Masako Katsura was a pioneer in the field of billiards. The first woman to compete in a world billiards championship and the first international tournament for three-cushion billiards, she blazed a trail for women in a sport traditionally dominated by men.
Masako Katsura was a world-class billiards player
Masako Katsura was born in Tokyo in 1913 and began playing billiards at the age of 14. She was raised by her conservative mother who encouraged her to take up sports. Katsura had health problems from an early age, but billiards helped her to become more physically fit and able to withstand physical activity.
Katsura moved to the USA in 1951. It was a male-dominated environment and it was not common for women to compete in billiards. But as she grew older, she gradually became a talented player. She started entering tournaments and beat male players in the area.
She was instrumental in paving the way for other women to compete in billiards. She was one of the most skilled players of the 1950s and 60s and ranked near the top in nearly every international tournament she entered. Despite losing in the 1961 world championship to Harold Worst, she won numerous other competitions, and made billiards a more accessible sport for women.
She was the first woman to compete in an international billiards tournament
By the end of the 1940s, Katsura was already a top billiards player, having placed second in two Japanese three-cushion championships. She met an American serviceman named Vernon Greenleaf, who was stationed in Tokyo. The two became lovers and soon got married. Katsura’s husband was transferred to San Francisco, and she was sent to live with him.
Katsura’s father died when she was just twelve years old. She grew up with her older sister and her husband, Tomio Kobashi. While living with them, Katsura was introduced to billiards. She started playing the sport at age thirteen, and by the time she was fourteen, she had already become a natural at it. The following year, she was working at a billiard parlor as an assistant.
Katsura was a pioneer in the billiards world, and her accomplishments were widely recognized and admired. In the United States, billiards was mostly a male-dominated sport. She was praised by other billiards players, including Japanese champion Kinrey Matsuyama. As a result, she rose up in the ranks.
She was the first woman to compete in the world’s three-cushion championship
Katsura began her career at an early age, winning the Japanese women’s straight rail championship at age 15 and becoming Japan’s first professional three-cushion player three years later. In 1953, she made history by becoming the first woman to compete in the world’ three-cushion championship. In 1954, she won the World Three-Cushion Tournament in Buenos Aires. Her incredible success in the sport helped her become one of the best-known billiard players.
Katsura first met Verner Greenleaf at an exhibition in 1947. He was stationed at the Haneda Air Base in Tokyo, Japan, and became fascinated by Katsura. He later asked her to train him in billiards techniques, and the two fell in love. The two married on November 30, 1950.
Katsura played in exhibition matches against Ray Kilgore and William Cochran, who were both men. The match was a 600-point three-cushion. Kilgore said it was difficult for him to win, but he thought Katsura was amazing. Katsura defeated Cochrane 50-33 in 45 innings. Katsura was invited to the 1953 Argentine Open with Kirgoa and Cochrane. The Japanese women were able to win three out of four matches.
She made a name for herself in a sport that was dominated by men
Masako Katsura amazon made a big name for herself in a sport that was traditionally dominated by men. In 1953, she won the U.S. Women’s Three-Cushion Billiards Championship, a huge accomplishment for a woman. She went on to win the World Three-Cushion Tournament the following year in Buenos Aires. Her name and success in the sport were lauded all over the world.
Katsura died at the age of 82 in 1995. Although the cause of her death is not publicly known, many assume that it was a natural cause. She was 82 years old and had become famous around the world as the “Woman of Billiards”. She was one of the first women to make a name for herself in the sport and paved the way for other women to achieve success in a sport traditionally dominated by men.
Katsura was born in Tokyo, Japan, on 7th March 1913. She grew up with three sisters and a brother. Her elder sister married a man who owned a billiard hall. When she was 14, she began to work there as an attendant. She also took lessons from her brother-in-law, and at fourteen she began her professional career.
