She claimed the runner-up spot for a third time the year of her marriage. Īt the time of their marriage Katsura already boasted two second-place finishes at Japan's national three-cushion championship one from the year prior to their wedding. They were married on 30 November 1950, but never had any children. Greenleaf began taking lessons from Katsura and was quickly smitten with her. Katsura and Greenleaf first met in a Tokyo service club where she was giving billiard exhibitions. Army's Quartermaster Corps who had been in the armed services for 22 years. Marriage and titles in Japan ĭuring 1947 Katsura caught the eye of American serviceman Vernon Greenleaf (no relation to the pool and carom billiards champion Ralph Greenleaf), a master sergeant in the U.S. By 1947, Katsura was a long-established billiard star in Japan-the country's only female professional player. Matsuyama was impressed with Katsura and began teaching her top level play. national champion in 1934, was the runner-up three other times and had four second-place finishes in world competition at 18.2 balkline prior to World War II. In 1937, Katsura met Kinrey Matsuyama, who had won Japan's national three-cushion championship multiple times. Katsura's two younger sisters, Noriko and Tadako, also won the women's straight rail championship in other years. "Then I turned professional and began touring with a sister all over Japan, China and Formosa", said Katsura in a 1959 interview. At just 15, Katsura won the women's championship straight rail tournament of Japan. Katsura practiced diligently, and began competing against Japanese men and beating them. Katsura also had a billiard table at home, bought by her family after she showed intense interest in the sport. Kobashi was a fine player and taught Katsura the fundamentals of various carom billiards games. By 13 she was spending time in her brother-in-law's billiard room, and by 14 she was working as a billiard attendant there. Their father died when Katsura was 12 years old and she went to live with her elder sister and her sister's husband, Tomio Kobashi, who owned a billiard parlor. Little is known about Katsura's childhood in Japan. Masako Katsura was born on 7 March 1913 in Tokyo. Masako Katsura, from an interview by Jimmy Cannon, excerpted in Byrne's Advanced Technique in Pool and Billiards (1990) If I hit no good, my brother-in-law, after billiard parlor closed, say this shot no good. Every day I practice, Soon I play with many men. I practice before parlor open every day for two hours. She is remembered not only for her skill and success as a player but also for her grace, style, and determination in the face of adversity. Masako Katsura's cause of death was getting aged. She moved back to Japan around 1990 and died in 1995. Katsura disappeared from the sport thereafter, only making a brief impromptu appearance in 1976. In 1959, she made two television appearances on ABC's You Asked for It, and one on the CBS primetime television hit What's My Line? Katsura returned to competition in 1961, playing a challenge match for the World Three-Cushion title against Worst, then reigning world champion, and was defeated by him. She made 30 exhibition appearances in 1958, and went on a one-week exhibition engagement the following year with Harold Worst, but did not compete in any professional tournaments. Little was seen of Katsura for the next few years. In 19, she again competed for the world three-cushion crown, taking fifth and fourth places respectively. Her fame cemented, Katsura went on an exhibition tour of the United States with eight-time world champion Welker Cochran, and later with 51-time world champion Willie Hoppe. Katsura was the first woman ever to be included in any world billiards tournament. There she was invited to play in the 1952 U.S.-sponsored World Three-Cushion Championship, ultimately taking seventh place at that competition. Army non-commissioned officer in 1950, Katsura emigrated to the United States in 1951. In exhibition she was noted for running 10,000 points at the game of straight rail.Īfter marrying a U.S. In competition in Japan, she took second place in the country's national three-cushion billiards championship three times. First learning the game from her brother-in-law and then under the tutelage of Japanese champion Kinrey Matsuyama, Katsura became Japan's only female professional player. Katsura blazed a trail for women in the sport by competing and placing among the best in the male-dominated world of professional billiards. Masako Katsura ( 桂 マサ子, Katsura Masako, listen ⓘ 7 March 1913 – 1995), nicknamed " Katsy" and sometimes called the " First Lady of Billiards", was a Japanese carom billiards player who was most active in the 1950s.
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