Yoshihiro Sakata (坂田好弘) is a rugby union official and former player who gained sixteen full international caps with the
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team, often known as the Cherry Blossoms, Sakura, and more recently The Brave Blossoms (''ブレイブ・ブロッサムズ - Bureibu burossamuzu'') is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia and has ...
1967–1973. He played as
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
for
Kintetsu ''Kintetsu'' is the abbreviation of , or Kintetsu Railway, a Japanese railway corporation.
It may also refer to:
Companies
* Kintetsu Group Holdings, the holding corporation of the Kintetsu Railway
** Kintetsu Bus, a bus company and a subsidiary ...
and
Canterbury RFU and was nicknamed Demi Sakata. He was the first Japanese player to be inducted into the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame.
Early life
Sakata was born 26 September 1942 in
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
, Japan.
[.] He practiced judo before taking up rugby.
Club rugby
He played as
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
for
Kintetsu ''Kintetsu'' is the abbreviation of , or Kintetsu Railway, a Japanese railway corporation.
It may also refer to:
Companies
* Kintetsu Group Holdings, the holding corporation of the Kintetsu Railway
** Kintetsu Bus, a bus company and a subsidiary ...
. He moved to New Zealand in 1969 to be a student at the
University of Canterbury and was the first Japanese player to play for their rugby team. He played provincial rugby for
Canterbury RFU and scored 30 tries in 27 appearances.
He had introduced himself as "Deme" (relating to big eyes) but people instead called him "Demi" (meaning small or half-sized).
International career
He first played for Japan on 12 March 1967 against New Zealand students at Osaka.
In June 1968, he scored four tries in the 23–19 victory against the
Junior All Blacks
The All Blacks XV is the second national rugby union team of New Zealand, after the All Blacks. New Zealand's second national team has had numerous names in its history: Junior All Blacks, New Zealand XV, New Zealand A, New Zealand B, All Blacks ...
.
He was selected for the
1973 Japan rugby union tour of Wales, England and France. On 6 October 1973 he played against a Welsh XV at
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...
, the first representative match between the nations.
The final match of the tour was against France at Bordeaux on 27 October 1973, this was his last cap.
Coaching
After retiring from playing rugby, Sakata has held coaching and administrative roles in the sport.
[.]
Honours
In 2012, Sakata was the 51st player to be inducted into the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame, the first from Japan.
A ceremony was held at
Mizuho Rugby Stadium
due to a naming rights deal with gas heater construction company ''Paloma'', is a rugby stadium in Nagoya, Japan. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches. The stadium holds 15,000 people and was built in 1941.
Overview
It was formerly ...
in
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
.
[.] In the
2021 New Year Honours, Sakata was appointed an honorary
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
, for services to New Zealand–Japan relations and rugby.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakata, Yoshihiro
Living people
1942 births
Sportspeople from Kyoto
Rugby union wings
Japan international rugby union players
World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees
Canterbury rugby union players
Hanazono Kintetsu Liners players
Honorary Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
University of Canterbury alumni