Ryuzo Hiranuma

2020/06/29

Image: September 2, 1939. Ceremonial first pitch at the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League Autumn Season, Meiji Jingu Stadium.

From the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Archives (Donated by the Hiranuma Family)

The decision to hold the next Olympics in Tokyo was officially made. Following this, at the closing ceremony of the ongoing Olympics, a representative of the Japanese Olympic Committee stood on the podium and gave a greeting in Japanese. "The Japanese Olympic Committee has the honor of holding the celebration of the 12th Olympiad in Tokyo. Youth of the world, come to the Tokyo Olympic Games." When the speech by Ryuzo Hiranuma, who was also the head of the Japanese delegation, was translated into German, shouts of "Tokyo, Tokyo" echoed through the Berlin Olympic Stadium along with applause.

Ryuzo Hiranuma was born in 1879 in Hiranuma-cho, Yokohama. Hiranuma's grandfather, Kyubei V, was a successful merchant who reclaimed an inlet in Kanagawa Bay to develop an area known as Hiranuma Shinden. In 1859, the undeveloped village of Yokohama was opened as a port, and the Yokohama-michi road, connecting the Tokaido road to Yokohama Port through Hiranuma Shinden, was opened the day before the port's opening after three months of intensive construction. Yukichi Fukuzawa, who had opened a school for Dutch studies in Edo, likely traveled this Yokohama-michi when he visited the newly opened Yokohama to test his language skills.

At the age of 10, Hiranuma entered the Keio University Yochisha Elementary School. Life in the Mita dormitory, which he entered shortly after, seemed to suit his nature, and he grew remarkably robust. On the Mita campus, there were sumo rings, horizontal bars, and sandpits for pole vaulting; Hiranuma was more enthusiastic about exercise and play than studying. Playing tag in the trees in the garden was forbidden, but even if he was caught and dragged down, he would climb back up to play as soon as the adults were gone.

When he was in the fourth grade at Yochisha, Hiranuma was poked with an iron bar and developed a large bruise under his eye. When he returned home on Sunday, a maid named Chika was surprised by the bruise and questioned him out of concern. An irritated Hiranuma threw a magazine at her; it hit Chika in the face, causing her nose to bleed, and she hurriedly left the room. Watching her go, Hiranuma deeply regretted his actions. From this experience, Hiranuma took it to heart that he must never act arrogantly toward subordinates and must be kind and gentle toward others, shaping his mild-mannered personality.

Matao Nagayo (later a Ph.D. in Medicine and President of Tokyo Imperial University), who was Hiranuma's classmate during their Yochisha days, revealed in later years that looking at their grade reports from that time, he was actually 4th in the class while Hiranuma was 3rd. He recalled, "I know well that (Hiranuma) was head and shoulders above the rest in sports and rowdiness. Hiranuma was good at throwing balls, and we often played ball-tag together." Hiranuma often spoke of his memories of Yochisha and happily attended alumni meetings. The title lettering for the "Yochisha Alumni Association Bulletin" is still Hiranuma's calligraphy today, something Hiranuma himself took great pride in.

Hiranuma's dormitory life continued after graduating from Yochisha. During the same period, Yukichi Fukuzawa was in his later years, but he would occasionally show his face at the dojo where Hiranuma practiced judo. Living on the same Mita campus, Hiranuma would see his face and hear his voice. Fukuzawa's spirit undoubtedly reached Hiranuma naturally. Hiranuma cited "devoting one's heart to independence and self-respect and physical education" as the most important point to learn from Fukuzawa. He also recalled being told every time they polished rice, "When you return to your hometowns, strive to debunk superstitions like lucky directions or charms among the elderly. Also, make a great invention that benefits the world within your lifetime; if not, make a lot of money and protect inventors so they can make great inventions." With his characteristic humor, Hiranuma added that he himself "has yet to make an invention or make money" (from "Fukuo Kunwa").

"Hiranuma is a department store of sports. However, it's a 10-cent store; there are many items, but none are high quality," a sharp-tongued friend once said. Hiranuma admitted this, saying, "Because I did so many things indiscriminately, I never became proficient in any one thing. I am wide but shallow. This might not be a good thing for a sportsman, but in a period of transition, I think someone like me might ultimately serve to encourage exercise." Although Hiranuma tried every sport, he was so dedicated to sumo that he said, "If asked what I like best, I want to answer sumo." However, he said, "Baseball was what I practiced professionally and formally," and once he became a regular player, he quit sumo and judo to focus solely on baseball.

To help with the family business, Hiranuma left Mita after attending the new college system for about a year and a half. However, even after later sitting in local and national assemblies and serving as a director for many companies, his passion remained directed toward sports and stayed with the sports of the Keio University. One of Hiranuma's boasts was that after graduation, he won the alumni race at the athletic meet 13 times in a row. He also participated as an alumnus when the Keio baseball team played against a foreign baseball club in Yokohama. In a game they lost heavily 30 to 1, Hiranuma was caught between second and third base and touched third base by crawling through the opponent's legs. However, the umpire reportedly declared him out, saying that crawling under a player holding the ball was an out. Furthermore, for the baseball team's second American tour, Hiranuma served as general manager, traveling to various locations and returning with a record of 14 wins, 15 losses, and 2 ties.

Born into a wealthy family and living a life that Shinzo Koizumi described as "living within sports," Hiranuma, who loved funny stories and never lost his sense of humor, appeared to lead a life full of smooth sailing and happiness. Yet, there was a period of deep grief. During the Russo-Japanese War, he lost his mother in a fall accident at Hiranuma Station while seeing off departing soldiers. During the Great Kanto Earthquake, although his wife Fumi and many of their children escaped to the garden, his young fourth daughter and fourth son were trapped under the building.

Hiranuma left Hiranuma-cho, which was filled with memories of his beloved children, and moved to a Western-style house he built in Sawatari, Yokohama. On a site spanning 3,000 tsubo, he drew the blueprints himself to design sports facilities such as tennis courts, a baseball field, and a dojo. For example, for the horizontal bar in the hallway of the house, he devised a mechanism to raise the ceiling in that specific area so that a giant swing could be performed. The sumo ring was called the Hiranuma Stable, and wrestlers such as Sakanoko and Tamatsubaki came to stay and practice alongside businessmen and politicians. Guests who visited almost daily would play whatever sports they liked as much as they wanted. For that purpose, countless sports shirts and shoes were prepared, and after exercise, Chika's homemade "Sports Rice" was served. "Sports Rice," which consisted of curry rice topped with a pork cutlet as large as a wooden clog, was also popular with Prince Chichibu, the "Prince of Sports," who frequently visited the Hiranuma residence. Shinzo Koizumi was also one of many who visited the home of Hiranuma, who was nine years his senior. The "January 2nd Gathering" was an annual tradition where Koizumi and other alumni of Keio sports clubs would gather at the Hiranuma residence to play sports, take a bath, and eat.

There is an anecdote involving his close friend Sakanoko. Hiranuma insisted on staying for a drink in Kanagawa, promising Sakanoko that he would definitely see him to Yokohama Station for an important appointment. When it was time to leave, the rickshaw puller they had kept waiting was nowhere to be found. Hiranuma said, "It's a promise, so I'll pull it," and he put Sakanoko in the rickshaw and ran to the station, making it just in time. Hiranuma was drenched in sweat, but Sakanoko was also in a cold sweat, reportedly saying, "I'm more drenched in sweat than the master from just riding in it."

Hiranuma, who was deeply trusted by the athletes, became the head of the Japanese delegation for the Olympics and the Far Eastern Championship Games, leading athletes to various competitions. In the albums donated by the Hiranuma family to Keio, photos remain of Hiranuma exercising alongside athletes practicing on board ships. Just as preparations and construction were progressing for his long-awaited Tokyo Olympics (the 12th Olympiad), the government decided to forfeit the games due to the expansion of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Furthermore, the hosting of the games in Helsinki, the runner-up, was also canceled due to Germany's invasion of Poland.

In 1943, Hiranuma published "60 Years of Sports Life," reflecting on his half-century. During the war, loanwords were regarded as enemy languages, but he insisted on using the word "sports" despite knowing the criticism. In the preface, Hiranuma wrote the reason: "The point is not the form, but the spirit. It is to firmly grasp the spirit of sports. I believe that words and circumstances are trivial matters." He held a strong conviction that sports included not just the exercise but the spirit itself, and that there was no substitute word. In the preface Koizumi contributed to the book, he described this spirit as "cheerful, bright, fair, and selfless," stating that Hiranuma practiced this in his daily life.

After the war, following the lifting of his purge from public office, Hiranuma served as the mayor of his birthplace, Yokohama, for eight years. During that time, the long-standing issue of releasing land seized by the U.S. military showed gradual progress, and projects contributing to the future development of Yokohama, such as the establishment of Yamashita Pier and the construction of Mitsuzawa Stadium, moved forward. Hiranuma's moment of glory came in the autumn of 1955. The opening ceremony of the 10th National Sports Festival was held at Mitsuzawa Stadium in the presence of Emperor Showa and the Empress, watched by a crowd of 40,000. The final runner of the torch relay, which had been kept secret from everyone, was the 76-year-old Mayor of Yokohama—the "cheerful and optimistic, eternal youth" (Shinzo Koizumi) dressed in a white headband and white shorts. When Hiranuma, called the "Father of Sports," ran half a lap of the track with the torch in hand, ran up the 56 stone steps, and lit the cauldron, the stadium rose in a standing ovation, enveloped in thunderous applause and cheers. At the New Year's Poetry Reading the following year, the Emperor composed a poem: "I watched the valiant figure of the elderly man running, holding high the pine torch."

On the day of the closing ceremony of the National Sports Festival, Hiranuma became the first person in the sports world to receive the Order of Culture. The pension from the Order of Culture was donated to the city, and based on those funds, the Hiranuma Memorial Gymnasium was later built at the entrance of Mitsuzawa Park, overlooked by the "Statue of Mr. Hiranuma" depicting him running with the torch. Similarly, at Keio University, which also received a donation of the pension, the construction of the Hiyoshi Gymnasium was promoted as a result.

Hiranuma, who said, "I want to work for 'Hama' (Yokohama) until I die," passed away in February 1959, just before the end of his second term as mayor. It was truly a life that "devoted its heart to independence and self-respect and physical education." Two months after the city funeral, the completion ceremony for the Hiyoshi Gymnasium was held with Hiranuma's portrait displayed. Additionally, the bust of Hiranuma at the Hiyoshi Athletics Stadium was a gift for his 77th birthday from the many sports organizations he was involved with. At that celebration, he greeted them saying, "If I could see it, there would be no greater joy," referring to the Tokyo Olympics he so anticipated, which were held in 1964.

Fifty-six years have passed since then. The second Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled to open in July this year, has been postponed for one year due to the global spread of COVID-19. One cannot help but hope that the Olympics, called the "Festival of Peace," will overcome the battle against the virus and be held next year.