Eizo Matsui
| Date and Place of Birth: | November 10, 1918 Tamachi, Hamamatsu City, Japan |
| Date and Place of Death: | May 28, 1943 Yao Jiafang, Hubei Province, China |
| Baseball Experience: | College |
| Position: | Pitcher/Outfielder |
| Rank: | Unknown |
| Military Unit: | 34th Infantry Regiment, Imperial Japanese Army |
| Area Served: | China |
Eizo Matsui was born in Tamachi, Hamamatsu City, Japan on November
10, 1918. In the summer of 1930, while in junior high school, he
participated as a pitcher in Group A of the Japan Youth Baseball
Tournament that was held at Waseda University’s Tozuka Stadium. Matsui’s
team won the tournament and repeated the feat the following year.
With enthusiasm for high school baseball at fever pitch, there was a
great deal of attention put on the young Matsui. Chairperson Kenzo Endo
of the Gifu Shogyo (Commercial & Business) High School Baseball Booster
Club made the following offer to Matsui’s father, Hanjiro: "Absolutely
no money shall be paid. However, our school shall raise young Eizo to
become an outstanding human being, and we shall take responsibility for
his cultivation until he graduates from university."
Chairperson Endo’s offer was accepted. Matsui left Hamamatsu and was
raised under the supervision of Kenzo Endo. Matsui first transferred to
Gifu Kinka High School. He then entered the Gifu Shogyo High School in
1932. Chairperson Endo and his wife did not have any children of their
own, and they treated Matsui as if he were a son.
In the spring of Matsui's second year in high school, the Gifu Shogyo
High School baseball team won the National High School Baseball
Invitational Tournament. Despite being only 14 years old, Matsui’s
performance as the winning pitcher was outstanding. In the spring of
1935, Gifu Shogyo won the national tournament again, becoming the top
high school baseball team in Japan for the second consecutive year. This
time Matsui contributed to the victory both on the mound and with his
bat.
In 1936, Gifu Shogyo battled through a Tokai Region Tournament to secure
the school's first-ever berth in the Summer High School Baseball
Tournament held at Koshien Stadium. Their opponent in the championship
game was Heian High School, a team that had finished as runner-up twice
in the past. Matsui held Heian to just one run to capture the tournament
victory. Matsui set Koshien records of 11 wins in the National High
School Baseball Invitational Tournament and 3 homeruns in a single game
(achieved during the summer of 1936 against Morioka Shogyo).
After graduating from high school, Matsui played Tokyo Big 6 baseball
with Waseda University. His debut came during Waseda's first autumn
league game versus Rikkyo University as a relief pitcher in the bottom
of the 9th inning with the score tied. Matsui held the Rikkyo offense
scoreless until the 11th inning to earn the win.
Due to an injury to his shoulder, Matsui shifted to the outfield from
1939, and quickly became Waseda’s leading hitter. In 1940, he was
selected to play for the Japanese team in the East Asian Games
commemorating the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of the Empire of
Japan.
After graduating from Waseda University in 1941, Matsui entered
employment at Fujikura Electrical Wire Company, which fielded a powerful
inter-city baseball team. On February 1, 1942, Matsui enlisted in the
34th Infantry Regiment. In May of the same year, he entered the
Toyohashi Military Academy, graduating in October and being deployed to
China as a cadet. He participated in the Dabie Mountains Operation at
the beginning 1943, and the Jiangnan Operation in April of the same
year. A fierce battle continued in the mountainous regions of China.
On May 28, 1943, Eizo Matsui was killed during a battle in the vicinity
of Yao Jiafang, in Hubei Province, China, while leading his men in an
advance against Chinese troops.
Immediately before departing for the battlefront, Matsui wrote a will
which included the following phrase: "If you hear news of my death in
battle, please imagine a courageous death in which I fought gallantly
and died with a smile on my face."
News of Matsui's death reached the Waseda baseball team days later.
Teammate
Kiyoshi Kondo was shocked and made the following pledge:
"After putting my full effort into my remaining year at university, I
will seek revenge for the death of my dear friend."
Date Added: May 11, 2013
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