1920년대 프로야구단 다카라즈카 운동협회(寶塚運動協會)와 조선 원정

Abstract

In 1920, Atsushi Kono, Kiyoshi Oshikawa, and Shin Hashido founded the Nippon Athletic Association, Japan's first professional baseball team, but the Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1, 1923, led to its dissolution. The Nippon Athletic Association was purchased by Ichizou Kobayashi of the Hankyu Railway, who dreamed of creating a professional baseball league, and was reorganized as the Takarazuka Athletic Association in 1924. The Takarazuka Athletic Association was the only professional baseball team in Japan in the 1920s and played until 1929. The Takarazuka Athletic Association had strong ties to Korea. It began its official activities as a baseball team with an expedition to Korea on June 21, 1921, and it was in Korea that it played against the Tenkatsu Baseball Club, the first game between professional teams in Japanese baseball history. The Takarazuka Athletic Association traveled to Korea a total of eight times between 1921 and 1929, including during the Japan Athletic Association period, to play against Business baseball teams in Korea, as well as a Korean all-star team. The Takarazuka Athletic Association had seven Korean players, including SON Hyojun, the first Korean professional baseball player. These Korean players played on baseball teams in Korea after the team was disbanded in 1929 and were the backbone of the Korean baseball scene in the early years after the liberation of Korea in 1945.