Western Sports

BEST YC&AC RUGBY PLAYER IN 1930s

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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

FIRST INTERPORT RUGBY MATCH (YC&AC vs KR&AC) IN 1902

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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

1972 Interport Rugby in Japan

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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.

OFFICIAL RECOGNITION OF BEGINNINGS OF RUGBY IN JAPAN IN YOKOHAMA, WHY IT TOOK SO LONG AND ROCK-SITTING

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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

CRITIQUE OF TWO ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXHIBITS EXPLAINING JAPAN’S RUGBY HISTORY IN JAPAN PAVILION IN LONDON DURING RWC2015: PART 1

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I wrote and circulated the information below with Japanese translations to a number of people involved in the rugby world in Japan including at least one director after initially making a complaint to the two Japanese officials on the spot at the Japan Pavilion in London during the RWC 2015 in the UK immediately after reading the information about the history of rugby in Japan that was offered in the display. I didn’t expect to get any response and I didn’t get any.

Mike’s search into Japan’s mysterious rugby past – by BBC Sport

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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

The ABC interviews Mike Galbraith on Sporty

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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

YC&AC 100 YEARS AGO DURING WW1

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The YC&AC grounds and sports facilities at Yaguchidai have been enjoyed by the club’s sporting members for just over 100 years and those of no other “open” club in Japan’s major cities come anywhere near matching them.  Many members over those years happily played field sports at the YC&AC for ten or even twenty years … Read more

THE 1874 “FOOTBALL IN YOKOHAMA” ILLUSTRATION AND THE ARTIST WHO CREATED IT

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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.

FIRST STUDENT AND HIGH SCHOOL RUGBY TEAMS AND GAMES IN TOKYO & KYOTO

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According to most Japanese historians rugby was first introduced to Japan when Ginnosuke TANAKA and Edward B. F. Clarke started teaching students of Keio Gijuku University how to play the sport in 1899. In December1901 Keio played its first ever game against the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club (YC&AC) on the cricket ground in Yokohama … Read more

VIDEO OF FCCJ PRESENTATION ON HISTORY OF RUGBY IN JAPAN & RECENT PODCAST

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  1. Slide presentation on 150 years of rugby in Japan at FCCJ in Tokyo  on March 31st 2016                                                                                                       The video on the FCCJ website is nearly one and half hours long including almost five minutes of filming before the press conference actually starts so here is quick guide to the starting point of the key parts: a. Official start of the press conference – 4 mins 27 secs; b. Kazumi Ohigashi speech – 7 mins 3  secs; Nobuyuki Ueyama speech – 15 mins 58  secs; Mike Galbraith speech – 20  mins 48  secs; Questions – 57 mins 45 sec.
  2. Interview about rugby history in Japan in audio podcast called JRugby Podcast (Lee Watkins & Taito Sakurai) in early September 2016                 The interview starts at the 16 mins 32 secs mark

A version of the publicity prepared by the FCCJ for the press conference  and slightly modified by me before the event and again after the event 

Japan’s 2015 World Cup shock 34-32 victory over mighty South Africa catapulted the national team into the limelight, giving the 2019 Rugby World Cup host badly needed momentum to pull their sport out of near obscurity on their own home ground. Heralded around the world as the biggest upset in World Cup history, television ratings in Japan soared overnight from single digit to record breaking heights unimaginable in recent years, while the world clamours to learn about the nation’s rugby and rugby team which had previously only ever won one World Cup match.

Unbeknownst to the world of rugby in general, rugby in Japan has a long and rich history dating back to the age of Shoguns and samurai, The country is, for example, home to the oldest rugby club in Asia – the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club (YC&AC), which held a special 150th commemorative rugby festival and dinner on April 2 2016. No club in either New Zealand, home of the legendary All Blacks, or Wales, another home of rugby, has reached the 150 mark yet.

This history is known and recognised by, for example, the World Rugby Museum in London, but Japan is only just starting to change its view that rugby started in Japan in 1899.

fccjpron150yearsofrugbypressie

YCAC Over 35s Tournament – Saturday 21st March

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Playing SquadYoshi Amano, Bill Baker, Masahiko Ikeda, Fumitaka Katakura “The Cherry”, Junji Kikkawa, Michael King, Kats Matsuo, Yoshio Nike, “Caviar Ken“ Noguchi, Masa Nozaki, Hiroyuki Nozawa, Nao Obata, Daisuke Okada, Ryosuke Okawara, Scott Sizemore, Simon Tross Youle (captain), Shunichi Tsushima, Masafumi Uchiyama, Yasufumi Uchiyama The post YCAC Over 35s Tournament – Saturday 21st March appeared … Read more

YC&AC v Acorn (Sun 8 Mar 15)

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YC&AC v Acorn (Sun 8 Mar 15) Photos by: Kyoko ObayashiResult: YC&AC 62 Acorn 7 (HT: 24 – 0)Tries: Jamie Henry (3), Kazu Takamori (2), Ian Miller (2), Bill Baker, Koji Takehara, Mikey MulipolaConversion: Ryo Okawara (5), Jamie Henry (1) The post YC&AC v Acorn (Sun 8 Mar 15) appeared first on Tokyo Japan Rugby … Read more