1942 to 1960, taking a couple years out for the war. He spent most of his career with the Yomiuri Giants. It's hard to over-state how dominant the Giants were up until the 1980s. They were like the Yankees only more so. At one point they won the Japan series nine consecutive years, and have won the series 22 times in total. (It was first held in 1950.) He won 310 games, fifth all-time according to Baseball Guru (although parts of their website are out of date and this one may be as well). He wasn't quite as good as Inao, but he had a longer career and was one of the greatest pitchers in Japanese history. The card itself is a menko card. Menko is a card-flipping game. The idea would be familiar to American kids, although menko has been around for centuries. You can find menko cards featuring all sorts of things, athletes, animals, cars, and many others. Menko cards tend to be colorful with lots of designs that are intended to appeal to kids. Early menko cards had these designs on the fronts of the cards, by the 1950s the designs were relegated to the back. The set is catalogued as JCM 28a and was issued in 1957 (so this is Inao's rookie card). There were hundreds of sets of menko cards made, but relatively few of each one (either that or they didn't survive at a very high rate). Gary Engel, who literally wrote the book on Japanese baseball cards, says that this set is relatively uncommon, with around 100 to 250 examples of each card known. I'll post more cards later. Last edited by nat; 05-08-2018 at 01:05 PM. |
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I love the casual note for Bessho where he took a couple years off for the war....TO TRY AND KILL US!!!!!!
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#3
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Nice!!! I am starting to get interested in Japanese cards...and have a few I have acquired over the years. I grew up in Japan until I was 10 yrs old and it was during the glory days of Oh and Nagashima's Giants so I got to actually seem them play as a youngster. Didn't collect them though (except for some menko cards) until I came to the US and discovered MLB cards.
I don't know if you can get one of all HOF... I'm not up on all of the cards issued, but if you can find one of Eiji Sawamura of the Yomiuri Giants. that will be something. I don't believe there is one. He was killed in WW2, and at age 17 of course he gained fame when struck out Babe Ruth and Gehrig at an exhibition game. The Japanese Cy Young Award equivalent is named in his honor. Ricky Y |
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Noburo Akiyama
Well, to be fair, Bessho was stationed in China, and then re-deployed to the home islands.
And yes, I realize that this goal is probably impossible. (Although if you get a lead on a Sawamura card let me know.) But, eh. It's still an ideal to shoot for. Anyway, next up is Noburo Akiyama. Akiyama was a good pitcher on a bad team with a short career. He pitched for the Taiyo Whales from 1956 to 1967. This card is from the same set as the last one, so this is also his rookie card. He was a workhorse early in his career, reportedly throwing 1000 pitch training sessions in college. He was certainly a good pitchers (career ERA 2.60, although I'm pretty sure in a lower run-scoring environment than we're used to), but only briefly a great one. And he managed just under 3000 IP for his career. Sort of a peculiar choice for the hall of fame - it would be sort of like electing Roy Oswalt - but the American hall of fame also has plenty of questionable inductees. |
#5
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Awesome cards!
I live in Japan and collect Japanese vintage cards too (I'm more of a set builder, working on stuff from the 70s mostly these days). Its nice to see others are collecting them too! Menko are amazing, its one of the vintage card collecting areas where Japan has something totally unique in comparison with the US. If you need any help tracking stuff down let me know (not sure I can always help but might be able to!) (Also a minor correction - Nishitetsu is not the national railroad, it is a private railroad that runs in Fukuoka. I lived in Fukuoka for four years and used to take their trains all the time!)
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My blog about collecting cards in Japan: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.jp/ Last edited by seanofjapan; 05-08-2018 at 07:31 PM. |
#6
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Quote:
Ricky Y |
#7
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Hi,
I have been collecting Japanese cards since the late 1970s, and it is very enjoyable to learn about their players, teams and history. Ricky- if you need help with Calbee checklists just let me know, I have them all. Sean- thanks for getting me that 1976 Calbee Matty Alou "Lions vs. Braves" card and sending it to our friend Jay Shelton. Nat- your knowledge of Japanese cards and baseball sounds pretty good for someone just starting out. If any of you need help or information, just let me know. I love to share my knowledge and learn from others. Jeff |
#8
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Quote:
Thanks! If you register on Sports Card Forum (https://www.sportscardforum.com/private.php) some of the complete Calbee checklists from the 70s are available there, the guy who does Clyde's Stale cards did all the work on those a while ago (https://clydes-stalecards.blogspot.jp/) And yeah, the sets from the mid-70s are huge. I'm working on the 1975-76 Calbee set right now and it has 1472 cards! And some series of it were only issued in single cities (two series in Hiroshima, one in Nagoya) so they are extremely hard to find, (kind of like if part of the 1972 Topps set was only sold in Cleveland and another only sold in Denver). Its got to be one of the most difficult sets in the world to put together (though fortunately prices don't reflect this for the most part).
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My blog about collecting cards in Japan: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.jp/ Last edited by seanofjapan; 05-09-2018 at 01:41 AM. |
#9
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Quote:
Ricky Y |
#10
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I don’t have much to add but seeing as I’m a big Lefty O’Doul fan, here ya go...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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M@tt McC@arthy I collect Hal Chase, Diamond Stars (PSA 5 or better), 1951 Bowman (Raw Ex or better), 1954 Topps (PSA 7 or better), 1956 Topps (Raw Ex or better), 3x5 Hall of Fame Autographs and autographed Perez Steele Postcards. You can see my collection by going to http://www.collectorfocus.com/collection/BigSix. |
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Sachio Kinugasa
Kinugasa is most famous for his consecutive games-played streak. He didn't miss a game for 17 years. He began his career (in 1965) at first base, and moved to third in 1975. (Moving up the defensive spectrum is quite unusual.) He spent his entire career with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, retiring in 1987. Amazingly, when he retired his consecutive games-played streak was still intact. He surpassed Gehrig, although Ripken would later pass him. Kinugasa rarely led the league in anything, and didn't make any best-nines until late in his career (since he was usually blocked by Oh or Nagashima). He was, however, often among the league leaders in many offensive categories, and places in the top 10 or so in many career statistics. His style was aggressive; he was a big slugger (504 career home runs) famous for a max-effort style of swing.
Inevitably mentioned in (western) Kinugasa biographies (of which this is one, so here's the mention), Kinugasa's father was an African American service man. He left the family when the future ball-player was young, and he was raised by his mother. Kinugasa's nickname was 'Ironman'. One would think that the reasoning behind it was obvious, but the ever-reliable Wikipedia claims that it was taken from a manga. He died less than a month ago. This is also a Calbee card, although somewhat newer than the Oh posted above. This one is from 1982. Calbee cards tend to be slightly smaller than American cards, but for a while in the 80s they made them very small. This one is Goudey-sized or smaller. |
#12
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Quote:
Ricky Y |
#13
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Yutaka Ohno
Let's continue with the Carp.
Ohno was Kinugasa's teammate for about ten years. He's another lifetime Carp, pitching for them from 1977 (when retired only one batter but gave up five ER) to 1998. He's got an absurd winning percentage: .597. Just for some perspective, an American team with a .597 winning percentage would end up with a record of 96-66. Pretty good. He was a Sawamura award winner and 10-time all-star. I'm not sure why, but in 1991 the Carp decided that he should be a relief pitcher, and he started striking out everybody and their brother. His K/9 rate jumped from an already-respectable 8.5 to 11.3. In 1995, as a 39 year old, he returned to being a starting pitcher. His career, therefore, has something like the shape of John Smoltz'. I just noticed, look at that grip. Did Ohno throw a knuckleball? Also, let's talk about intellectual property for a minute here. I realize that Cincinnati and Hiroshima are a long distance apart, but surely the Reds have a lawyer filing lawsuits any time the Carp try to sell gear or licensed merch over here. Admittedly this doesn't happen much, but I had a Kintetsu Buffalos cap when I was a kid, so I imagine there are some Carp hats out there somewhere. |
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What about Wally Yonamine the First American / Japanese to be in the Japanese HOF The card is one of his 1951 rookie cards
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Quote:
A lot of the older teams here have uniforms, etc obviously modelled off of MLB teams (Tigers, Giants, Dragons) but its only the Carp which has the same initial as their US counterpart!
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My blog about collecting cards in Japan: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.jp/ |
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Hi all, I'm pretty new here, but reading through all of this great info.
Just wanted say hello and also to show off a recent addition which I thought was cool;, a 1949 all Japan vs SF Seals card featuring Lefty O'Doul and HOF Tadashi Wakabayashi FYI, I'm in Japan and can read kanji is anyone needs any help I could try! I'm sure there are others here that can do it to, but I'm just letting you all know John Sent from my SC-02H using Tapatalk
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T206 goals: 429 out of 521 complete Last edited by Forza_azzurri; 05-07-2021 at 04:25 AM. |
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Welcome to the boards, nice to see there is someone else in Japan here now! (I am in Nagoya).
Nice menko too!
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My blog about collecting cards in Japan: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.jp/ |
#18
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Quote:
And the menko arrived with these others in the same day. It was a good mail day! John T206: 340/524
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T206 goals: 429 out of 521 complete |
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Tokichiro Ishii
Tokichiro Ishii
There are almost no sources on the English web about Ishii. Most of what follows is taken from the Japanese Wikipedia (with little bits drawn from other Japanese sources). Ishii was born into a relatively wealthy family, at his family’s inn, the O-wash Seaside Hotel. His career in baseball started at his mother’s behest, who got him involved in the game at age five. As an adult, he was tall, almost six feet, and a notable left-handed pitcher. After participating at a “phantom” Koshien tournament that was sponsored by the Ministry of Education (and not counted as an official Koshien tournament), he enrolled at Waseda to study law, starting at age 19. In one way or another (I don’t know if he was enlisted or drafted), he ended up in the military during the war. He survived, but was taken prisoner, and spent about two years as a POW in Siberia. In 1947 he returned to Waseda, but did not re-join the team immediately, as he was malnourished from his time in the camps. Waseda’s fortunes had sunk through the 1940s, but Ishii led a revival. Despite having been a star pitcher, Ishii’s prowess with the bat was too much to ignore, and he transitioned to 1B/OF. Across six seasons (it sounds like the played two seasons each year, spring and fall) he hit .342 with three home runs and 58 RBIs. Waseda won the championship four out of these six seasons. He set a record for recording 114 hits in college. (That figure is currently 10th all-time.) Rather than join the professional ranks, however, he got a job at the Daishowa paper company. It seems that he played on their company team, but eventually moved into a management position. After leaving Daishowa, he managed his old high school team in the Koshien tournament, and ran his family’s hotel. Gradually, he picked up other roles in the baseball world. In 1964 he was appointed as the manager of the Waseda University baseball team, and eventually became the manager of a the Japanese Ama Baseball Team. (No, I don't know what 'Ama' means.) He apparently coached many future professional players in this capacity. Memories seem to differ as to his management style. Wikipedia says that he had a light touch, and made an impression upon taking up the helm of the Waseda team because he canceled practice due to cold weather. (This is not the sort of thing that happens in Japan.) One of his obituaries, however, noted that he was called “The Demon Brewery” (I’m guessing ‘brewery’ is a mistranslation, but I like the image of a nefarious manager brewing up a cask of demons) for his brutal practices. Ishii never played professional ball, and is one of very few players to be inducted without any pro experience. One suspects that his various managerial roles helped get him elected. Hall of fame: Yes | Mikyukai: No Outside of those for whom no card was ever made, Ishii is probably the hardest hall of famer to acquire. This is his only catalogued card, and I’ve never heard of any uncatalogued cards. His cards are obscure enough that I didn't have him on my original list, but I'm happy to pick him up. This card is from the JRM44 set. It's large – a bit too big to fit in a binder page and by far my largest round menko. Engel gives it an R4 rarity, which means that he estimates that there are fewer than 10 known. Many thanks to Sean for hooking me up with it – he is truly a gentleman and a scholar. Last edited by nat; 06-07-2021 at 09:45 PM. |
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Very cool info. I will keep an eye out for Iishi cards here in Japan. By the way "Ama" in Japanese Ama baseball team probably means "Amateur"
T206: 340/524
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T206 goals: 429 out of 521 complete |
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Happy to hook you up with that Ishii! You've now crossed off the hardest guy on that HOF list, at least among those who actually had cards.
I concur that "ama" probably means amateur!
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My blog about collecting cards in Japan: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.jp/ |
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I've come back to this thread several times even after your collection was completed. What a wonderful read!
May have to start something like this myself. Maybe not post it, as I'm no expert, but try to seek out RCs for the top 100 all-time Japanese players or something like that. It would be fun to do with my son so we could both learn more about Japanese baseball history and enjoy the hunt. Thanks again! |
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As a kid, I tried to do a pen pal thing, I think through Baseball Digest. I wrote 1 for sure, maybe a coupl letters to someone in Japan and we exchanged some cards. I felt like I was on the losing end when I sent him some current star cards, including Rickey Henderson (his favorite top request, I recall - this was early-mid 80s) and I got back 5-6 Japanese cards. I still have them, but have no idea who they are. I think they were from the early 80s. Smaller than our cards, maybe 2" x 1.5" or so. The numbers (stats) on back didn't look impressive, which is why i figured I got dumped on with a bunch of commons after I sent him budding superstar Rickey. I either stopped writing or he did. It was a bit of a bust.
Years later, I made it to Japan with the Navy (1991) and I was hoping to find some cards or other memorabilia while we were there, but the only thing I found close was a few new magazines and some soccer cards that reminded me of action packed embossed cards. I had limited time and no knowledge of the country or language, so big disadvantage in seeking out cards. It still surprises me that we don't see more of that kind of foreign stuff with todays global online market, but maybe I just don't know where to look for it even today. I still have all the cards. I'll have ti try to find them and show them here, just in case I did get something OK all those years ago.
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Looking for: Unique Steve Garvey items, select Dodgers Postcards & Team Issue photos |
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As John said, there are many Oh rookie cards. There is one with red (or, sometimes, gold) borders that also features Nagashima that is popular and always seems to sell for a healthy amount. It's from the JCM 24 set.
Most Oh rookies look like the standard "tobacco" style menko - rectangular, a bit larger than a T206, a photo with Japanese text overlaid, usually giving his name, his team, and his position, and one of various menko-style backs. Some of these sets are quite common. I don't have an Oh rookie, but if you want one, they're not hard to find. Other sets of this kind are practically impossible, to the point that some Oh rookies are, as far as anyone knows, unique. I don't know that there is one issue that is THE Oh rookie, like the 52T is THE Mantle rookie. But there are plenty of nice ones. Now, menko cards are toys, they were meant for kids to play with. So condition on them is often pretty rough. But if you're patient you'll be able to find one in decent shape with a good image. Unless you want one of the rare ones, expect to spend in the low three figures. mrmopar: you've probably got Calbee cards. Early Calbee cards were a little smaller than standard baseball card size, but then in the 80s they started making tiny ones. (They went back to the old size at the end of the decade.) They would have originally been packaged with potato chips. I'd love to see them if you've got a picture to share. |
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Picked up this Oh card recently:
1978 JY 6 Yamakatsu Baseball Card Sadaharu Oh (HOF) Home Run Prize Card Overprint Variation
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Read my blog; it will make all your dreams come true. https://adamstevenwarshaw.substack.com/ Or not... |
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I took part in the Prestige auction and picked up my first Sadaharu Oh card.
20240306_152521.jpg Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk
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Barry Larkin, Joey Votto, Tris Speaker, 1930-45 Cincinnati Reds, T206 Cincinnati Successful deals with: Banksfan14, Brianp-beme, Bumpus Jones, Dacubfan (x5), Dstrawberryfan39, Ed_Hutchinson, Fballguy, fusorcruiser (x2), GoCalBears, Gorditadog, Luke, MikeKam, Moosedog, Nineunder71, Powdered H20, PSU, Ronniehatesjazz, Roarfrom34, Sebie43, Seven, and Wondo Last edited by todeen; 03-07-2024 at 04:51 PM. |
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Congrats, Tim! That is a nice one!
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#28
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Picked up this one recently because I thought it was cool. Can anyone tell me what it is?
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Read my blog; it will make all your dreams come true. https://adamstevenwarshaw.substack.com/ Or not... |
#29
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Quote:
The back says “Haruya #5”, which is probably the name of the kid that owned it (not sure what the number is for….) Its probably an uncatalogued menko from the late 40s or early 50s.
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My blog about collecting cards in Japan: https://baseballcardsinjapan.blogspot.jp/ |
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