Masao Matsukata

Masao Matsukata (松方 正雄)

• School University of Pennsylvania
• Born May 7, 1868 in Kagoshima Prefecture Japan
• Died March 25, 1942

Biographical Information

Masao Matsukata was the president of the Hanshin Tigers starting in 1935, and the vice president of the Japanese Professional Baseball League starting in 1936.

He was the fourth son of a very prominent family, as his father Matsukata Masayoshi twice served as Prime Minister in the late 19th century. His privileged background brought him an opportunity to study at the University of Pennsylvania where he played both baseball and football. He was also a successful businessman, serving as a the president of a bank and of a railway company.

Matsukata was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.