Kunishige Kamamoto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kunishige Kamamoto
釜本 邦茂

Kamamoto in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Kunishige Kamamoto
Date of birth	(1944-04-15) 15 April 1944 (age 81)
Place of birth	Kyoto, Japan
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1960–1962	Yamashiro High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1967–1984	Yanmar Diesel	251	(202)
Total		251	(202)
National team
1964–1977	Japan	76	(75)
1964	Japan U23	10	(8)
Teams managed
1978–1984	Yanmar Diesel
1991–1994	Gamba Osaka
2009–2010	Fujieda MYFC
Honours Representing  Japan Olympic Games Bronze 1968 Mexico City Team Asian Games Bronze 1966 Bangkok Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Kunishige Kamamoto (釜本 邦茂, Kamamoto Kunishige, born 15 April 1944) is a famous Japanese football player. He was also a manager and later a politician. He is known for being one of Japan's best goal scorers ever.

Kamamoto won a bronze medal with the Japanese national team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. He was the top scorer in that tournament, scoring seven goals. He holds the record for the most goals scored for Japan's national team.

After his playing career, Kamamoto served as the Vice-President of the Japan Football Association for ten years. In 2005, he was honored by being added to the Japan Football Hall of Fame. He also served as a member of the Japanese Parliament, called the House of Councillors, from 1995 to 2001.

Early Life and College Football

Kunishige Kamamoto was born in Kyoto, Japan, on April 15, 1944. He grew up in Kyoto and went to Yamashiro High School. After high school, he studied at Waseda University in the School of Commerce.

While at Waseda University, Kamamoto was an amazing football player. For four years in a row, he was the top scorer in the Kanto university league. He helped his university team win the Emperor's Cup twice, in 1963 and 1966. The 1966 win was special because it was the last time a university team ever won this important cup. He earned his degree in Commerce from Waseda University in 1966.

Club Career Highlights

After finishing college, Kamamoto joined a professional football club called Yanmar Diesel in 1967. This club is now known as Cerezo Osaka. He started playing in every league game from his very first season.

In 1968, he became the top scorer in the Japan Soccer League. That same year, Yanmar Diesel won their first-ever title, the 1968 Emperor's Cup. Kamamoto scored the winning goal in the final match! The club also won the Emperor's Cup again in 1970.

In 1971, his team became league champions for the first time, and Kamamoto was the top scorer again. Between 1974 and 1975, Yanmar Diesel won the league two years in a row. They also won the Emperor's Cup in 1974.

In 1978, Kamamoto took on a new role: he became a player-manager. This meant he played for the team while also being their coach. Under his leadership, the club won the league championship in 1980.

In 1982, Kamamoto had some serious injuries, tearing his Achilles tendon twice. He finally retired from playing football in 1984, when he was 40 years old. During his career, Kamamoto was the league's top scorer seven times. He was also chosen for the "Best Eleven" team fourteen times and was named Japanese Footballer of the Year seven times.

Playing for the National Team

Kunishige Kamamoto first played for the Japanese national team on March 3, 1964. He was still a student at Waseda University at the time. In his very first game against Singapore, he scored a goal!

In October 1964, he was chosen to play for Japan at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He played in all the matches and scored one goal.

His most famous moment with the national team came at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Japan won the Bronze Medal, and Kamamoto was the top scorer of the entire tournament with seven goals. He played in every match for his country. In 2018, this amazing team was honored by being added to the Japan Football Hall of Fame.

Kamamoto also played in the 1966 Asian Games. Even after many Olympic players left the national team in the 1970s, he continued to be a key player. He played in the 1970 Asian Games and the 1974 Asian Games. He retired from the national team in 1977. He played in 76 matches and scored 75 goals for Japan.

Coaching Career

In 1978, Kamamoto became a player-manager for Yanmar Diesel. He led the club to win its first league championship in 1980. His team also won the JSL Cup in 1983 and 1984. In 1984, when he retired from playing, he also stepped down as manager of Yanmar Diesel.

Later, in 1991, he became the manager for a rival team, Matsushita Electric (which later became Gamba Osaka). He coached them until 1994.

Other Important Roles

Beyond football, Kamamoto also entered politics. In July 1995, he was elected as a member of the House of Councillors, which is part of Japan's parliament. He served in this role until July 2001.

Honours

Individual Awards

• Summer Olympics football top scorer: 1968
• Japanese Footballer of the Year: 1966, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981
• Japan Soccer League Top Scorer: 1968, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978
• Japan Soccer League Best Eleven (chosen as one of the best players): 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
• Japan Soccer League Assists leader: 1973, 1975
• Japan Soccer League Star Ball Award: 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972
• Japan Soccer League Fighting Spirit Award: 1968
• Japan Soccer League 100 goals Award: 1974
• Japan Soccer League 200 goals Award: 1981
• Asian All Stars: 1967, 1968
• MasterCard Asian/Oceanian Team of the 20th Century: 1998
• Japan Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2005

See also

In Spanish: Kunishige Kamamoto para niños

• List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals