[Hesonoo Publishing Co., Ltd.] A critical biography of the legendary figure who connected postwar Japanese and American baseball will be released on September 15th! “The Man Who Connected Baseball and Baseball: Dr. Imazato / Jun Imazato: The Untold Story of Postwar Japan-US Baseball Exchange” Image
URL: Hesonoo Publishing Co., Ltd. Press Release: September 9, 2025 A critical biography of the legendary figure who connected postwar Japanese and American baseball will be released on September 15th! “The Man Who Connected Baseball to Baseball: Dr. Imazato – The Untold Story of Postwar Japan-US Baseball Exchange” This is the story of a dentist who, during the Showa era, used his excellent English skills to build friendly relationships with important figures in Major League Baseball and contributed to the development of Japanese professional baseball. A historic baseball story featuring a host of legendary players! We visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where Imazato’s donation is housed, for on-site reporting! Hesonoo Publishing (Hesonoo Publishing, Representative: Seiji Koshigawa), a one-person publishing company based in Nishiwaki City and Taka Town, Hyogo Prefecture, known as the “navel of Japan,” packages valuable content that deserves to be read and passed down for generations, including the people, things, and events of the region where they live, into books and publishes them with the desire to share them with the world at large. Last summer, they published their first book, “The Answer, After All, Is Love” (by Ai Takemoto), and now their second book is nearing completion. The biography of Jun Imazato, a dentist from Nishiwaki City who served as a bridge between Japanese and American baseball during the Showa era, “The Man Who Connected Baseball and Baseball: Dr. Imazato / Jun Imazato: The Untold Story of Postwar Japan-US Baseball Exchange” (by Takemoto Takeshi) will be available for pre-sale in his hometown of Nishiwaki on Monday, September 15th (national holiday), and will be available nationwide from Saturday, September 20th!
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/168983/1/168983-1-777037b6a30231fa938fe48d38bba48a-1500×2219.jpg book door. Willie Mays and Jun Imazato of the San Francisco Giants, who visited Japan for the Japan-US baseball game in 1960. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/168983/1/168983-1-8b2b5fe7ae7ad4c6d99351a33871d55a-1103×736.jpg Former manager Sadayoshi Fujimoto, Yoshio Yoshida, Minoru Murayama, and Jun Imazato led the Hanshin Tigers to two championships. Imazato also worked hard to establish a partnership between the Hanshin Tigers and the Detroit Tigers.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/168983/1/168983-1-5c5a9a464e3f0f757dea75b3c1dd279c-1905×1212.jpg At Dodger Stadium in 1990. Former Dodgers Chairman Peter O’Malley, former Hanshin Tigers President Kazuhiko Miyoshi, and Jun Imazato During the Showa era, when not only the now-famous Shohei Ohtani, but also Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui were yet to make their mark in the MLB, Jun Imazato himself played an important role in connecting the Japanese and American baseball worlds, going beyond the confines of a single Major League Baseball fan. ★Corresponded with Major League Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick ★Served as an
interpreter for the team visiting Japan for the Japan-US baseball game ★In 1958, during a St. Louis Cardinals game in Japan, he was interviewed by an American radio station, where he showed off his witty English and was featured in a special program. ★He worked hard to establish a partnership between the Detroit Tigers and the Hanshin Tigers. ★ He independently translated “Ted Williams’s Hitting Theory” and sent it free of charge to big-name players like Katsuya Nomura and Kazuhiro Yamauchi as reference material. ★ Yoshio Yoshida, Minoru Murayama, and Nishiwaki native Keiji Suzuki frequently visited the Imazato family home in Nishiwaki City, where they would get the latest information on Major League Baseball from Imazato and debate his baseball theories. ★He studied Major League Baseball agreements and team management in detail and also served as an advisor to the professional baseball commissioner. The book provides ample details, but these are only a small part of the stories that demonstrate the deep relationship between Jun Imazato and Major League Baseball and Japanese professional baseball. ◆ On-site reporting at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum On July 27th of this year, Ichiro’s induction ceremony into the National Baseball Hall of Fame was held in Cooperstown. This is a truly remarkable achievement, as he is the first Japanese and Asian player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Though not a player, there is a Japanese man whose achievements are celebrated and exhibited within the prestigious Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. Jun Imazato is such a person that his meticulously written scorebook is treasured at the museum as part of the “Jun Imazato Collection” and was even once on display. To delve deeper into the historically significant story of Jun Imazato, who connected postwar MLB and NPB, and share it with a wide range of baseball fans, we asked for support to cover part of the travel and printing costs. We conducted a crowdfunding campaign in January and February of this year, and then conducted on-site research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum over two days, April 16th and 17th. The results of this valuable research are also included in this book! “I would like to publish a critical biography of Jun Imazato, a legendary figure who connected postwar Japanese and American baseball, based on on-site research in the United States.” Crowdfunding Site
http://https://motion-gallery.net/projects/imazatobook
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/168983/1/168983-1-46b685ba8e18eb5a0d55acf26c17f243-3900×2925.jpg I visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in
Cooperstown, USA, for an interview in April of this year. ◆ A publication commemorative talk event will be held with Massey Murakami! On September 15th of this month, a publication commemorative talk event will be held at Olinas Hall in Nishiwaki, the hometown of Nishiwaki, featuring Masanori Murakami (Massy Murakami), the first Japanese Major Leaguer. The event will be hosted by the “Jun Imazato: A Lifetime Researcher of Major League Baseball” Executive Committee. Advance copies of the book will also be available for purchase!
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/168983/1/168983-1-4bd738f5771359ad048e125e897f6add-1654×2339.jpg Poster announcing the book publication commemorative talk event with Massy Murakami Joining the San Francisco Giants in 1964, he overcame numerous obstacles and became a true American baseball player. Massey Murakami captivated baseball fans and laid the foundation for subsequent Japanese players. And Jun Imazato connected the postwar Major League Baseball with Japanese professional baseball, continuing to support the development of baseball behind the scenes to this day. Baseball in Japan and the United States The stories of these two pioneers who connected the worlds will come together on September 15th at Nishiwaki Olinas Hall in Imazato’s hometown. In addition to a lecture by Massey Murakami, there will also be a talk session with Takeshi Takemoto, representative of the executive committee and author of a critical biography of Imazato. In addition, a portion of the valuable “Imazato Collection,” said to be the largest collection of Japanese and American baseball related items in Japan, including autographed balls, bats, and photographs, will also be on display. ◆ A Message from the Author, Takeshi Takemoto This book tells the story of a man who connected Major League Baseball and Japanese baseball in the postwar baseball world. He served as an advisor to the Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner’s Office and the Hanshin Tigers, and was called “the world’s greatest American baseball fan” by Major League Baseball officials. He was also the only Japanese person to hold an annual pass to all Major League Baseball teams. The man in question was Jun Imazato (deceased). He was a dentist living in Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture. He is credited with “laying the foundation for Japanese baseball” (according to Yoshio Yoshida). The technical books on Major League Baseball that Imazato translated were provided to Japanese players and had a major influence on famous legends such as Yoshio Yoshida, Minoru Murayama (Hanshin), Kazuhiro Yamauchi (Daiei – Hanshin), Sadaharu Oh (Giants), Katsuya Nomura (Nankai), and Keiji Suzuki (Kintetsu). The valuable “Imazato Materials” are currently preserved at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. I am convinced that this book, which will reveal the true character of Jun Imazato to many people for the first time, will lead to the future development of baseball in Japan and the United States, and will add a new chapter to the history of Japanese professional baseball.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/168983/1/168983-1-aa4ca96098b1a8c59462e5c7803b182a-1829×1341.jpg ★Profile of Takeshi Takemoto Born in Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture in 1949. Graduated from the Physical Education Department of Prefectural Yashiro High School and the Faculty of Physical Education at Juntendo University. After 31 years as a teacher in Miki City and Nishiwaki City, he retired in the spring of 2004. While coaching the track and field and baseball teams as a physical education teacher, he also played on a local softball team for 30 years and currently serves as a pitcher for the 70th birthday baseball team. Since 1990, he has visited Major League Baseball games several times, and in 2004 and 2006, he participated in the Dodgers Adult Camp, experiencing playing in the United States. In 2012, the “Jun Imazato Baseball Exhibition” was held at the Nishiwaki City Local History Museum, attracting many important figures from the Japanese baseball world. His books include “Bringing a New Wind to Sports” and “Don’t Let the Light of Rubberball Be Extinguished in Kobe!” He is a sports writer and lecturer. ■ Book Overview Title: “The Man Who Connected Baseball and Baseball: Dr. Imazato / Jun Imazato: The Untold Story of Postwar Japan-US Baseball Exchange” Size: 4-6 format, 188mm x 127mm Specifications: 352 pages (including 12 color frontispiece pages), paperback Release Date: Pre-release in Nishiwaki on September 15th, nationwide release on September 20th Sales locations: Bookstores nationwide, online, etc. ■Company Profile Company Name: Hesonoo Publishing Co., Ltd.
Representative: Representative Director: Seiji Koshikawa Address: Hesonoo Place 2, 299 Nishiwaki, Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, 677-0015 Established: December 2022 Business Activities: Book publishing, bookstore, design, editing, writing, etc. Capital: 3 million yen URL: https://hesopub.jp/ 【Contact for inquiries regarding this press release】 Hesonoo Publishing Co., Ltd. Person in charge: Seiji Koshikawa TEL: 0795-20-7972 FAX: 0795-20-7973 MAIL:
koshikawa@hesopub.jp 299 Nishiwaki, Nishiwaki City, 677-0015, Japan