If you’ve been into the game of billiards for a while, you may have heard of Masako Katsura. This famous billiards player has made a name for herself as a top-notch player and has become an influence on the sport in general. However, there are still some things you might not know about her.
Japanese Women’s Rail Tournament
When Masako Katsura was only 15 years old, she won the Japanese women’s straight rail tournament. After that, she toured Japan and China with her sister, Noriko. She also mastered three-cushion billiards and became Japan’s first female professional player.
Masako Katsura was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1913. Her father died when she was twelve. Masako was raised by her mother and older sister. As a teenager, Katsura excelled in billiards. In her first professional match, she scored over 10,000 points in four and a half hours.
Japanese Billiards Championship
Before World War II, billiards was a male sport, but after the war, Japan rejoined American friendly competition. Katsura played against men of twice her age in the billiard halls. She was also trained by Kinrey Matsuyama, a Japanese billiards champion. Then, she moved to the United States.
Katsura traveled to Formosa, Taiwan, and China. She also competed in local and national billiards tournaments. During her career, she won several billiards championships, including the national three-cushion billiards championship.
Career of Masako Katsura
The career of Masako Katsura, a famous billiards player in Japan, was one of the most successful in the history of billiards. She was the first woman to be recognized as an international billiards player.
Rail Billiards Championship
Masako Katsura was born in 1913 in Tokyo, Japan. Her father passed away when she was twelve, so her mother raised her alone. At fifteen, she won the women’s straight-rail billiards championship. In the same year, she met Kinri Matsuyama, a billiards expert who tutored her in the game.
Masako Katsura was married to an American serviceman, Vernon Greenleaf, in 1950. Greenleaf was stationed in Tokyo at the time, and he asked her to teach him a few billiards tricks. After they met, they fell in love. They were married on November 30, 1950.
When she was fourteen, she began working at a billiards club in Tokyo. While she was there, she mastered three cushion billiards. She then emigrated to the United States in 1951.
Most Successful Billiards Players
Masako Katsura was a Japanese billiards star who became internationally famous in the late 1950s. She was also the first female to compete in a world billiards tournament, and one of the most successful billiards players of all time.
Traditional Japanese Family
Masako Katsura was born in 1913 in Tokyo, Japan. She was the second daughter of a traditional Japanese family. Her father passed away when she was twelve, and she was raised by her mother alone.
When she was fifteen, she won the women’s straight rail championship in Japan. It was the beginning of a successful career for Katsura. After her marriage in 1950, she moved to the United States with her husband.
Basic Billiards Tricks
In 1948, Katsura met Vernon Greenleaf, an American serviceman stationed in Japan. Greenleaf was interested in billiards, and asked Katsura to teach him the basic billiards tricks. They fell in love, and were married on November 30, 1950.
Katsura started playing billiards at age 14, and began to earn a living from her skill as a professional. Her family owned a billiards hall, and she began to work as an attendant.
Most Influential Players in the World
During the late 20th century, Masako ‘Katsy’ Katsura was one of the most influential players in the world of pool. A world-class player and author, she won numerous titles and world records in her career. She is considered to be the greatest woman billiards player ever. In addition to her achievements, Katsura also helped to popularize the sport in Japan.
As a child, Katsura developed an interest in billiards. At age 12, her father passed away, and she was sent to live with her older sister and her husband. They were both avid pool players. Her brother-in-law owned a billiard hall.
When she was 15, Katsura won a national women’s straight rail tournament. After that, she began to play in international men’s billiards championships.
International Women’s Pool Association
In the early 1970s, Katsura became a professional player. At this time, she also played in the International Women’s Pool Association.
Final words:
After her retirement, Katsura continued to promote the sport through clinics and exhibitions. She wrote several books about billiards in Japan.
