Lot # 28: c.1947 JK 28 Black & White Karuta Bozo Wakabayashi (HOF) (Hawaii) Super Rare

Category: Baseball Cards

Starting Bid: $50.00

Bids: 2 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Auction 63: Ended 4/9/2022",
which ran from 3/26/2022 7:00 PM to
4/9/2022 11:00 PM



This card emanates from the first postwar karuta set. JK 26 is the only postwar black & white baseball karuta set of which we are aware. Unlike most other karuta, the hiragana symbols on the player cards only. Normally, both player and reading cards contain the hiragana. As a result, this set is difficult to match up. The origin of the set is unknown. This card is one of only two examples of this Bozo Wakabayashi card known to exist!

Henry Tadashi "Bozo" Wakabayashi, a Hawaiian native, was the first American elected to the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame. After starring at Hosei University in the Tokyo Big Six University League, Wakabayashi was a pitching star for the Tigers and Orions in Japan pro baseball. He also was a successful Japan Pro Baseball manager. Wakabayashi was a member of the Japanese all star squad that faced Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, etc. during the 1931 U.S. Major League All Stars Tour of Japan.

Size: 1 5/8" x 2 3/8"

Condition: Would be Ex, but there is residue from some Japanese text on the reverse, handwritten by a previous owner, that has been erased.

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