Kikuchi Kan Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 15 (1961) award
Osamu Mihara
みはら おさむ
Mihara Osamu
Aliases:
三原 修
Pen Names:
Osamu Mihara (as 三原 修)（Used in early career as player/manager and on early publications）,
Osamu Mihara (as 三原 脩)（Name form used from 1951; later adopted legally）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1911-11-21 （Kannomura (Kami-no Village), Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture (now Mannō), Japan）
- Died
- 1984-02-06 age 72
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kagawa Prefecture (Kannomura, now Mannō), Japan → Osaka Prefecture (moved for employment and played for All Osaka) → Tokyo (worked with Yomiuri, Taiyo, Yakult and later teams/executive duties)
Career
- Occupations
- Professional baseball player, Baseball manager, Team executive, Journalist, Author
- Active Years
- 1934-1983
- Affiliations
- Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo Giants), Nishitetsu Lions (Saitama Seibu Lions), Taiyo Whales (Yokohama DeNA BayStars), Kintetsu Buffaloes (Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes), Yakult Atoms (Tokyo Yakult Swallows), Nippon Ham (President / Team representative; Nippon-Ham Fighters)
- Influenced By
- Sadayoshi Fujimoto, Shigeru Mizuhara
- Influenced
- Kazuhisa Inao, Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Futoshi Nakanishi
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kagawa Prefectural Marugame Middle School (old system) | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Kagawa Prefectural Takamatsu Middle School (old system) | — | — | — | — | Japan |
| Waseda University | — | — | — | — | Japan |
Kagawa Prefectural Marugame Middle School (old system)
Country:
Japan
Kagawa Prefectural Takamatsu Middle School (old system)
Country:
Japan
Waseda University
Country:
Japan
Attended; left before graduation (returned once then left again)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame | — | — | Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum | 選出（競技者表彰） |
| 1961 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | — | — | Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
1983
Organization:
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Result:
選出（競技者表彰）
Kikuchi Kan Prize
1961
Organization:
Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
My Baseball Life
1947 Memoir / SportsA memoir recounting early years as player and manager, outlining tactical views and experiences mainly from the Giants era and pre-/post-war periods.
strategymanagerial theorymemoir
A Manager Must Battle the Stands Too
1963 Essay / TacticsDiscusses managerial approach, psychological aspects, and relationships with fans and media.
psychological tacticsdecision-makingmedia relations
Mihara Notes
1964 Tactical notes / CoachingCollection of tactical memos and concrete examples of player usage and strategy.
player deploymentstrategytraining methods
To Win: Study of Luck and Reading in Competition
1973 Essay / Practical theoryAnalyzes factors in winning and emphasizes the roles of 'luck' and 'reading' (anticipation) in competition.
fortunegame psychologystrategy
Trajectory of Storms: The True Record of My Baseball Life
1983 Autobiography / RetrospectiveA late-life retrospective covering managerial and executive experiences, including famous episodes such as the celebrated series clashes.
memoirmanagerial philosophybaseball history
Bibliography
- My Baseball Life (1947)
- My New Baseball Tactics (1948)
- Youth Baseball Reader (1949)
- A Manager Must Battle the Stands Too (1963)
- Mihara Notes (1964)
- Modern Baseball (translation, 1971)
- To Win: Study of Luck and Reading in Competition (1973)
- Trajectory of Storms: The True Record of My Baseball Life (1983)
- The Art of Managing People: From My Baseball Life (1983)
Adaptations
- Enoken's Home Run King (appeared)
- The Iron Arm Pitcher: The Inao Story (consultant/supervisor, 1959)
Translations by Author
- Gil Hodges' Methods: Modern Baseball (translation)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- practical, concise proseemphasis on tactics and psychological aspects
- Recurring Motifs
- luck/fortuneassigning players by fitpsychological gamesmanship
Health
-
diabetes mellitus晩年（持病・慢性）Complications contributed to heart failure and were a factor in his death
-
heart failure1984年2月Direct cause of death
-
gunshot wound to the thigh日中戦争（従軍中）Sustained during military service; affected his playing career thereafter
Legacy
Osamu Mihara was a central figure in Japanese professional baseball as player, journalist, masterful manager and executive. His 3,248 managerial games are the NPB record and his 1,687 wins rank second all-time. He built Nishitetsu's golden era, led Taiyo to historic success, and rebuilt several clubs; he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Museums
- Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Japan (collections held by Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Opened in 1959
Archives
- Yomiuri Shimbun archives (materials and contributions)
- Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (personal papers and induction records)
In Popular Culture
- Served as consultant/supervisor on the film 'The Iron Arm Pitcher: The Inao Story' (1959)
- The series-versus-Giants referred to as 'the duel of Ganryūjima' became a famed episode in baseball lore
Quotes
-
God, Buddha, Inao
Source: 1956 Japan Series (victory celebration remark / recollection) (1956)
Trivia
- Holds the NPB record for most managerial games: 3,248.
- His 1,687 managerial wins rank second all-time in NPB history.
- Sometimes cited as the first contracted player of the original Yomiuri professional team (1934).
- Changed the kanji of his name from '修' to '脩' in 1951; legally adopted '脩' in 1981.
- Recipient of the Kikuchi Kan Prize (1961) — one of the first awardees from the sports world.