For 100 years or more, menko cards have delighted children and adults with their unique artistry. In the post World War I era, some menko began to feature generic baseball images. By the late 1920s, menko depicting actual Big Six U. players were often seen. This card is a special one in that, to our knowledge. it is the first menko to depict a specific Japanese player at a specific event. The event is the Seattle Asahi Tour of Japan in September of 1919. The banner in the lower right portion of the card has the English notation "BB Team 1919 from Seattle Japan." The player depicted is wearing a Keio U. uniform. The notation in Japanese down the left side of the card states that the image is of the Japan first game pitcher. The first game of this five game series was indeed played between Seattle Asahi and Keio U. The "first game pitcher" was Japan Hall of Fame member Michimaru Ono who beat the Asahi by a score of 5-1. On November 23, 1922, Ono would cement his reputation as one of Japan's most legendary pitchers, when he beat the 1922 US Major League Tour squad 9-3. This was the first game in which a Japanese team won over a team of US Major Leaguers. The player depicted on the card doesn't look much like Ono to us. Nevertheless, it is clearly meant to be a rendering of this great Japanese star. This is truly an important and historic card in the history of Japanese baseball card production. It is also unique. No other copies are known.
Size: 2 1/4" x 2 3/4".
Condition: Fair to Good
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