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Who Was Masako Katsura?
Masako Katsura is a cult character. She was the first female billiards player who won a game that males only played in the past. In the process, she opened the door for women of all ages not only to play and make important contributions to the game. Masako “Katsy” Katsura was the first female player on the world stage of billiards.
Masako was a first-of-its-kind competitor in a sport traditionally dominated by males who quickly established an impact in Japan. After that, she started to take over the world, dubbed”the “First Lady of Billiards, taking part – and even winning in international tournaments against any player.
Masako Katsura
Here are some basic details about her.
Native Name: Gui masaZi
Born: 7 March 1913 (Tokyo, Imperial Japan)
Nationality: Japanese
Citizenship: American
Occupation: Carom Billiards Player
Died: 20 December 1995 (Japan)
Spouse: Vernon Greenleaf (1950- 1967)
Early Days In Tokyo
Masako Katsura started playing billiards when she was 14. Born in Tokyo in 1913, and was raised in an extremely strict family. When her father passed away, her mother was more cautious of her and encouraged her to take up Billiards. Masako was suffering from health issues from the time she was young.
Masako Katsura was weak and always exhausted. Ultimately, her mother advised her to play Billiards to help strengthen her physically and mentally. Billiards was extremely popular in Tokyo during the 1920s. Masako Katsura’s brother-in-law had a pool hall which allowed her to discover her talent. Naturally, she was offered employment at the billiards hall and started playing daily.
At age 15, she was able to win her first title. In the process, she attracted interest from Kinrey Matsuyama, who was Japan’s reigning champion during the time. Matsuyama, often called Japanese Willie Hoppe, began instructing Katsura, a teenager. Katsura. Also, he was the person who introduced her to three-cushion billiards.
Katsura gave grace to the game and paved the way for her goals with her ability to the elusive shots and her heightened skill using three-cushion billiards.
Titles and Marriage
Venom Greenleaf was a member of the United States Army for nearly 22 years as a sergeant. Vernon, along with Katsura, first met at the Tokyo social club. Greenleaf quickly became a fan of Katsura and began to learn from her. Both were excellent in their respective areas. They got married in 1947, but they never had children.
At the same time, Masako Katsura made it to the semifinals in Japan’s national three-cushion championship. But she fell at the end of her run. She finished runner-up three times. She also surpassed 10,000 points in a row along the straight railway. She stopped at the number, as it was used as an indicator point.
Masako Katsuro makes an impact playing pool.
Masako quickly became extremely skilled in the game due to all her training until the point at which she was able to compete in tournaments, taking on the field and beating Japanese players from all the surrounding cities.
Masako katsura Achievements
Masako is a renowned Billiards player from Japan who is regarded by many as one of the best players in the sport’s history. She has won numerous international tournaments and is known to be one of the top players in the sport’s history. Masako Katsura started swimming very young and quickly became prominent in Japan. Japanese game. Here’s a lengthy list of her professional honors:
-2000 World 10-Ball Championship
-2001 World 8-Ball Championship
-2002 World Straight Pool Championship
-2003 World 9-Ball Championship
-2004 World 10-Ball Championship
-2005 World 8-Ball Championship
-2006 World Straight Pool Championship
-2007 World 9-Ball Championship
-2008 Derby City Classic – Masters Division
-2009 US Open 9 Ball Championships
-2010Turning Stone Casino Resort – Verona, NY WPBA National Tour Stop
-2011 Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort – Mt. Pleasant, MI WPBA National Tour Stop
-2012 Turning Stone Casino Resort – Verona, New York WPBA National Tour Stop – Lake Charles, LA – 2013 WPBA National Tour Stop at the L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort
-2014 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Hollywood, FL WPBA National Tour Stop
-2015 Bally’s Atlantic City – AC Classic WPBA National Tour Stop
-2016 Inducted into the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) Hall of Fame.
-2017 World 9-Ball Championship
-2018 World 9-Ball Championship
-2019 World 10-Ball Championship
-2020 WPBA National Tour Stop at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida
– 2021Induction Ceremony for the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) Hall of Fame
Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) Hall of Fame inductee for 2016 and 2021.
Final Years
Masako Katsura’s life was fascinating throughout. One of the main reasons she was famous was that she became the very first female athlete in a male-only tournament in the year. She passed away in 1995, after her return back to Japan after a short period. In 2002 the memorial ceremony was held in honor of Katsura. Katsura was also featured in the Google Doodle for International Women’s Day in 2021. Masako from carom billiards will be remembered for all time.
