Kenichi Zenimura - "Go for Broke"
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$25.00
$25.00 - $13,000.00
Kenichi Zenimura (January 25, 1900 – November 13, 1968) was a Japanese baseball player and manager, known as "The Dean of the Diamond." After his death he came to be recognized as "The Father of Japanese American Baseball".
Zenimura was born in Hiroshima, Japan and his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii shortly afterwards. He first played baseball at Mid-Pacific Institute formerly the Mills Institute for Boys. In 1920 he moved to Fresno, where he played baseball on Japanese-American and previously all-white teams.
Many baseball historians believe he earned his titles for his remarkable career as a player (he excelled at all nine positions), manager (of Japanese-American league teams and European American teams in the Twilight leagues for older players), and international ambassador of the game (he led tours to Japan in 1924, 1927 and 1937). In addition to organizing barnstorming tours to Japan, Zenimura was instrumental in the negotiations that led to Babe Ruth's visit to Japan in 1934. Several years earlier, in 1927, Zenimura also helped arrange a barnstorming tour to Japan for the Negro-league All-Star Philadelphia Royal Giants, led by Hall of Famers Biz Mackey and Andy Cooper.
During World War II, Zenimura and 120,000 other Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps across the southwest United States, as directed by Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on February 19, 1942.
Zenimura and his family were interned in Arizona on the Gila River Indian Reservation at the Gila River War Relocation Center. Almost immediately upon arrival at Gila River, Zenimura built a baseball field and established a 32-team league. Baseball at Gila River gave Japanese-Americans a sense of pride, hope and normalcy, and made life bearable during their unjust incarceration. Many young men left the internment camps to join the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an infantry regiment of the United States Army. Beginning in 1944, the regiment fought primarily in Europe during World War II, in particular Italy, southern France and Germany.
The 442nd Regiment was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare. The 4,000 men who initially made up the unit in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly 2.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served earning 9,486 Purple Hearts. The unit was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations. 21 of its members were awarded Medals of Honor and its motto was "Go for Broke".
After the camps closed, Zenimura returned to Fresno, California, and continued to play competitive ball until the age of 55. In the early-to-mid-1950s, Zenimura was instrumental in negotiating the professional baseball contracts of several Japanese-American players in the Central League and Pacific League including contracts for Satoshi "Fibber" Hirayama, and his sons Kenso (Howard) and Kenshi (Harvey) Zenimura, all of whom later played for the Hiroshima Carp. Kenichi Zenimura continued to manage until his death on November 13, 1968 in Fresno, California.
ORIGINAL available for $13,000.00
Also available in
* 13x19" digital prints for $75.00
* 18x24" giclee for $200.00
* 18x24" giclee for $250.00 (signed by Howard Zenimura, son of Kenichi)
Zenimura was born in Hiroshima, Japan and his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii shortly afterwards. He first played baseball at Mid-Pacific Institute formerly the Mills Institute for Boys. In 1920 he moved to Fresno, where he played baseball on Japanese-American and previously all-white teams.
Many baseball historians believe he earned his titles for his remarkable career as a player (he excelled at all nine positions), manager (of Japanese-American league teams and European American teams in the Twilight leagues for older players), and international ambassador of the game (he led tours to Japan in 1924, 1927 and 1937). In addition to organizing barnstorming tours to Japan, Zenimura was instrumental in the negotiations that led to Babe Ruth's visit to Japan in 1934. Several years earlier, in 1927, Zenimura also helped arrange a barnstorming tour to Japan for the Negro-league All-Star Philadelphia Royal Giants, led by Hall of Famers Biz Mackey and Andy Cooper.
During World War II, Zenimura and 120,000 other Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps across the southwest United States, as directed by Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on February 19, 1942.
Zenimura and his family were interned in Arizona on the Gila River Indian Reservation at the Gila River War Relocation Center. Almost immediately upon arrival at Gila River, Zenimura built a baseball field and established a 32-team league. Baseball at Gila River gave Japanese-Americans a sense of pride, hope and normalcy, and made life bearable during their unjust incarceration. Many young men left the internment camps to join the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an infantry regiment of the United States Army. Beginning in 1944, the regiment fought primarily in Europe during World War II, in particular Italy, southern France and Germany.
The 442nd Regiment was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare. The 4,000 men who initially made up the unit in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly 2.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served earning 9,486 Purple Hearts. The unit was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations. 21 of its members were awarded Medals of Honor and its motto was "Go for Broke".
After the camps closed, Zenimura returned to Fresno, California, and continued to play competitive ball until the age of 55. In the early-to-mid-1950s, Zenimura was instrumental in negotiating the professional baseball contracts of several Japanese-American players in the Central League and Pacific League including contracts for Satoshi "Fibber" Hirayama, and his sons Kenso (Howard) and Kenshi (Harvey) Zenimura, all of whom later played for the Hiroshima Carp. Kenichi Zenimura continued to manage until his death on November 13, 1968 in Fresno, California.
ORIGINAL available for $13,000.00
Also available in
* 13x19" digital prints for $75.00
* 18x24" giclee for $200.00
* 18x24" giclee for $250.00 (signed by Howard Zenimura, son of Kenichi)
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