Rounding the bases : the story of Little League baseball in Japan / James J. Orr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Orr, James Joseph, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Little League baseball--Japan--History.

Little League baseball.

Baseball--Japan--History.

Baseball.

Baseball--Social aspects--Japan.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Other Title:

Story of Little League baseball in Japan

Place of Publication:

Honolulu : University of Hawai'i Press, 2026.

Summary:

"Rounding the Bases is the first history of Japanese Little League from its beginnings on the peripheries of U.S. military bases in the 1950s through its evolution into one of the largest and most successful national youth sports programs in the world. Based on dozens of interviews with both American and Japanese principals, corroborated by a wide range of published and unpublished print and audio-visual materials, the book discovers previously unknown or forgotten facts as well as individuals whose accomplishments ought to be acknowledged. The author uncovers organizational laxity that resulted in questionable funding and uneven World Series entries in its first years after founding in 1964. With the emergence of a well-organized, well-funded regional organization in Osaka, the program sent championship teams to the World Series in 1967 and 1968. A serendipitous encounter in the late 1960s led to Mitsui Bussan and Fuji-Sankei corporations' commitment of stable support that continues to this day. The book tells Little League Japan's story on the ground "who did what, when, where, and why, and how the inevitable complications were overcome" in the context of the various more well-known arenas of Japanese baseball (nanshiki rubber leagues, junior and senior high school, and the professional game). It evaluates common assumptions about the cultural idiosyncrasies of Japanese baseball culture, and examines the pragmatic structural characteristics of Little League in Japan that distinguish it from the American model. Rounding the Bases also explores how this American import was impacted by larger phenomena in the history of postwar Japan including: Japanese responses to American Cold War geo-strategic and cultural policies; a 1960s revival of pride in Japanese cultural ideologies that had been discredited by defeat in WWII (namely confidence in self-styled bushido baseball notions of seishinsei and konj); increasing affluence that allowed features of middle class lifestyles such as adult-organized youth sport activities to emerge; the rise of corporate management of those lifestyles; and the liberalization of Japanese social attitudes about individual autonomy beginning in the late twentieth century."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: diamonds in the West; diamonds in the East

On base: Little League's first days in Japan

"Mr. Sarge," the red-headed giant: Bill Hatch and the original Little League in Japan

A league of Japan's own: the early innings

Fly balls and daring plays: the middle innings

K̄ono goes to Williamsport: a provincial coach and city make good

The great little schism and Mitsui/Sankei sponsorship: two youth hardball programs instead of one

The 1970s: the spirit of Japanese and Little League baseball in its first golden age

Little League changes with the times: the case of Maebashi Kisao and Musashi Fuchū League

The single-team league, the tournament model, and other characteristics of Little League in Japan today

Recap and reflections on Little League and postwar Japanese history.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed on April 28, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Orr, James Joseph. Rounding the bases.

ISBN:

9798880702480

9798880702497

9798880702473

OCLC:

1528575344

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license