Shiki Masaoka

Tsunenori Masaoka (正岡 子規) ("Noboru", "Shiki")

• School Tokyo University
• Born September 17, 1867 in Iyo Province, Japan
• Died September 19, 1902 in Tokyo, Japan

Biographical Information

Shiki Masaoka was one of the greatest Japanese poets of the 19th century - an acknowledged master of the art of haiku and tanka. As a young college student, Masaoka became an avid baseball player and fan. He is said to have learned the game directly from Hiraoka Hiroshi, the man who brought baseball to Japan. Chronic health problems, including tuberculosis, eventually prevented Masaoka from playing baseball, but he never gave up his love for the game. He included baseball imagery in many poems, and he is believed to be the one who coined Japanese versions of many baseball terms. His efforts helped to popularize the sport in Japan.

Masaoka was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.