Yakyū (Baseball)

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan.^[1] It was introduced to Japan in 1872 by Horace Wilson^[2], who taught at the Kaisei School in Tokyo. The first baseball team was called the Shimbashi Athletic Club and was established in 1878. Baseball has been a popular sport ever since. It is called 野球 (やきゅう; yakyū) in Japanese, combining the characters for fielding and ball.

Professional baseball in Japan first started in the 1920s, but it was not until the Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club (大日本東京野球倶楽部 Dai-nippon Tōkyō Yakyū Kurabu^?) was established in 1934 that the modern professional game had continued success.

It is called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球^?), which simply is a translation of professional baseball.