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

for

. 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 ...

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