Japanese baseball great Isao Harimoto, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a five-year-old, has died in Tokyo at the age of 86, according to BBC Sport on Thursday.
Harimoto was one of the most accomplished players in the history of Japanese professional baseball, finishing his 23-year career with a record 3,085 hits.
He remains the only player in Nippon Professional Baseball to have reached the 3,000-hit mark.
Beyond his impressive batting record, Harimoto finished his career with 504 home runs and 319 stolen bases. He was also selected for 18 All-Star games and won seven batting titles.
His achievements earned him a place in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Harimoto was born Jang Hun in Hiroshima in 1940 to Korean parents. His childhood was marked by both discrimination and a serious injury that affected his right hand.
A childhood accident left the hand badly burned, limiting movement in some of his fingers. He subsequently learned to bat and throw left-handed and used a specially designed glove.
At the age of five, Harimoto was in Hiroshima when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city on August 6, 1945.
He later recalled how his mother protected him and his sister with her body during the blast. One of his sisters was killed in the bombing.
Years later, Harimoto would overcome those early challenges to establish himself as one of Japan’s most recognisable baseball figures.
He began his professional career with the Toei Flyers in 1959 and remained with the club for 16 seasons. He subsequently played for the Yomiuri Giants and Lotte Orions before retiring in 1981 after 2,752 games.
His best period came in the late 1960s, when he won four consecutive batting titles from 1967 to 1970. That achievement was later equalled by Ichiro Suzuki.
Harimoto also played a role in the development of professional baseball beyond Japan. In 1982, he helped with the launch of South Korea’s professional KBO league before establishing a second career as a baseball commentator and analyst.
The Golden Players Club, known as Meikyukai, mourned his death and paid tribute to his contribution to Japanese baseball.
Harimoto’s story extended well beyond the baseball field. From surviving one of history’s most devastating attacks to overcoming a childhood disability and discrimination, he went on to build a career that made him one of Japan’s most celebrated sporting figures.
