Club member David Barham experiences historic Tokyo tennis club
East Glos is proud to be a member of the Association of Centenary Tennis Clubs (CTC), comprising 98 clubs in 29 countries. A benefit for members of CTC clubs is the opportunity to arrange introductions to CTC member clubs overseas.
Club member David Barham has recently visited the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club (TLTC).
David takes up the story.
Founded in 1900, coincidentally the same year the first ever Davis Cup match was played, the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club joined the CTC this year. A club with an impressive history at the epicentre of tennis in Japan.
There are some occasions or locations so captivating that they transcend the moment. Occasionally even evoking a consciousness of historical significance. My visit to the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club certainly captured both my curiosity and imagination.
Club manager Katsuma Shibusawa, vice chairperson Junko Kodama and prominent club member Masao Inouye (pictured) extended the warmest of welcomes and set the scene for this sojourn into Japanese tennis history.
David with (L-R) club member Masao Inouye, vice chairperson Junko Kodama and club manager Katsuma Shibusawa. Image 2: On court with Masao.
Following some pleasant formalities and courtesies, Masao Inouye invited me to accompany him onto court one directly adjacent to the clubhouse. After hitting only a few balls, the effortless strokes from Masao’s racket quickly exhibited a high level of ability. Indeed, the very profile of a former Ivy League tennis player who played for Columbia University’s varsity team. This was a tremendous experience which almost summoned the spirit of legends past who had graced these courts.
TLTC’s impressive two-level clubhouse
In 1887, nine years after the first tennis club in Japan was founded, and following a period of dramatic growth in the new game, the British Legation laid out two courts in its Tokyo compound to promote and nurture international goodwill. From this initiative, the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club can directly trace its origins and heritage.
Land donated by the imperial household allowed the club to relocate to Sannencho. When the new ground opened in 1920, the golden age of tennis had burst onto the global stage. This was also a time when both the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club and Japanese tennis flourished.
Club member Ichiya Kumagai became the first Japanese to win an Olympic medal, taking double silver in tennis at the 1920 Antwerp Games. Together with Seiichiro Kashio and fellow club member Zenzo Shimizu, Kumagai would also take Japan all the way to the Davis Cup challenge round final.
Leading international players of the day, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, Bill Tilden and Ellsworth Vines, would bring their calling cards and rackets to play exhibition matches here with a plethora of up-and-coming young Japanese players, including brothers Hyotaro and Jiro Sato and Jiro Yamagishi, all TLTC members. Hyotaro Sato would become Japan’s first tennis professional, while his younger brother would reach the semifinals of three of the four grand slams, achieving a world ranking of three.
Although Japan was now among the leading tennis nations, this stratospheric rise and endless summers of success would vanish almost as quickly as it had been created in the crucible of global turmoil.
Restoration would come in two unlikely figures: US Ambassador Joseph Grew and Allied Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur. Like the British half a century earlier, they understood the benefits of cross-cultural integration through sport. MacArthur was part of the US delegation that travelled to Antwerp for the 1920 Olympics and may even have met Kumagai.
The TLTC was now established at its new location in Minami Azabu. The club’s third move in as many decades. Shortly after Japan restored self-government, a new clubhouse was built. The club had displayed remarkable resilience and successfully navigated a period of dramatic change.
When Jack Kramer brought his fellow professionals, Gonzalez, Segura and Sedgeman to the TLTC for a series of exhibition matches, the Cinderella story had become reality. Not only had the spirit of the founders survived, ‘promoting international friendship through tennis’, but also a testament of how the club has developed today.
David with Jun Kamiwazumi
The immediate post-war years were also a transformative period in tennis. Could the spirit of modernity and tradition coexist?
The answer came in 1968 with the emergence of the open era. Two club members, Toshiro Sakai and Jun Kamiwazumi, would be in the vanguard. Both would play Davis Cup and enjoy varying degrees of success. For Sakai, it would be some noteworthy Davis Cup victories and winning double gold at the Asian Games. For Kamiwazumi, it would also include the Davis Cup, the finals of the Osaka Grand Prix with Ken Rosewall in 1973, and the Denver WCT with Britain’s Mark Cox in 1974.
Although both are now well into their seventies, they remain active and prominent members of the TLTC. I was also fortunate to meet Jun Kamiwazumi during my visit. It was a delight to listen, all too briefly, about his life on the new professional circuit, together with some of his memories of matches and opponents. Jun is a colourful character who also enjoyed a prolific post-tennis career in television broadcasting, college lecturing, coaching and writing, having written several tennis books.
Periodic developments in the club infrastructure have kept pace with changing times and have been foundational in establishing Minami Azabu as a majestic venue. A series of renovations, reconstructions, and improvements resulted in a phenomenal new two-level clubhouse. The most recent project is an underground car park. Upon its completion, Rolex Japan presented the club with a large clock identical to the one above the entrance to Centre Court at Wimbledon.
A wide and diverse membership of approximately 900 enjoys ten floodlight arakida clay courts, a surface particular to Japan and also used for sumo wrestling. The standard of play is likewise diverse and includes members who have represented Japan in both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
Beyond the courts, the club also provides a vibrant and bustling social hub. Over the decades, the Tokyo skyline has changed dramatically. Proximity to the beautiful Arisugawa Park, however, which borders the club on two sides, provides a tranquil and charming setting. The small adjoining streets support coffee shops and wine bars, which enrich the environment and project an atmosphere somewhere between a leafy suburb and Wimbledon village.
My odyssey provided a glimpse into several aspects of Japanese tennis. Still, it was the club visits which stood out most. Promoting tennis and strengthening international friendships is at the core of TLTC and a worthy testament to their membership of the CTC. My grateful thanks to all at TLTC for making my visit so enjoyable, especially Masao Inouye, who was generous with his time and insight.