1. Japanese Sports
By: Michelle Ayers
5/13/09

2. Baseball
• Known as puro yakyu in
Japanese.
• 6 teams in one league
• Teams face each other
28 times
– Through April and
October
• Japan Series in Oct.
– Decides the
championship team

3. Continued…
• Baseball was introduced
in 1873 at Kaisel
Gakko(known as Tokyo
University)
• Spread to high schools
& middle schools
• 1st professional team in
1934
• 1st league was 1936

4. Soccer
• Introduced by British
instructors at the
Japanese Naval Academy
– In 1873
• National soccer
association in 1921
• 1st professional league
( J- League ) in 1922
• Emperor’s cup held in
Nov. and Dec.
– Determines what team is
the champion.

5. Sumo
• Most popular sport in Japan
• Wear colorful costumes
• Distinctive hairstyle called
oichomage.
• Rikishi is the wrestler
• Gyoji is the referee
• Dohyo is the ring they fight
in.
• Yokozuna is the
championship.
– who ever wins get a reward

6. Martial Arts
• Grew out of fighting
techniques of samural
warriors
• Different parts of
Martial Arts.

7. Different Parts of
Martial Arts
• Judo
– Based on agility, balance
and practice of
techniques
• Kendo
– Fight with a shindi
– Made of 4 bamboo
shafts, bound with silk &
a leather thong

8. Continued…
• Aikido
– Purely defensive
– One of the gentler part in
martial arts
• Kyudo
– Japanese archery
– Wear yugake (deerskin glove)
on drawing hand & tabi
(Japanese style socks)
• Karatedo
– 3 main techniques
• Uchi (arm strikes)
• Tsuki (thrusts)
• Keri (kicks)

9. Golf
• Introduced in 20th
century
• Very popular now
• Estimate of 12 million
amateur golfers in
Japan
• 3500 professionals in
Japan
• Over 100 professional
tournaments

10. Winter Sports
• Introduced in the 20th
century
• Skiers and ski resorts
increased since then
• Winter sports led to the
Winter Olympics held at
Japan twice

11. Horse Racing
• Keiba means horse racing
in Japanese
• Didn’t be become a
gambling sport until the
Western of Yokohama
introduced it in the mid
1800s
• Emperor’s Cup is held in
October
• The Japan Cup is held in
November

12. Formula One Motor Racing
• Popular in Japan
• Has its own Grand Prix
– Held at the Suzuka
circuit every autumn
started in 1987
– Japanese has ever won a
Grand Prix
• Most successful drivers
are:
– Suzuki Aguri
– Katayalma Ukyo