Masako Katsura facts for kids
Katsura lining up a shot at the 1954 World Three-Cushion Billiards tournament in Buenos Aires
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 桂 マサ子 |
| Nickname(s) | Katsy |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Citizenship | American |
| Born | 7 March 1913 Tokyo, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 20 December 1995 (aged 82) Japan |
| Occupation | Professional carom billiards player |
| Spouse(s) |
Vernon Greenleaf
(m. 1950; died 1967) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Japan |
| Sport | carom billiards |
| Turned pro | 1947 |
| Coached by | Tomio Kobashi Kinrey Matsuyama |
| Retired | 1961 |
Masako Katsura (桂 マサ子, Katsura Masako, ; 7 March 1913 – 1995), often called "Katsy" or the "First Lady of Billiards", was a Japanese carom billiards player. She was very active in the 1950s. Katsura was a pioneer for women in sports. She competed and placed well in professional billiards, a sport mostly played by men.
She learned the game from her brother-in-law. Later, Japanese champion Kinrey Matsuyama taught her more. Katsura became Japan's only female professional player. In Japan, she finished second three times in the national three-cushion billiards championship. She was also known for scoring 10,000 points in a row in a game called straight rail during an exhibition.
In 1950, she married an American soldier. Katsura moved to the United States in 1951. In 1952, she was invited to play in the World Three-Cushion Championship. She finished seventh in that competition. Katsura was the first woman ever to play in a world billiards tournament. After this, she became famous. She toured the U.S. with world champions Welker Cochran and Willie Hoppe. In 1953 and 1954, she played in the world three-cushion championship again. She finished fifth and fourth.
Katsura was not seen much in tournaments for a few years. She made TV appearances on You Asked for It and What's My Line? in 1959. In 1961, she played a challenge match for the World Three-Cushion title against Harold Worst, the champion. She was defeated. Katsura then left the sport. She made a short appearance in 1976. She moved back to Japan around 1990 and passed away in 1995.
Contents
Life and Career Highlights
Early Days and Learning Billiards
Masako Katsura was born in Tokyo, Japan, on March 7, 1913. Not much is known about her early childhood. She had three sisters and one brother. When Katsura was 12, her father died. She then went to live with her older sister and her husband, Tomio Kobashi. He owned a billiard parlor.
By age 13, Katsura spent a lot of time in the billiard room. At 14, she worked there as an attendant. Kobashi was a good player and taught Katsura the basics of different carom billiards games. Her family even bought a billiard table for their home because she loved the sport so much. Katsura practiced hard. She started playing against Japanese men and winning.
At just 15, Katsura won Japan's women's championship in straight rail. She later said she became a professional and toured Japan, China, and Formosa with one of her sisters. Katsura's two younger sisters, Noriko and Tadako, also won the women's straight rail championship in other years.
In 1937, Katsura met Kinrey Matsuyama. He had won Japan's national three-cushion championship many times. Matsuyama was very impressed with Katsura and began teaching her advanced playing skills. By 1947, Katsura was a well-known billiard star in Japan. She was the country's only female professional player.
Marriage and Success in Japan
In 1947, Katsura met Vernon Greenleaf, an American soldier. They met in Tokyo where she was giving billiard shows. Greenleaf started taking lessons from Katsura and quickly fell in love with her. They got married on November 30, 1950. They did not have any children.
Before her marriage, Katsura had already placed second twice in Japan's national three-cushion championship. She earned the runner-up spot for a third time in the year she got married. Around that time, she achieved an amazing feat: she scored 10,000 points in a row in a straight rail exhibition. She kept the balls close together, moving them around the table 27 times. This took about four and a half hours. She only stopped at 10,000 points because it was a nice round number. Later, she said her highest score in a row in three-cushion billiards was 19.
Moving to the United States
In 1951, Katsura's husband was moved to a U.S. military base. Katsura, who spoke little English, sailed with him to the United States. They arrived in San Francisco in December 1951. This was just a few months before the 1952 World Three-Cushion Billiards tournament was set to begin there.
Welker Cochran, an 8-time world champion, was hosting the tournament. He had heard about Katsura's amazing skill from Matsuyama. Cochran sent his son to check on her playing. His son reported back that "this girl is better than you are!" The tournament organizers gave Cochran the choice to invite her.
After Katsura arrived in the U.S., she gave a private show for Cochran. He wanted to make sure she was as good as reported. She showed incredible skill, making "almost unbelievable shots." Cochran then officially invited her. He said, "She's the most marvelous thing I ever saw... She's liable to beat anybody, even Willie Hoppe... She's going to give lots of those players fits." To get ready for the tournament, Katsura gave several billiard shows in February 1952.
Competing for a World Title
First Woman in a World Tournament
Masako Katsura's playing in the 1952 World Three-Cushion Billiards title was a historic moment. It was the first time a woman had ever competed for any world billiards title. This happened only ten years after Ruth McGinnis became the first woman invited to play in a men's professional billiard championship in 1942.
The defending champion was Willie Hoppe, who was 64 years old. Hoppe was famous worldwide and would retire later that year with 51 world titles. Before the tournament, many thought Hoppe would easily beat Katsura. But after seeing her play, Hoppe said, "she has a fine stroke and can make shots with either hand. I look forward to playing with her." The public was very interested in a woman player. Life magazine reported that people who knew nothing about billiards came to watch her. They said "Katy" (Masako) "stole the show."
Tournament Play and Results
Ten champions were set to play in the tournament. This included Katsura, her mentor Matsuyama, and the defending champion Willie Hoppe. The tournament lasted 17 days, with each player playing every other player once.
On March 7, 1952, Katsura played her first match against Irving Crane. Crane was the tallest player, while Katsura was described as "so small and doll-like." The match was close, but Crane won 50 to 42. On March 10, Katsura defeated Herb Hardt 50 to 42. She was far behind at one point but scored 15 points quickly to take the lead. The next day, she lost to Joe Chamaco. But on March 12, Katsura surprised everyone by beating Joe Procita 50–43. Spectators called her shots "brilliant" and "sensational."
On March 14, Katsura faced the undefeated Hoppe. She lost 50 to 31. Even though Hoppe was a public favorite, the crowd of over 500 people cheered for Katsura. The next day, she played her mentor, Matsuyama. Matsuyama won a close match, 50 to 48.
On March 18, Katsura easily beat Art Rubin 50–28. But she lost badly to Jay Bozeman on March 20. In her last match on March 21, Katsura won 50–46 against Ray Kilgore. This was a big surprise because Kilgore was considered one of the best players. Katsura had now beaten the only two players in the tournament who had defeated Hoppe.
The tournament ended with Hoppe winning again. Katsura finished in seventh place. This was a great achievement for the first woman to compete in a world billiards championship.
After the competition, Jay Bozeman said, "We've found it hard to believe that a woman could actually step into the best billiard championship in the world and hold her own. Miss Katsura is one of the finest players I've faced." Welker Cochran predicted, "Given another two or three years of American competition and she will be the world's champion.... Masako has opened a new field for women."
Exhibition Tours and Later Years
Touring the United States
Soon after the 1952 championship, Welker Cochran announced he would come out of retirement to tour with Katsura. He said, "Millions of fans want to see this charming first lady of billiards." They started their tour in San Jose, California. They planned to visit many cities across the U.S. The shows included a 100-point straight-rail match and a 50-point three-cushion game. They also performed trick shots. Katsura said before the tour, "I hope my tour will convince women that billiards is not only a man's game. Women can play just as well as men."
Organizers promoted Katsura's unique style and charm. She was a tiny woman, weighing about 88 to 96 pounds and standing 5 feet tall. She wore special kimonos and high heels during her shows. Danny McGoorty, a famous player, said, "Masako was cute! She was thirty-nine years old but she looked twenty-nine. She hopped around that table on her high heels, giving the fans a little smile, and everybody loved her."
However, it was her amazing playing ability that truly made her a sensation. When Cochran returned from his tour with Katsura, he told McGoorty, "you will have trouble with her."
1953 and 1954 World Tournaments
With Hoppe retired, there was excitement about who would win the 1953 world three-cushion crown. Eleven players competed, including Katsura, Matsuyama, and other top players. Katsura won her first match. She later upset the favorite, Ezequiel Navarra. When the tournament ended, Katsura shared fifth place. Ray Kilgore won the world title.
After the 1953 championship, Katsura and Matsuyama gave an exhibition together in Long Beach, California. Katsura easily beat her teacher in balkline games. But Matsuyama won the three-cushion matches. This was their last time playing together closely. Matsuyama passed away in Japan later that year. He was said to have taught all of Japan's top players, and Katsura was his best student.
The 1954 World Three-Cushion tournament was held in Buenos Aires. Only 8 players competed, and Katsura was the only woman. She won her first two matches. She then lost to Ezequiel Navarra but beat his brother, Juan Navarra. Katsura finished in fourth place overall. Harold Worst won the tournament.
Break from the Sport and TV Appearances
Katsura was not seen much in tournaments for the next few years. She made 30 exhibition appearances in 1958. During this time, she published two billiards instruction books in Japan. In 1959, Katsura and Harold Worst played a week-long exhibition match in Chicago. They later took their show to Philadelphia and New York.
On March 1, 1959, Katsura appeared on CBS's popular TV show, What's My Line? This was a guessing game where a panel tried to figure out a person's job or identity. Katsura wrote her name in Japanese characters. The show listed her job as "Professional Billiard Player (World's Women's Champion)." One panelist correctly guessed her job. Later that month, Katsura appeared on ABC's You Asked For It. She showed how TV shows filmed covered wagons crashing. She appeared again on You Asked For It in 1960, demonstrating trick shots.
1961 Title Match
By 1961, there was no longer an organized world three-cushion championship. So, Harold Worst, the champion since 1954, challenged Katsura to defend his title. The match took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 1961. Worst defeated Katsura in six out of seven matches. Katsura then disappeared from the sport.
Life After 1961
Little was heard from Katsura for many years after the 1961 world championship. In 1976, Katsura made a surprise appearance at Palace Billiards in San Francisco. She borrowed a cue stick and easily scored 100 points in straight rail. After this, she smiled, bowed to the crowd, and left the spotlight. She was never seen playing billiards in America again.
Katsura moved back to Japan around 1990 to live with her sister, Noriko. She passed away in 1995. In September 2002, a memorial tournament for Katsura was held in Japan. It was called Katsura Memorial: The First Ladies Three Cushion Grandprix and was shown on TV.
Legacy
On March 7, 2021, Katsura was featured in a Google Doodle on the search engine's home page. This was part of the celebration of International Women's Day.
See also
In Spanish: Masako Katsura para niños
