Fumio Fujimura: The Remarkable Two-Way Player of Japanese Pro Baseball's Early Days

 

Signed bromide of the brothers Fujimura: Fumio (left) and Takao (right). Fujimura's autograph is scarce.

 

 Although barely known outside Japan, and probably not quite as lauded as he should be even in his native land, Fumio Fujimura was nevertheless a foundational figure in the history of pro baseball in Japan. Known for his rugged competitiveness and extra long “laundry pole bat,” the remarkable Fujimura ultimately shined in the field, on the mound, and as a manager in Japanese pro baseball’s early days, despite immense personal and professional obstacles.

Fujimura's signature "laundry pole bat" at the Hall of Fame

 

Fujimura was born in 1916 as the third of four sons, and the seventh of eight siblings. His hometown of Kure City, known for its shipyard, also proved to be quite a baseball town. The shipyard—the Kure Naval Arsenal—had a ball club, for which Fumio’s elder brother was a star. He was elementary school classmates with fellow future Hall of Famer Kazuto Tsuruoka of the Nankai Hawks, while future Hawks pitcher Yuki Susumu was his next door neighbor.

Fujimura himself saw baseball success early on. He led his high school to the prestigious Koshien tournament several times as an ace pitcher, outshining even the likes of the immortal Eiji Sawamura with his performances and earning the nickname “Prince of Koshien.” In the 1934 summer tourney, Fumio faced future Giants legend Tetsuharu Kawakami and struck him out three times en route to the championship, igniting a career-long rivalry.

Fumio, followed in later years by his younger brother Takao, returned to Koshien Stadium as a pro with the Osaka Tigers in 1936, and found more immediate success as a pitcher and second baseman. Unfortunately, like many players on either side of the Pacific, Fujimura’s career was disrupted by service in the Second World War, during which he endured heavy action and hardships. In the battle of Singapore, Fumio witnessed his comrade take a direct hit from an artillery shell, and proceeded to wear the man’s severed arm in a sling for days so that it could be returned to his family for the funeral.

Fujimura was honorably discharged in 1943. He was able to return to the Tigers, but struggled to regain his form. The years away and the trauma of the war had surely taken their toll, and Fujimura spent a couple seasons going through the motions with sparse playing time. Things began to look up again in 1946, a stellar two-way campaign for Fujimura that also saw him moonlight as the Tigers’ skipper. His line that year: .323/.401/.509 in 97 games played, 13-2 with a 2.44 ERA in 107 innings pitched, and a 59-46 managerial record. In 1950, Fujimura christened modern NPB with a league-leading 191 hits, 39 HR, and a batting title (.362).

By 1955, Fujimura had long since re-established himself as a star.  He once again found himself managing the team, and it was at this time that friction between Fujimura and other Tigers personnel began to surface over how to run the team. A particular thorn was Fujimura’s philosophy on player compensation. Fujimura himself never disputed his (compartively generous) pay with the front office, and this resulted in a culture where younger players were discouraged from ever trying to pursue fair value for their services. This friction came to a head when the Tigers assistant manager rallied a group of players and coaches to demand Fujimura’s resignation. He would indeed step down as manager after 1957, and retire quietly in '58 after a final year as a player only.

It’s worth emphasizing that Fujimura didn’t actually do anything actively wrong. His worst crime really was being the manager of teams that twice lost out on a pennant to the rival Giants. This is just my own speculation, but it’s also not hard to imagine generational differences playing a roll in Fujimura’s views on player compensation. By the late 50s Japan’s economic and social turnaround was underway. To a man like Fujimura—who grew up in austere circumstances in a family of ten, and a veteran of the war—whatever the Tigers were paying must have felt like more than enough.

Regardless, Fujimura’s legacy was taking root soon after he stepped away from the game. The players with whom he butted heads were quick to emphasize the “just business” nature of the quarrel. Giants great Shigeo Nagashima is known to have modeled his infield defense on Fujimura’s play, and his batting know-how was utilized to coach a fledgling Sadaharu Oh.

One of Japanese pro baseball’s first big stars, “Mr. Tigers The First” was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975. He passed in 1992, aged 75.

 A colorful autograph book featuring Fujimura. A version with Tetsuharu Kawakami was also issued, and both come in 'Score Book' variants. Note the misspelling of 'Tigers.' Fujimura is spelled 'Hujimura' here, which is not quite a mistake, but rather reflects an old romanization system for converting Japanese into letters that has largely fallen out of favor, although it was officially taught to children in public schools until 2025.

Fujimura's Hall of Fame plaque