There are currently seven
cards known to be in the rare JRM 43 set. Each card has a number printed in
Japanese on the front, and we have seen numbers as high as 11. Therefore, we
presume that there are at least 11 cards in the set. The Inokawa card has the
number 10 printed near the top. Interestingly, Inokawa's surname is printed
incorrectly on this card in Japanese as Igawa. However, there was never a
player on the Meiji U. team in the prewar era named Igawa. Obviously, since
Inokawa was a star player at the time, he is the player represented on this
card.
Toshiharu Inokawa started his
catching career at Kansai Middle School in the mid-1920s. He moved on to Meiji
University where he became a star player in the Tokyo Big Six University
League. After graduation in 1932, he played Industrial League baseball. In
1934, he represented the All Japan team in their series of games against the
U.S. Major League All Stars featuring Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Inokawa was the
leading hitter for the Japanese team during the
series, batting .348. He was one of only three players to homer off American
major league pitchers during the Tour.
This card has been assigned a
scarcity factor of R5 in Japanese Baseball Cards Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage
Edition 3.0 by Gary Engel. This designation indicates that
five or fewer examples of this card are known to exist.
Blank back card.
Size: 2" in diameter
Condition: Ex/Mt.
All three examples of this card that we have ever seen are o/c left to
right in exactly the same way as this card.