Baseball in Japan came from Maine ?

[Grandpa Frank]

I just took it for granted that baseball came to Japan after WWII with all the Americans stationed there. According to a story in my local newspaper it was first played in the early 1870's. A man from Gorham, Maine was an English professor in Japan back then. On breaks between English classes, he taught the students the game of baseball. His name was Horace Wilson and he is called the father of baseball in Japan. I guess there was a ceremony to induct him into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame sometime after 2000. You can Google his name to find much more info.

Uncle Frank

 

[made of stone]

Not sure about that, but I heard that Japanese curry was copied from the British navy...

 

[epigene]

Yes, it's very well known among Japanese baseball buffs.

Japanese baseball history always mentions his name.
He taught at a school that eventually became the University of Tokyo.

 

[EmperorHirohito]

I think you are correct there Uncle Frank, I have found the listing on Wikipedia and it names Horace Wilson as bringing it to Japan in 1872 during the Meiji Period of Japanese history.

 

[caster51]

I just took it for granted that baseball came to Japan after WWII with all the Americans stationed there

Babe came to Japan before ww2.
Eiji Sawamura...
Eiji Sawamura - Wikipedia
1929
baseball kids

Waseda-keio basaball match began in 1903
waseda team visited USA in 1905

baseball history in Taiwan
UCLA - International Institute ..::.. Error
Korean delegation, Pyongyang highschool in Koshien


pyonyang high VS wakayama delegation




開催年 代表校 korean highschool in Koshen
1921年 釜山商業
1922年 京城中学
1923年 徽文高普通
1924年 京城中学
1925年 釜山中学
1926年 京城中学
1927年 京城中学
1928年 京城中学
1929年 平壌中学
1930年 大邱商業
1931年 京城商業
1932年 平壌中学
1933年 善隣商業
1934年 京城商業
1935年 新義州商
1936年 仁川商業
1937年 竜山中学
1938年 仁川商業
1939年 仁川商業
1940年 平壌一中
1941年～ 戦争のため中止

there were manchuria delegates like Dalian highschool in Koshien
this highschool was strong..
pyonyang highschool and Dalian highschool ofen played home and away games.