Mike Galbraith's history of Western Sport in Japan
BEST YC&AC RUGBY PLAYER IN 1930s Background: As explained in the story about Bill Salter’s reminiscences, in 1989 I decided to track down and interview the ex-YC&AC rugby player living in Japan who had first played for the club before anyone else. I thought I might be looking for someone who had played in the late … Read more
Background At the end of the 19th century the two leading international trading ports in Japan were Yokohama and Kobe and they were both home to foreign sports clubs, the largest of which were the Yokohama Cricket and Athletic Club (YC&AC) and the Kobe Regatta and Athletic Club. (KR&AC). Not long after the latter was … Read more
The annual rugby interport match played between Yokohama (YC&AC) and Kobe (KR&AC) started on Xmas day 1902 and was Japan’s longest running rugby fixture. Kobe hasn’t been able to field a team for more than 10 years. Here is a report on the 1972 match that was published in the club’s monthly in-house magazine and forwarded to me by John Quin, who played for the YC&AC that day.
HOW I ENJOYED RUGBY WITH THE YC&AC (1979-1986) (Editor’s note: I would like to encourage other old sporting Japan hands to follow Chris’ path and use lockdown to record their memories and send them to me.) By Chris Baker The beginning During February 1979 whilst working for British Leyland as a Senior Instructor at their … Read more
Days before the eagerly awaited RWC2019 commences, Yokohama City will commemorate the city’s leading role in the start of rugby in Japan and Asia by unveiling a plaque. This article takes a look at the background to this event and why such post-WW2 recognition took almost 75 years. On September 5 there will be a … Read more
BBC Sport recently published this articles following an interview Rugby World Cup: One man’s search into Japan’s mysterious rugby past Reward for 10 years of dedicated study – Mike Galbraith’s labour of love is perhaps now finally at an end Becky Grey – BBC Sport Read the full article on BBC Sport: Mike’s search into … Read more
Source: Mike’s search into Japan’s mysterious rugby past – BBC Sport BBC Sport in Yokohama By Becky Grey Reward for 10 years of dedicated study – Mike Galbraith’s labour of love is perhaps now finally at an endThere is a small, white plaque hidden away in the back streets of bustling Yokohama, so hard to … Read more
The ABC interviews Mike Galbraith on Sporty Mike was interviewed last week on Sporty – ABC Radio National – the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Part1. This broadcast discussed ‘When is it too hot to exercise or play sport?’ and is Heat stroke is potentially fatal. …and how do you know when it’s hot enough to stop? … Read more
On Saturday April 25 2015, Nepal was struck by a huge 7.8 magnitude earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people and caused enormous damage and suffering. BHN’s secretariat met on Monday April 27 and decided to send a mission to Nepal to visit the damaged areas, meet with people and organizations and evaluate how BHN might … Read more
CLUB HISTORIAN’S VISIT TO TWO SCOTTISH ‘CASTLES’ IN KINTYRE WHERE TWO KEY FIGURES IN EARLY HISTORY OF SPORT AND YC&AC GREW UP, AND ANOTHER THAT ANOTHER ONE INHERITED
GLIMPSES OF YC&AC AND RUGBY IN JAPAN ON AND OFF THE FIELD IN 1920s & 1930s – BILL SALTER’S REMINISCENCES
Canada’s Twilighters played in Japan within weeks of disaster, becoming the first foreign sports team to play in japan after the tohoku earthquake
Over-40’s rugby originated in Japan in the aftermath of the second world war. Its beginnings can be traced back to one evening in October 1947, two years after the end of the war, when Tokyo was still utterly devastated having been reduced to heaps of rubble. Life was a struggle characterized by confusion and disorder.
The image is most likely the oldest image of rugby in Asia and one of the very oldest in the world relating to ‘club’ football – at glance at the picture will tell you that the players were certainly not playing a game of soccer – actually being played as opposed to football/rugby played in schools and universities.
CHURCH WAS NOT SO-CALLED EX-PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER HIRAM CHURCH BUT 18-YEAR OLD ERNEST FISHER CHURCH FROM RHODE ISLAND
The evidence that the first baseball club in Japan was not the Shimbashi Athletic Clud allegedly founded by Hiroshi Hiraoka in 1878 but the Yokohama Base Ball Club and not the Shimbashi Athletic Club!