Hi,
Don’t know if this is a GQ or best answered here, but this is where the sports folks are, so I thought to start here!
Why do the Japanese baseball teams have Americanized names on their uniforms? I don’t know much about the history of Japanese Baseball, but my first thought that this was an outcrop of WWII. Is it that simple? Why wouldn’t the Japanese equivalent to “Giants”, for example, be just as presentable on the front of their jerseys?
Thanks!
SFP
No answer on the name part but Baseball in Japan started earlier than WWII. It probably real got going with All-Star tours led by Babe Ruth in the 30s. It think it was 33 or 34.
I watched Ken Burns documentary about baseball, and it started in Japan in the 19th century.
Obligatory cite:
It was introduced in the late 1800’s but its popularity did not take off until the Babe Ruth All Star tour I mentioned. We can cross Wiki-citesif you like.
OK, so we have a very long history of baseball in Japan… I for one had no idea it went back as far as it did .
Did they always do this with their uniforms then? Were the Yomiuri Giants always spelling out “Giants” on their uni’s, or was that a result of WWII?
I think that started in the 50s but I cannot find it and I don’t have any books on Japanese baseball. Sadaharu Oh started in 1959 and to the best of my knowledge his uniforms always had English writing. He is the only Japanese player of that era that ever gets mentioned in my readings. I strongly suspect it started before him and was tied to the occupation of Japan following WWII.
I found a picture of his Rookie Card, you can see part of ‘Tokyo’ on the Uniform. http://www.prestigecollectiblesauction.com/site/images_items/Item_1079_1.jpg
I also note you can see “Giants” written on the shoulder flash of the other guy.
I have to admit that I’ve always been curious about this and have never been able to find a reliable explanation. I suspect it’s just that the English writing is seen as cool and in keeping with baseball tradition, much the same way Japanese baseball borrows a lot of English words for baseball terms - rather than translating them - baseboru, batta bokkasu, deddo boru, homuran. (Other languages will translate, such as French, where a human run is a coup de circuit, an outfielder is a voltigeur, an umire is un arbitre, etc.)
First off, although Japanese PROFESSIONAL baseball didn’t get started in Japan until Babe Ruth’s tour in the 30s, high school and college baseball were (and still are) tremendously popular dating back before the turn of the century. Schoolboy uniforms were usually pretty utilitarian, and usually lacked logos and names. However, the link above to wiki shows some college players from Waseda University with English logos on their uniforms 1n 1922. Waseda’s baseball team periodically toured the U.S, which is probably where they got the idea.
The Yomiuri Giants, who existed as a professional barnstorming and exhibition team before there was a pro league in Japan for them to play in, actually were known as the “kyoujin” (giants), but after they went on tour in the states in the 30s, they switched to “Giants”. They also pioneered the switch from kanji numbers on the back of the uniforms to roman numerals.
RickJay,
Thanks for the link. That was very interesting.
What I find striking is that whatever the japanese symbol for “kyoujin” (giants) is would not look any more or less confusing or busy than the “YG” on their hats, which I would equate to the “NY” of the Yankees or Mets. Which could easily go on their uniforms.
Unless, of course, it is more than one symbol.
The Yomiuri Giants directly copied their colors and logo from the New York Giants. So did the other older professional teams. Hanshin Tigers= Detroit Tigers, Chunichi Dragons=Brooklyn Dodgers, Hiroshima Carp= Cincinatti Reds.
You mean Arabic numerals, no?
Does anyone know if the picture of these Bastards is authentic? It seems more like it’s Photoshopped, but has a chance at being real.
The star & color seems possibly patterned off the Mariners, if it’s real.
panamajack, I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of the team, but it’s likely to be real. Engrish is a real (and occasionally amusing) fact of life here. I’ve seen a hair salon called Scarecrow, one called Clay Hair, and another with a sign that reads [sic]:
Any How
Hair and Make
prodused by Namys
Here’s a link to my gallery where you can see a few pieces of Engrish that I’ve personally seen and taken photos of. Vampire Soup is a bar, of all things.
I guess they wouldn’t get many vampire customers with a big mirrored cross on the door!
Well, you know how they melt when they get killed in some movies, right? Where do you think the soup comes from?
My personal favorite is the Big Boy condoms. But that might be just because I’ve got what can politely be called a Roman nose. “Yeah, baby, hana ga takai yo. You know I’ll show you a good time.”
No.
“And they pull off a picture-perfect V-IV-III IIble play!”
In America we have soccer teams named DC United, Real Salt Lake and Dallas FC.
It’s simple. The Japanese were copying the best. We do the same with soccer.
