Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

LETHBRIDGE NISEIS BASEBALL JACKET

Date

1953

Materials

LEATHER, WOOL, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

6

Length

73

Width

53.5

Description

BLACK AND YELLOW “NISEIS” VARSITY-STYLE BASEBALL JACKET. BODY IS BLACK WOOL, SLEEVES ARE YELLOW LEATHER. BLACK AND WHITE KNIT FABRIC BANDS AT NECK, CUFFS, AND WAIST. SEVEN WHITE PLASTIC BUTTONS. RED COTTON LINING. RIGHT SLEEVE PATCH EMBROIDERED “6”. LEFT SLEEVE PATCH EMBROIDERED “JCCA 53”. CHEST PATCH EMBROIDERED “NISEIS S.A.B.A. CHAMPS”. STAINING AND WEAR ON KNIT BANDS, LOOSE THREADS AT BOTH CUFFS. WORN OVERALL, LEATHER HARDENED.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

SPORTS

History

THIS JACKET BELONGED TO TOM ASATO WHEN, ACCORDING TO HIS BROTHER, DONOR ROY ASATO, HE WAS THE PITCHER OF THE LETHBRIDGE NISEIS IN 1953. ADDITIONALLY, LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES FROM 1957 TO 1960 LIST "TOMMY" ASATO AS CATCHER AND OUTFIELDER. THE NISEIS WERE AN ALL-STAR JAPANESE CANADIAN BASEBALL TEAM SPONSORED BY THE ALBERTA JAPANESE CANADIAN CITIZEN’S ASSOCIATION. THE NISEIS OPERATED FROM 1952 TO 1963 UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF GEORGE YOSHINAKA, WHO PLAYED ON THE LEGENDARY VANCOUVER ASAHI BASEBALL TEAM PRIOR TO HIS FORCED RELOCATION TO THE CROWSNEST PASS DURING THE INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE CANADIANS IN 1941. BOTH TOM AND ROY ASATO PLAYED FOR THE COALDALE CUBS IN THE JAPANESE CANADIAN SUGAR BEET LEAGUE, BEFORE TOM WAS RECRUITED TO PLAY FOR THE NISEIS. IN JUNE 2013, GALT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED ROY ASATO ABOUT HE AND HIS BROTHER PLAYING BASEBALL IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA. ROY SAID: “WELL DAD WAS, WHEN HE FIRST CAME [TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA] HE WAS A DRY LAND FARMER AND HE GOT DRIED OUT SO HE MANAGED TO GO TO JAPAN AND GET MARRIED, HAD KIDS AND HE SAYS FROM NOW ON I AM GOING TO HAVE IRRIGATION, NO DRY LAND, SO HE WAS GROWING POTATOES. EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS WE HAD TO MOVE AND BUILD A ROOT CELLAR EVERY TWO YEARS. SO WE MOVED AROUND QUITE A BIT. LET’S SEE, WHEN WE WERE ABOUT FOURTEEN WE STARTED GOING TO BASEBALL GAMES AND AROUND SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE STARTED PLAYING BASEBALL FOR THE COALDALE CUBS IN THE SUGAR BEET LEAGUE… DAD PLAYED BASEBALL SO HE USED TO TAKE US TO THOSE GAMES... WE STARTED PLAYING BASEBALL EVERY SUNDAY AFTER WORKING ALL WEEK… WELL IT WASN’T EASY. ONCE WE WEEDED THE POTATOES... WE HAD TO PUT THE ONE HORSE CULTIVATOR AND WALK BEHIND. MUST HAVE WALKED TWENTY MILES IN A DAY. ONE HORSE, ONE CULTIVATOR THEN COME SUNDAY IF IT IS NICE, SEEMS LIKE MOST TIME THE WEATHER WAS NICE AND WE PLAYED BASEBALL… WELL I THINK TOM WAS WITH THE NISEIS ALREADY AND HE SAYS HE BUGGERED UP HIS ARMS SEEMS LIKE HE SAID. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS WHEN YOU GO TO DIFFERENT TEAMS AND THE MANAGER OR COACH OR SOMETHING TELLS YOU TO DO CERTAIN WAY TO THROW THE BALL OR SOME DARN THING BUGGERS UP THE ARM EH… SO GEORGE [YOSHINAKA] SAYS TOM WAS PLAYING SECOND BASE, HE CALLED HIM AND HE TOLD HIM TO PITCH. SO TOM THREW A COUPLE OF FAST ONES AND THEY TEED OFF ON HIM SO THE NEXT THING HE SAYS TO THE CATCHER ‘I AM GOING TO SPOT PITCH’ SO HE STARTED THROWING AT THE TARGET… THE PITCHES WERE A LITTLE SLOWER LIKE A HIGH BALL, WOULD BE LIKE A LOB I GUESS. THOSE GUYS WERE POPPING IT UP, HITTING IT ON THE GROUND, THEY WERE GETTING REALLY FRUSTRATED BECAUSE IT WAS A SLOW BALL AND THEY COULDN’T HIT IT SO TOM KEPT ON IT AND HE SAID HE FINALLY WON THE GAME… [TOM] REALLY ENJOYED [PLAYING BASEBALL]… DID HIS BEST WITH IT… I THINK [JAPANESE CANADIAN BASEBALL PLAYERS] REALLY HELPED THE ATHELETES IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA BECAUSE LATER ON EVEN NON-JAPANESE WERE PLAYING ON THIS TEAM.” TOSHIRO 'TOM' ASATO PASSED AWAY ON MAY 5, 2013 AT THE AGE OF 81 YEARS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INCLUDING HARDCOPIES OF LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES AND ASATO'S OBITUARY, A TRANSCRIPT OF A GALT-CONDUCTED INTERVIEW WITH DONOR ROY ASATO, AND A VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH FORMER LETHBRIDGE NISEIS' PLAYER "NOBBY" HAYASHI, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20130011000

Acquisition Date

2013-07

Collection

Museum

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