Japan's only career 3,000 hits/500 home runs player almost never made it to his sixth birthday, let alone to Japan Pro Baseball. In 1944, four year old Harimoto's right ring finger and little finger were severely burned. Only with constant practice was he eventually able to grip a bat. Furthermore, Harimoto, a Hiroshima native, was being carried out of town by his mother when the atom bomb struck in 1945, killing his sister. Based on the evolution of his signature and the fact that he wrote "3,000" instead of "3,085", his career hits total, which he generally inscribed in later years, we feel that Harimoto signed this shikishi (traditional Japanese signing board) in 1980 or 1981. Autographed in black sharpie.

Size: 9 1/2" x 10 3/4"

Condition: Shikishi--Nm/Mt. Signature--8.5 out of 10.