Nobuo Kura
| Date and Place of Birth: | October 14, 1910, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan |
| Date and Place of Death: | 1945 Okinawa |
| Baseball Experience: | Japanese Professional League |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Rank: | Unknown |
| Military Unit: | Unknown |
| Area Served: | Pacific |
Nobuo Kura was born on October 14, 1910 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
He attended Daiichi Shinko Shogyo high school and played in the 1927
Koshien Tournament. He went on to catch for the Hosei University
baseball team.
Kura played industrial league baseball with Nichiman Jitsugyo and when
an American League all-star team toured Japan in 1934, Kura was selected
to play against them as part of the All-Nippon team. Playing against
Babe Ruth, Earl Averill, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer and Jimmie Foxx,
Kura played in four games and got one hit in eight at-bats.
The 24-year-old catcher toured the United States with Dai Nippon in 1935
- Japan's first professional team and forerunner of the Tokyo Giants.
When the Japanese Professional Baseball League started in 1936, Kura was
on the Giants' catching staff. He appeared in just one game during the
1936 spring season and two games in the fall season. In 1937, Kura
played three games in the spring and seven in the fall, batting .231.
Kura didn't play in 1938 but returned to the Giants for three games in
1939, after which he injured his shoulder and retired to become an
umpire. Kura was drafted for military service in 1944 and died during
the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.
Date Added: February 11, 2013
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