Women in sports are looked at with a patriarchal viewpoint even today in the 21st century. While some argue that men and women being built differently is why they should be treated differently when it comes to sports, there are enough examples to prove that there’s always an exception to the rules. One such dazzling example is Masako Katsura, the woman who broke the gender barriers and went on to become the trailblazer for many women to dive into sports.
Katsura entered the world of sports through a rather uncommon route – billiards. Here is her incredible story.
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How Masako Katsura Broke Gender Barriers With Her Exceptional Skills
Katsura emerged as a billiards icon after a rather dramatic match. In 1952, the world of billiards witnessed a historic clash between Willie Hoppe, a well-established player, and an unlikely opponent in the form of a petite Japanese woman named Masako Katsura. In the much-publicized match, many were convinced of Hoppe’s victory.
Katsura won the match with her exceptional skills that her mentors were already convinced were extraordinary. Unfortunately, the media’s focus was more on her gender than her skills – and not even through a lens that showed how difficult it is to acquire those skills despite being the suppressed gender.
The match became even more sensational when Hoppe, a 51-time world champion, allegedly treated her with less-than-gentlemanly conduct. In fact, throughout her career as an exceptional billiards player, the media was always more focused on her gender.
Headlines often described her as a “real Japanese cue-tee” and a “little lady” capable of making billiard balls “explode” or “behave like chastened children”. Though the media never recognized her worth in the initial days of her career, it was her opponents who did – perhaps because they knew the intricacies of the game and valued the competition she brought to the table. Her fellow players like Willie Hoppe highly respected Katsura’s prowess.
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Katsura’s Journey To Becoming The ‘First Lady Of Billiards’
Katsura was born in Tokyo in 1913 and her journey into the world of billiards began at the age of 14. Katsura’s mother has played a pivotal role in her journey, as she majorly guided her. Her mother has a vision of strengthening the weak constitution the country had at the time, which is why she let her daughter pursue sports. Little did she know that it would her daughter to become a historic figure in the sports world.
By the 1920s, Tokyo’s billiard halls were buzzing and Katsura’s talent was bound to be discovered. It first caught the eye of Kinrey Matsuyama, Japan’s reigning billiards champion. Katsura started taking billiards lessons from him and excelled. She even went on to win the Japanese women’s straight-rail championship at the age of 15.
As Katsura was on her way to gaining world-level recognition, World War II interrupted her pursuits. However, after the war ended, she started performing billiard tricks for American troops which inadvertently launched her career as a global player.
Call it talent or call it luck, Katsura’s skills caught the eye of an American soldier, who was impressed enough to reach out to his father – a billiards champion – about it. “This girl is better than you are!” the soldier wrote to his father, none other than the champion Welker Cochran.
Cochran was curious to meet this woman and see her skills after receiving the message and asked Katsura to visit the US. In 1951, Katsura moved to California, as she was set to introduce her finesse to the American billiards scene.
Billiards in America (or anywhere else in the world) was a male-dominated domain. As soon as she entered it, Welker Cochran knew she was no ordinary woman. He went on to become her manager and supported her career fiercely through all adversities that came her way. Cochran believed that Katsura possessed the skill to compete against the best male players, and he was determined to prove it to the world.
Katsura etched her name in history as the first woman to compete in an international billiards tournament, paving the way for women in the sport.
In the years that followed, Katsura continued to rank among the best in international tournaments, appearing on network television shows in 1958. However, after a tough loss that she faced in 1961, she retired from competitive play.
In the 1970s, billiards changed with the establishment of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association. The board recognized Katsura’s significant contribution and inducted her into the Hall of Fame. She soon became to be known as the First Lady of Billiards.
However, she returned to Japan and left behind a legacy that transcends gender and continues to inspire players. A few years down the line, Katsura passed away in 1995, but her impact on billiards remains etched in history.
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