Hall of Fame Umpire, Doug Harvey, commonly referred to as "God" by major league players of the era, accompanied the Los Angeles Dodgers on their 1966 Tour of Japan. This Official Japan Pro Baseball was autographed by 10 umpires who called games with Harvey during the Tour. The baseball contains the English inscription, "Arigato for 1000 & one hints", along with "Japan-Dodgers Goodwill Series Oct. 22-Nov. 18 1966". The autographs are signed in carefully written Japanese. Each umpire's name is printed in English next to his signature.

Foremost among the signatures is that of Hawaiian Fujio Ueda. A graduate of Maui High School, Fujio Ueda, a second baseman/shortstop traveled to Japan to play for the Hankyu team of Japan Pro Baseball in 1937. He spent 11 years with Hankyu, retiring after the 1948 season. He was named to the league's Best 9 team in 1940, and to the Best 10 team in 1943. Beginning in 1950, he was a Pacific League umpire.

Another umpire who signed the ball who had previously enjoyed a long career as an active player in Japan is Kozo Kawai. A left handed first baseman, Kawai played for the Hankyu Braves from 1948 to 1959. He appeared in 1,160 games and batted .265 lifetime.

From the Doug Harvey Collection

Size: Regular Japanese pro baseball

Condition: Signatures mostly grade 10 out of 10. The ball is Nm/Mt. Lightly shellacked.