1921 (Taisho 10) On Sunday, May 1, Hitokoto Taju, a professional baseball player, was born in Rokuai-mura, Shizuoka Prefecture, now Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. He entered the local baseball powerhouse, Shimada Shogyo, and participated in 7 Koshien tournaments: 1937 (Showa 12) spring and summer; 1938 (Showa 13) spring as an outfielder; and 1939 (Showa 14) spring as an ace for 4 consecutive seasons. In the summer tournament, we lost in the final two years in a row to Wakayama Prefecture’s Kaisou Junior High School with the aces of Shima Seiichi and Sanada Juzo.
1941 (Showa 16) Entered Senshu University. In the five major leagues, he recorded no hits and no runs as an ace since the league match in spring of the year. However, his students departed for the front in the 1943 (Showa 18) War, and although they were assigned to 1945 (Showa 20) Naval Special Attack Boat, they did not depart for the war.
After the war, he joined the professional baseball team Tokyo Senators, and while he was the opening pitcher and won six games in the season, he also showed great performance as a fielder, reaching the required at-bat. In the game against Central Japan on April 29 of the same year, he pitched a complete game, giving away 13 farballs, which was the professional baseball record for the most walks winning pitcher until Hideo Nomo pitched a complete game victory against the Seibu Lions on July 2, 1994 with 16 farballs.
After retiring from professional baseball in 1948, he became the manager of professional baseball team Ishikawa-jima Harima. He died in 2010 at the age of 88.
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