Identifying Japanese Bromides (Starffin, Kawakami et al)

[Frankish]

Page 7

The top center and middle right cards look like Jiro Noguchi who may have been the Shohei Ohtani of the 1940s (or vice-versa). He was one of the top pitchers in the league (with a career ERA of 1.96) as well as an excellent hitter. The comparison breaks down there, as Noguchi almost never hit home runs…but his 31 game hitting streak stood as a record in Japan for 25 years. I also love the glasses. I believe both cards show images from 1946 (the season of his hitting streak) and are 1947 bromide issues. A little more research on uniforms is needed, as the 1946 Hankyu Club uniforms should be different than those of the later (1947 on) Hankyu Braves.

Seizo Furukawa (middle row center and bottom left cards) played for 17 seasons (and missed a couple due to the war). Before the war he played for Nagoya and immediately after, though the team became Chubu Nippon/Chunichi Dragons. In 1948 he moved to the Hankyu Braves where he spent his last dozen seasons. I believe both of these photos predate his move and so are probably 1947 issues.

Rounding out the album page is what I believe to be a 1947 bromide of Braves catcher Takeshi Hibino (top left card), Rentaro Imanishi (one of the Braves pitchers, top right), and Junji Nakatani (bottom right) in his 1946 Pacific team uniform (so likely an early 1947 bromide). Hibino played for 18 years, beginning in 1939, and lost an additional three seasons to the war.

The card in middle left doesn’t have any text and I’m not sure who this Braves player is. Does anyone recognize him?

I realize that mid-century Japanese bromides are a very small niche in the hobby. So I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this thread and especially those who have helped me along with their comments. Heck, I even appreciate that people who skip over the thread don’t feel the need to tell me how niche it really is….