Joltin' Joe and Tokyo: The 1951 Hiya Pharmaceuticals Menko Set

 I first wrote this article in a slightly different form for The Mangini Newsletter by John Mangini. John can be found on Youtube at The Mangini Collection. You can sign up for the newsletter, and read past articles here.

    In 1951, the Hiya Pharmaceutical Company of Osaka released a promotional set of ten menko cards. The set is immediately noteworthy for its inclusion of Joe DiMaggio, but as you'll see, it is much more than even one of the Yankee Clipper's rarest playing days issues. Of the four other baseball players featured, three are Japanese Hall of Famers. Rounding out the set is a charming mix of non-sport subjects. Typical of many menko issues, player likenesses are not much that at all, though DiMaggio shows a passable resemblance.

    In addition to a brief description of the player or other subject, each card back features the company's distinctive flower shaped logo (still in use today!) along with an advertisement for one of four different Hiya Pharmaceutical products: a cure-all for children (purporting to remedy everything from night crying to indigestion), a cough medicine, a pill for heart palpitations and stomach pain, and an antidiarrheal drug. Although it is not known precisely how the cards were distributed, they may have been given out at the register to customers who bought these products or other Hiya offerings.

Below is my translation of each player's card back as well as a bit of my own commentary on each.

Joe DiMaggio - “World Batting Champion”: New York Yankees outfielder and batting champion, DiMaggio's name resounds throughout the world. In November of 1950, Manager Lefty O'Doul brought 'Joltin' Joe' to Japan, where the sheer spectacle of his hitting left fans in awe.

DiMaggio made several trips to Japan, including as a honeymoon for his brief marriage to Marilyn Monroe. It is unknown when precisely in 1951 this set was first distributed, but given the mention of his visit the year prior, it was likely issued before the end of the '51 season—DiMaggio's last. He would return to Japan ten days after the Yankees World Series victory that year.

 

Fumio Fujimura - Batting Champion: Manager Lefty O'Doul, whose San Francisco Seals toured Japan in '49, has praised the splendid play of third baseman Fujimura—a renowned batting champion also known for his home runs.

Fujimura is one of the more underrated baseball players of all time. Known for his extra long bat and intense but playful demeanor, 'Mr. Tigers' was a rock in Osaka's infield while also dabbling as a two-way player and player-manager. His 1946 season is one of the most remarkable in history: .323/.401/.509 in 97 games played; 13-2 with a 2.44ERA in 107 innings pitched; and a 59-46 managerial record.

 

Victor Starffin - Pitcher: Righty Starffin is the sole foreign pitcher in Japanese Pro Baseball. Even the strongest batters fear his nearly unhittable sinker.

An ethnic Russian, Starffin settled in Japan with his family in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution. Victor, sometimes called 'Victory' Starffin, lived up to his name; he would become the first player to win 300 games in Japanese pro ball before dying tragically in an auto accident shortly after retirement. Today, Starffin's dominance on the mound and his unique story make him one of the more sought-after players in the vintage Japanese card hobby.

 

Takeshi Doigaki - “Renowned Catcher”: Doigaki, a well-known fixture behind the plate, is famous particularly for his pickoffs. There is scarcely a catcher—perhaps even abroad—to whom he would play second fiddle.

Doigaki was arguably the best catcher of Japan's immediate post-war era. A 6x Best Nine winner, he became known as 'the Japanese Yogi Berra' not just for his skill behind the plate but for his gregarious and light-hearted personality too. His lack of a place in the Japanese Hall of Fame is a bit puzzling, but he is certainly worthy of consideration.

 

Kaoru Betto - Home Run Leader: Betto, a first-rate outfielder, has once again wowed fans with his many home runs. How reassuring it is to know that the baseball world is graced with exceptional players like him.

Instantly recognizable in his glasses on many cards of the era (and in The Big Lebowski), Betto was a latecomer who, for his first few years, seemed to be playing to make up for lost time. His finest season, 1950, is one of the very best individual years in the history of pro baseball (.335/.397/.671(!) 43HR, 34SB). Betto may not have come close to reaching those heights again, but he did find a second wind as a long-tenured manager, albeit one with a dubious distinction: the only skipper with 1,000+ wins and no pennants.