Makoto Herai made a name for himself as a pitcher for Fukuoka Middle School at both the 1927 and 1928 National High School Baseball Championships at Koshien. He formed a top flight battery with catcher Eiji Murata that brought the school to the final games of the tournament in both years before losing in the end. Following graduation, Herai enrolled at Meiji University in the Tokyo Big Six University league, where he pitched until 1933. While he was a decent pitcher for Meiji U., he was not the superstar that he was in high school. This photo, autographed in Japanese with a fountain pen, was taken by Mitsuhiko Fujita during Herai's high school heyday. Herai put his pen to the photo on the same day that it was taken.

Size: 3 3/8" x 2 1/2"

Condition: Autograph--9.5 out of 10. Photo--Has some residual glue markings at the left edge, not affecting the image. Also, extra paper, and glue residue on the back from being previously mounted in a photo album.