Sunao Imakurusu (1918-1986) was a native of Taiwan.  In high school, he participated in the National High School Baseball Championships at Koshien in 1933 and 1935.  Later he played semi-pro baseball in Japan, with his team winning the prestigious Inter City Tournament in 1949.  When Japan Pro Baseball expanded into two leagues in 1950, Imakurusu and his younger brother were both snapped up by the newly formed Mainichi Orions.  At the end of the season, the Orions were crowned Japan Series champions.  Unfortunately, Imakurusu was not part of the celebration, as he had been traded to the Nishitetsu Clippers in August.  A 5’ 5” infielder, Imakurusu would play for the Nishitetsu franchise through 1956, and later was a coach for the team.

The JBR 173 card which Imakurusu autographed is a rookie card.  Because of his long semi-pro history, Imakurusu was already 32 when he entered Japan Pro Baseball.  Interestingly, he is wearing uniform number 18 in the photo.  He always wore number 2 when playing for the Orions!

The autograph was signed in blue ink, most likely in 1950.

Blank back card

Size:  2 1/16” X 2 3/8”

Condition:  The autograph grades 5 out of 10.  The card is Ex, but has the number 15 written in ink on the blank back.