Henry Wakabayashi was born on a Hawaiian pineapple plantation in 1906. He played baseball at McKinley High School in Honolulu. Then, in 1929, he toured Japan with a Nisei team from Stockton, California. Impressed with
Wakabayashi's pitching, Hosei U. tried to recruit him. Hosei ultimately got their man, but before enrolling at Hosei, Wakabayashi first was required to attend a preparatory school in Japan in order to meet the university's entrance
requirements, including a better command of the Japanese language. After a spectacular collegiate career, during which time he often pitched for All Japan teams, Wakabayashi joined the Osaka Tigers for the inaugural season of Japan
Pro Baseball. From 1939 to 1947, he won 20 or more games six times and had six seasons with an ERA of 1.81 or less! He retired from Japan Pro Baseball at the age of 47, and was elected to the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
The seven cards of Wakabayashi featured in this lot are: (top row, left to right) 1949 JCM 63 Golden Menko, 1948 JCM 103 Baseball Source Menko, 1947 JCM 91 Kagome Blue Cross Back Menko, Late 1940s Uncatalogued Menko,
(bottom row, left to right) 1949 JCM 108 Horizontal Format Menko, 1948 JK 1 Dreaming of Baseball Karuta and JCM 1 1948 Action Baseball Menko.
Size: The six menko cards are approximately 1 3/8" x 2 3/4". The karuta card is 1 15/16" x 2 3/4".
Condition: The menko cards range from Vg to Ex/Mt. The karuta card is Nm/Mt.