Tag - samurai

 
 

SAMURAI

Fulham's Junichi Inamoto scores his third goal of the game during a match against Bologna on Aug. 27, 2002.
SOCCER
Dec 4, 2024
Japan's Premier League pioneer, Junichi Inamoto, retires at age 45
Inamoto became a national hero when he scored twice at the 2002 World Cup on home soil, including the winner against Russia.
Chen Chieh-hsien, the captain of Taiwan's baseball team, waves to the crowd during a parade to celebrate the team winning the Premier12 title over Japan, on Tuesday in Taipei.
BASEBALL
Nov 27, 2024
President welcomes home victorious team amid surge of Taiwan pride
On Tuesday, the team took part in a thronged ticker tape parade through central Taipei to the presidential office on the back of military jeeps and trucks.
Taiwan celebrates with the trophy after beating Japan in the Premier12 final at Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Nov 25, 2024
Taiwan celebrates after team's victory over Japan in Premier12 final
Taiwan is not a global sporting powerhouse but baseball is hugely popular.
Japan's players watch from the dugout after their loss against Taiwan in the Premier12 final at Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Sac Bunts
Nov 25, 2024
Japan exits Premier12 with no need to panic but with adjustments to make
Japan lost in an international tournament for the first time since the 2019 Premier12.
Japan starter Shosei Togo reacts after allowing a three-run home run against Taiwan in the fifth inning of the Premier12 final on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Nov 24, 2024
Taiwan stuns Samurai Japan to capture Premier12 title
Taiwan won the Premier12 crown for the first time.
Keita Sano celebrates with his teammates after scoring on Kotaro Kiyomiya's two-run triple against Taiwan during their Premier12 game at Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
BASEBALL
Nov 23, 2024
Japan beats Taiwan ahead of rematch in Premier12 final
Japan and Taiwan will meet for the Premier12 title.
Samurai Japan infielder Shugo Maki celebrates after hitting a grand slam against Venezuela in the sixth inning of their game at the Premier12 at Tokyo Dome on Friday.
BASEBALL
Nov 22, 2024
Shugo Maki hits grand slam to power Japan to victory over Venezuela at Premier12
Japan is 7-0 in this year's tournament.
Japan's Kaito Kozono celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the United States in the eighth inning at Tokyo Dome on Thursday.
BASEBALL
Nov 21, 2024
Kaito Kozono hits two homers to power Samurai Japan to win over U.S. at Premier12
Japan extended its winning streak in international games to 25.
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 21, 2024
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
Junichi Yasuda’s film about a time-traveling warrior is a loving tribute to the “jidaigeki” (period drama) genre and its practitioners.
Japan's Wataru Endo (center) in action with China's Wenneng Xie and Shangyuan Wang during a 2026 World Cup qualification clash in Xiamen, China, on Tuesday
SOCCER
Nov 20, 2024
Ruthless Japan beats China to move to brink of World Cup qualification
The game was briefly stopped in the first half when a fan invaded the pitch.
China's Lin Liangming (left) and Zhang Yuning (second from left) vie for the ball against Indonesia's Jay Idzes in Qingdao, China, on Oct. 15.
SOCCER
Nov 18, 2024
China preparing to host Japan in World Cup qualifier
The strength of China's recovery will be challenged when Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu leads the runaway Group C leader into Xiamen.
Japan's Koki Ogawa (left) fights for the ball with Indonesia's Rizky Ridho Ramadhan during the 2026 World Cup Asian qualification soccer match at the Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 16, 2024
Japan hammer Indonesia to edge closer to World Cup spot
Japan defeated a hapless Indonesia side 4-0 on Friday, extending their lead at the top of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu (left) and captain Wataru Endo speak during a news conference before the team's World Cup qualifier against Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday.
SOCCER
Nov 15, 2024
Liverpool's Wataru Endo praises Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu's flexibility
Endo dismissed concerns that his lack of playing time for Liverpool will have a negative impact on his influence for Japan.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu called up Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi for the first time in a year ahead of the team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2024
Japan looking to move closer to berth in 2026 World Cup
With the third Asian qualifying round nearing the halfway point, Japan is five points clear at the top of Group C.
An idealistic samurai (Taiga Nakano) leads a motley gang of felons on a suicide mission to defend a fortress during the 1868-69 Boshin War.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 31, 2024
‘11 Rebels’: Underdog antiheroes deliver a crowd pleaser
A knotty period in Japanese history gets a modern treatment in Kazuya Shiraishi’s spectacle-driven samurai period drama.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu prior to a World Cup qualifying match against Australia on Tuesday in Saitama.
SOCCER
Oct 16, 2024
Hajime Moriyasu frustrated after Australia end Japan's winning run
Japan had won all nine of their preliminaries for the 2026 tournament without conceding a goal until Shogo Taniguchi sliced the ball into his own net on Tuesday.
Japan's Ayase Ueda (left) and Australia's Patrick Yazbek compete for the ball during World Cup qualifying action on Tuesday in Saitama.
SOCCER
Oct 16, 2024
Japan fights back to secure draw with Australia in World Cup qualifying
Australia had never beaten Japan on Japanese soil but a Shogo Taniguchi own goal gave the home side a shock before Samurai Blue earned a draw.
Australia's Kye Rowles (right) vies for the ball against Argentina's Lionel Messi during a friendly in Beijing on June 15, 2023.
SOCCER
Oct 14, 2024
Australia looking to 'flip the script' with first win in Japan
Japan is the leading team in Asia at 16th in the FIFA rankings and tops qualifying Group C with a perfect three victories, scoring 14 goals and conceding none.
Former Japan player Tadanari Lee believes Samurai Blue's victory over Australia in the 2011 Asian Cup final represented a major shift in the rivalry between the two nations.
SOCCER
Oct 13, 2024
Japan and Australia set to write latest chapter of fast-growing rivalry
This will be the fifth consecutive time the teams have been grouped together in the decisive round of qualifiers for the quadrennial showpiece.
Japan's Daichi Kamada (right) vies for the ball against Saudi Arabia midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki during their World Cup qualifying match in Jeddah on Thursday.
SOCCER
Oct 11, 2024
Japan looks to Australia and beyond after beating Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifier
Samurai Blue are five points clear at the top of Group C, with the top two teams securing direct passage to the 2026 World Cup.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition