In 1947, Japan was experiencing one of the most
difficult times in its history. It had just
gone through a period of victorious wars and
burgeoning patriotism, which however,
culminated in a stunning defeat. A foreign army
occupied the Japanese homeland, dictating its
laws. Food, clothing and shelter were all
scarce. While it was important for the country
to maintain the health and fitness of its
people, the scarcity of money was a real
barrier. The idea of spending the amounts
necessary to develop sports facilities around
the country was almost laughable in a time when
many people could not even eat.

In that year however, Eiji Suzuki developed gateball, a version of
croquet which was to outpace its European cousin within decades. It
was perfect for a Japan that was rebuilding. First, it used a
minimum of equipment, keeping costs down. Courts were small,
befitting the space-limitations of the country. It was a fast-paced
game, providing more exercise than traditional croquet. Finally, it
was a team game with five players to a side, encouraging community
development.

Suzuki developed the game for the young people of northern Japan.
Since then, however, it has spread throughout the country and today
boasts some two million players on the archipelago. Though
originally developed in order to get children out and playing
together, today it is a favorite pastime of people in their
retirement years. There is hardly a community in the country, no
matter how small, that does not have a court or two. Across the
country from seven to nine in the morning, one can hear the sound
of titanium mallets on resin balls and the cheers of excited
players.

The game itself is much faster paced than its
older European cousin. Shots must be made
within ten seconds, and entire games are
limited to 30 minutes. (Traditional crouet
games range from 80 to 105 minutes, and players
are given a full 45 seconds per shot.) However,
due to the tactical defensiveness of team play,
it is a rare game that finishes within this
time; most games are decided on points. Though
a sport, gateball is a quintessentially
tactical contest and, like all such games,
takes time to play. The excellent combination
of teamwork, tactics and physical demands make
it a game that is as addictive as it is easy to
learn.

However, advocates realize that if gateball does not spread to
include a larger section of society, it is likely to die. This is
where the Japan Gateball Union (JGU) comes into the picture. The
JGU was formed in 1984 as an important affiliate of The Nippon
Foundation's network of foundations. Since then, it has vigorously
pursued a program designed to spread the sport throughout society.
One of the central things that it has done to this end is to
encourage a broader generational spread of players. Through
tournaments for young people and manga (Japanese comics), naming
just two of its many initiatives, the JGU is succeeding in bringing
more young people to the court. It is no longer an unusual sight to
see college students out on the morning courts, as part of a team
of retirees. It is also not unusual to see these young people
struggling to keep up with their elders. Gateball is a great
leveler. With the JGU's efforts, it is also becoming a great
generational gap-closer.

Perhaps more importantly to the future of the game, the JGU and
its international counterpart, the World Gateball Union, have been
working to spread the game around the world. Their success in some
countries has been phenomenal. Korea and Taiwan boast twenty and
thirty thousand players respectively, and China now boasts no less
than two and a half times the number of Japanese players--5
million! At international tournaments today, the Japanese teams are
finding stiff competition from other countries. In fact, the 3rd
Asian Gateball Championships saw eight Chinese teams split the four
top spots. As the game spreads further and further around the
world, this competition will hopefully continue to grow.

And this growth shows every indication of
continuing. Recently, countries such as Great
Britain and Australia, traditional croquet
strongholds, have also begun to show an
interest. The croquet communities in those
countries have long been concerned with the
relatively small numbers of new converts to the
game, and in a recent article put out by The
Croquet Gazette, a British publication, the
suggestion was made that gateball, would be a
good way to attract new players to that game.
According to that article, there are about
seven million more gateball players in the
world than croquet players; this kind of cross-
pollination could be quite an opportunity . . .
for aficionados of both games. Since the two
forms of the mallet, ball and wicket game are
so radically different, neither need fear much
from the other.

Whatever the future of the relationship between the two games, the
Japan Gateball Association will continue evangelizing its truly
engaging sport. And The Nippon Foundation will continue to support
it as long as there are players left to play and courts to play on.