1964 Morinaga Top Star

 

1964 was a significant year in the history of Japanese baseball cards. This year would be the last that baseball menko cards were produced regularly, and the start of a puzzling period between 1965-1972 where—with the exception of the 1967 Kabaya Leaf set—basically no Japanese baseball cards were produced. It was in 1964 also that the confectionery company Morinaga & Co. released a small but striking set. These unnumbered cards, which are roughly postcard sized and feature attractive gloss and high quality photography, were free with the purchase of two packs of the company’s Top Star Gum. (Going by the size of the cards they were probably given out at the register). There are 17 cards in the set and they come in two types: a regular back labeled “Morinaga Top Star Card” and a stand-up back labeled “Morinaga Color Stand.” I do not know if the stand-ups were released concurrently and/or acquired differently than a normal card. Gary Engel’s catalogue lists them like different sets, although I prefer to think of them as the same set coming in different backs. The backs themselves are sparse featuring only basic player information, although the inclusion of each player’s hobbies is a novel touch.

Of the 17 cards, I currently have 12 (10 regular backs, 2 stand-up backs). There is definitely a varied level of scarcity among the set, with three; Kiyoshi Oishi, Katsuya Morinaga, and Takeshi Koba being exceptionally rare. As all three played for the Carp in 1964 it’s possible these were a regional issue, maybe a Hiroshima exclusive. Beyond that, it is safe to say that the three Giants players and Nomura are the most common, while from my own experience Inao, Nakanishi, and Kawamura are quite tough.

    Finally, you can’t talk about this set without bringing up Bud Ackerman and Mel Bailey, two American GIs who took it upon themselves to acquire and import various Japanese card sets to the US while stationed in Japan in the 60’s. Our friend Dave aka NPB Card Guy has a fantastic article on the pair which includes a section about ‘64 Morinaga. You can read it here.

Sadaharu Oh (Giants)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

Sadaharu Oh

Yomiuri Giants (Central League)

Unifrom Number  1

Infielder (First Base)  Throws Left, Bats Left

Alma Mater   Waseda Jitsugyo High School

Born  5. 20. 1940

Hobby   Movies

 

Major Records

‘62・’63  Home Run Leader

‘63  RBI Leader

 

森永製菓株式会社 

Oh’s ‘64 Morinaga is striking, I think, in that it is one of the only one of his cards that features a quality photograph of him as a young man. (His earlier cards, while mostly attractive, generally feature pretty grainy or shoddy images).

Shigeo Nagashima (Giants)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Shigeo Nagashima

Yomiuri Giants (Central League)

Unifrom Number  3

Infielder (Third Base)  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Rikkyo University

Born  2. 20. 1936

Hobby   Music

Major Records

‘58  Rookie Of The Year

‘61・’63  Most Valuable Player

‘59・’60・’61・’63  Batting Title

‘63  Japan Series MVP

‘58・’61  Home Run Leader

‘58・’61  RBI Leader

 

森永製菓株式会社  

The Giants cards (including Nagashima’s) are among the most available of the ‘64 Morinagas, a pattern that would continue with the first Calbee cards almost ten years later. I assume more of these were printed given the immense popularity of the team and its players, but I can’t be completely sure.

 Isao Shibata (Giants)

Morinaga Top Star Card 

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

Isao Shibata

Yomiuri Giants (Central League)

Unifrom Number  12

Outfielder  Throws Right, Bats Right and Left

Alma Mater   Hosei Two High School

Born  2. 8. 1944

Hobbies  Movies, Reading

 

森永製菓株式会社 

 The switch-hitting Shibata is one of a few non-Hall of Famers represented in the ‘64 Morinaga set, but he nevertheless had a very successful and very long career with the Giants. Remarkably, he was teammates with Sadaharu Oh for longer than Shigeo Nagashima was.

Katsuya Nomura (Hawks)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Katsuya Nomura

Nankai Hawks (Pacific League)

Unifrom Number  19

Catcher  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Mineyama High School

Born  6. 29. 1935

Hobbies  Movies, Golf

 

Major Records

‘61・’63  Most Valuable Player

‘57・’61・’62・’63  Home Run Leader

‘62・’63  RBI Leader

 

森永製菓株式会社

 Nomura could be, along with Frank Robinson, the most underrated baseball player ever. At second all-time in home runs in NPB (657) and second all-time in hits (2,901)—as a catcher no less—he is arguably greater than Sadaharu Oh. Playing in the sideshow Pacific League certainly helped contribute to him never really getting his full due as a player.

Kazuhiro Yamauchi (Tigers)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Kazuhiro Yamauchi

Hanshin Tigers (Central League)

Unifrom Number 8

Outfielder  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Aichi Prefecture Technical High School

Born  5. 1. 1932

Hobbies  Shooting, Fishing

 

Major Records

‘60  Most Valuable Player

‘57  Batting Title

‘59・’60  Home Run Leader

‘54・’55・’60・’61  RBI Leader

 

 森永製菓株式会社

 Yamauchi was an all around great outfielder who was particularly adept at hitting doubles. He led the league in the following categories multiple times in his career: games played, doubles, home runs, base hits, total bases, RBI, sac flys, intentional walks, on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS. 

Minoru Murayama (Tigers)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Minoru Murayama

Hanshin Tigers (Central League)

Unifrom Number 11

Pitcher  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Kansai University

Born  12. 10. 1936

Hobby  Classical Music

 

Major Records

‘62  Most Valuable Player

‘59・’62  ERA Title

 

 森永製菓株式会社

 Murayama has the distinction of being one of only three players with his number retired in the 90 year history of the Tigers. (The others are Fumio Fujimura and Yoshio Yoshida). The 3x Sawamura Award winner’s MVP season saw him go 25-14 with 265 strikeouts along with an absurd 1.20 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in an equally absurd 366.1 innings pitched.

 

Shigeru Mizuhara (Flyers)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Shigeru Mizuhara

Toei Flyers (Pacific League)

Unifrom Number 30

Manager

Alma Mater   Keio University

Born  1. 19. 1909

Hobby  Golf

9 Championships, a Japanese Record

 

Major Records

‘42  Most Valuable Player

’62  1,000 Wins as Manager

 

 森永製菓株式会社

 A real Giants OG, Mizuhara was teammates with the likes of Tetsuharu Kawakami and Eiji Sawamura. Although his own playing career was pretty tepid numberswise (his late start and military service contributed to this), he went on to become a successful manager. This card itself has an interesting history. Back in the mid 60’s, this set was imported by US serviceman Mel Bailey to be sold to American collectors. Although he received cards directly from the company, for whatever reason he received less of the Mizuhara card (and didn’t receive 5 others at all), which has led to the Mizuhara becoming something of a sought after rarity stateside. It is listed in Gary Engel’s catalogue as rare and pricey, although I’ve found it is actually one of the more readily available cards in the set here in Japan.

 

Masaichi Kaneda (Swallows)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Masaichi Kaneda

Kokutetsu Swallows (Central League)

Unifrom Number 34

Pitcher  Throws Left, Bats Left

Alma Mater   Kyoei Commercial High School

Born  8. 10. 1931

Hobby  Golf

 

Major Records

‘55  Most Complete Games Record

‘58  Most Consecutive Innings With No Earned Runs

‘50~’63  3,834K (Most Strikeouts)

‘57  Pitched Perfect Game

‘57・’58  ERA Title

Most Wins All-Time (326)

‘56・’57・’58  Sawamura Award

 

森永製菓株式会社

Kaneda’s titanic numbers (400 W, 2.34 ERA, 4,490 SO) put him among the very greatest pitchers of all time. “The Emperor” is without a doubt the Japanese Leagues’ pitching GOAT, and in a virtual tie with Isao Harimoto for greatest ethnically Korean player ever. (Born in Japan to Korean immigrants, he received Japanese citizenship in 1959). 

 

Shinichi Eto (Dragons)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Shinichi Eto

Chunichi Dragons (Central League)

Unifrom Number 8

Outfieder  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Kumamoto Commercial High School

Born  10. 6. 1937

Hobby  Music

 

 森永製菓株式会社

 Eto is a three-time batting champion, and one of only two players with a batting title in both the Central and Pacific League (the other is Seiichi Uchikawa). He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

 

Toru Mori (Whales)

Morinaga Top Star Card

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Toru Mori

Taiyo Whales (Central League)

Unifrom Number 6

Outfieder  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Waseda University

Born  11. 3. 1935

Hobbies  Shooting, Music

 

Major Records

‘59  Home Run Leader

’59  RBI Leader

 

森永製菓株式会社

 Mori had a solid career as a slugging outfielder. In the same rookie class as Shigeo Nagashima, he missed out on a triple crown in 1959 as Mr. Giants bested his average with .334. It was both players’ sophomore season.

 

Yasumitsu Toyoda (Swallows)

Morinaga Color Stand

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Yasumitsu Toyoda

Kokutetsu Swallows (Central League)

Unifrom Number 7

Infielder (Shortstop)  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Mito Commerical High School

Born  2. 12. 1935

Hobbies  Music, Golf

 

Major Records

‘53  Rookie of the Year

’56  Batting Title

‘56  Japan Series MVP

 

 森永製菓株式会社

 Toyoda’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he was a three-time champion who batted a robust .362 career in the Japan Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

 

Futoshi Nakanishi (Lions)

Morinaga Color Stand

(Free with Morinaga Top Star Gum)

 

Futoshi Nakanishi

Nishitetsu Lions (Pacific League)

Unifrom Number 6

Infielder-Manager  Throws Right, Bats Right

Alma Mater   Takamatsu First High School

Born  4. 11. 1933

Hobbies  Pop Music, Movies, Golf

 

Major Records

‘52  Rookie of the Year

‘56 Most Valuable Player

‘55・’58  Batting Title

‘53・’54・’55・’56・’58  Home Run Leader

‘56・’57  RBI Leader

 

 森永製菓株式会社

 From 1953-58, Nakanishi was probably the best hitter in Japan. During that stretch he led the league 5x in OPS, 5x in home runs, 2x in hits, 2x in RBI, and 2x in average. Injuries prevented him from ever achieving his full potential. In 1962 he converted to player-manager and averaged just 38 games a season until his retirement in 1969.