Masako Katsura “Katsy” was the most active player in the 1950s. Masako Katsura twinkled a trail for women in sports by competing among the best male-dominated world of professional billiards. At the early age of 14, she started playing billiards.
Health issues
From an early age Masako had some issues with her health. Her mother encouraged her to practice billiards. She concluded that: “I was weak and tired all the time, so my mother wanted me to play billiards to give me exercise and make me stronger.” She started doing a job at a billiard hall which was owned by her brother-in-law, where she began practicing billiards every single day and spent her days studying tricks done by customers. She acquired her considerable cue skills growing up in the billiard halls of Tokyo.
Achievements
At 15, she won the Japanese women’s straight-rail championship and became Japan’s only female professional player. After her incredible performance, Kinery Matsuyama started coaching Masako. However, he was also liable for her introduction to three-cushion billiards.
Marital status
Her talent for trick shots and a newfound precision of three-cushion billiards. Her exemplary playing skills brought grace to sports and started paving a path beyond her wildest dreams. In 1950, she married a U.S Army non-commissioned officer and migrated to America in 1951.
Career
She performed her billiard tricks for Japanese troops, but after World War II, she started performing billiard tricks for the American forces. It was the time when her international career took place. Many people acknowledged her exemplary skills and grace in sports. Due to her endless talent in sports, she was invited by a billiards champion, Welker Cochran, and became the first woman to be included in any world billiards tournament.
For several years she competed for the world three-cushion crown, attaining fifth and fourth places, respectively. In 1951, Katsura moved to California, where she worked as a manager at Welker Cochran. She supported her alot as she was the only woman playing billiards. Everyone started paying respect to her after her fascinating journey in sports. She paved a path for women in the world of sports and became a face of billiards all across the globe.
Participation in international tournaments
Regardless of gender, she ranked top in all her international tournaments, winning and placing successfully. After the loss of Harold Worst, the reigning world champion, she retired in 1961. She was the first woman to compete in an international billiards tournament, making herself a staple of billiard history.
She makes sports much more attractive to women. She made her last appearance in 1976 at the San Francisco billiards parlor. After moving to japan, she passed away in 1995. By the 70s, the group of players formed the Women’s Professional Billiard Association in honor of her and inducted Katsura into the hall of fame.
Hard-working lady
Masako’s hard work and dedication to the sport of billiards has placed an extraordinary impact on society. She is now delineated in articles, magazines, and art as the most powerful woman.
Masako moved back to Japan and died when she moved back to her country in 1995. Moreover, she opened a new door for females. She has the same powers as men. Although this field is specifically meant for men, she has shown incredible carrom playing skills that have astonished the men in the same area.
Highly dedicated
Masako was unquestionably a highly dedicated carrom player. She did not stop playing one or two games but kept on playing and got higher ranks. She amazed the media and her advertisers with her remarkable skills. She ranked at the top in most international tournaments. Also, she not only participated but successfully got the victory in many games.
In 1961, she played against Harold Worst, but she lost the game against the world-famous champion. She retires after her loss to Harold Worst.
She was unquestionably the first female player to participate in an international billiards tournament. No doubt she was indeed the first lady of billiards.
Conclusion
Masako Katsura was a legend in the name of billiards. She was a female billiard player. However, she was the most active female billiards player in the 1950s. Additionally, she died in 1995 in Japan. Masako faced some health issues, but still, she kept practicing billiards.
However, she was highly convinced that she could play against men, and there was much need for a female player. Moreover, she was highly respected among the press because of her abilities being a female. Even other players respected her because she was a female and her extraordinary abilities. She was an incredible player, and her skills made her shine among the crowd.
