Gateball: The Shuffleboard of Japan
Issue Date
2006-04-26Author
Hacker, Randi
Tsutsui, William
Publisher
Center for East Asian Studies, University of Kansas
Type
Recording, oral
Is part of series
Postcards from Asia;0025
Metadata
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Broadcast Transcript: When it comes to Japanese sports, most people think sumo or karate, not . . . gateball. What is gateball anyway? Well, it's a game not unlike croquet invented to address the lack of healthy recreation for Japanese youth. Back in 1947, rubber was expensive, but wood was cheap, so Suzuki Kazunobu came up with a game where players use mallets to knock wooden balls through gates. This slow-moving sport was a flop with the young, but was embraced by the elderly, becoming something of the shuffleboard of Japan. By the 1990s, it was so popular that the police became concerned over reports of white-haired gateballers forcing kids out of parks and fights between geriatric players. Japanese croquet clearly isn't for sissies. #caes #hacker #japan #tsutsui
Description
This is one of hundreds of 60-second radio spots created by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) for Kansas Public Radio (KPR). The purpose of this outreach program is to introduce the people of Kansas to the culture and current issues of East Asia.
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