Help Identifying jersey

[minnesotabats]

Can anyone help me identify this jersey that I just picked up at a local estate sale? It appears to be a jersey from the Nankai Hawks. It has a 63 jock tag at the bottom and a #44 on the back. It has a Kubota Sporting Goods tag on the inside top. I have included photos to see if anyone can help me determine what I have here. Is it a game used jersey and if so, is it from 1963 and finally who wore #44?

Appreciate your help in advance.

Thanks.
Brian
Always actively buying Joe Mauer game used gear: Bats, helmets, catchers equipment, etc.

[minnesotabats]

Forgot to post the back of the jersey with the number on it. It is a grey jersey with green and white on the numbers and name.

Thanks again.

Brian

[topekabob]

Sure looks like a 1963 Nankai Hawks jersey to me. Congrats!
I found a photo of Kent Hadley wearing the 1962 version in an old Japan Media Guide and the lettering and top button are exactly like the one you have. In 1962 looks like they might have had a stripe down the sleeve, but in 1963 I found a picture of Buddy Peterson and don't see a stripe. The other American on the team in 1963 was Joe Stanka.
I think you've got the real deal there. Whether it's game used, well, who knows!

[cjw]

Cool looking jersey. I had a Tokyo Giants flannel from this era. Jersey from the league are uncommon.

[minnesotabats]

Thanks for the couple comments so far. As an FYI, this jersey does have a green stripe running down the shoulder and then across the sleeve.

Can anyone else chime in on this jersey or lead me to a place or contact that might be able to help?

I appreciate your time.

Thanks.

[minnesotabats]

Reached out to a helpful individual who specializes in Japanese baseball cards. He was not familiar with game used information and didn't know what the 63 on the lower portion of the jersey meant. He mentioned Japanese used another way of writing years based on the year of the Emperor's reign.

However, he did let me know a bench player wore #44 in 1963 with a name he couldn't translate. His initial thought was that it could have been worn by an American player, possibly Kent Hadley. I was hoping it was worn by Masanori "Mashi" Murakami, the first Japanese player to play in the Major Leagues. He was a member of the Hawks team in 1963 before playing with San Francisco Giants in 64. Evidently he wore #10 in 1963.

So now the question is...is this is a game used jersey? If it is, why would it have a manufacturer tag that is in English. Not a huge deal either way, but more curious than anything.

Weird how things end up where they do. If this jersey was game used and was worn by a bench player, how does it end up in Minnesota?

[topekabob]

It HAS the green stripe? Ok, from all the photos I've seen from all my Japanese baseball books, it looks like that era Hawks jerseys had the stripe.
You've got a 1963 Nankai Hawks jersey there, I really have little doubt.

Don't worry about the Japanese year system, the 63 means 1963, not Showa year 63.

As for the tagging, many companies in Japan then and now were in English, for various reasons, one of which might be if they exported things they didn't want to have to make two different tags. The tags looks perfect for that era.

It is, however, in amazing shape from the looks of it, so it may not be game used. The possibilities of how it ended up in Minnesota include: Hadley and Stanka, the two gaijin on the 1963 Hawks, brought it back from some reason; someone on the Hawks gave it as a gift to an American at some point and it made it back to the US; the possibilities are endless.

One option would be to email Wayne Graczyk, THE American expert on Japanese baseball, and ask him how the heck you could get a roster for the 1963 Nankai Hawks. Here's where you can find his contact info: http://www.japanballtickets.com/contact.html

[topekabob]

Sorry, just saw your post where someone told you #10 was a Japanese bench player.
There you have it. You've got a game jersey from the 1963 Nankai Hawks! You might want to get the players name for fun....

[cjw]

Should not be concerned with English characters on the label. My Tokyo Giants jersey and others also had English type.

[toshi]

Hello.
A very old jersey.
I think this is a game used jersey of Masayoshi Hakozaki. "#44 in 63 and Nankai Hawks pitcher"
There were "Nomura, Sugiura and Joe Stanka", and Nankai Hawks was a strong team in Osaka.
"Kubota" was making jersey of many baseball teams with a Japanese sports manufacturer.

I'm collecting jerseys of a Japanese professional baseball team.
Can you sell me this jersey?
When you'd contact, I'm happy.

ymuc@zeus.eonet.ne.jp