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Nobuo Kura

 

Date and Place of Birth: October 14, 1910, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Date and Place of Death:    1945 Okinawa
Baseball Experience: Japanese Professional League
Position: Catcher
Rank: Unknown
Military Unit: Unknown
Area Served: Pacific

Nobuo Kura was born on October 14, 1910 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. He attended Daiichi Shinko Shogyo high school and played in the 1927 Koshien Tournament. He went on to catch for the Hosei University baseball team.

Kura played industrial league baseball with Nichiman Jitsugyo and when an American League all-star team toured Japan in 1934, Kura was selected to play against them as part of the All-Nippon team. Playing against Babe Ruth, Earl Averill, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer and Jimmie Foxx, Kura played in four games and got one hit in eight at-bats.

The 24-year-old catcher toured the United States with Dai Nippon in 1935 - Japan's first professional team and forerunner of the Tokyo Giants. When the Japanese Professional Baseball League started in 1936, Kura was on the Giants' catching staff. He appeared in just one game during the 1936 spring season and two games in the fall season. In 1937, Kura played three games in the spring and seven in the fall, batting .231.

Kura didn't play in 1938 but returned to the Giants for three games in 1939, after which he injured his shoulder and retired to become an umpire. Kura was drafted for military service in 1944 and died during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

Date Added: February 11, 2013

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