If you are familiar with the game Billirad, which is one of the most well-known games in the entire globe, then you should also be familiar with Masako Katsura. Who is she, exactly? What is the secret of her success? Why is she so famous, and what led to her success? What sets her apart from other people? Why does everyone around the world recognize her? How does she fit into the picture with the pool table? This article is going to tell you everything you need to know about her, so don’t worry if you haven’t heard of her before. The wonderful lady will be broken down into her smallest components throughout the course of this text. Therefore, continue reading to get additional details on Masako Katsura.

Introduction to Masako Katsura.

There is no doubt that women can do anything if they try to do it. There are alot of great women in our history who have made their name for something and become the queen of that specific thing which can even include sports. Masako Katsura is one of the most well know women. 

In the 1950s, Masako Katsura started playing pool and became famous. She made a name for herself by becoming a world-class billiards player at a time when men were the only ones who played the game. She got so good at the game that people started calling her the “First woman of billiards.” But even though billiards is what made Katsura, she is more than the game. Click Here

Full Name	Masako Katsura
Born	7 March 1913
Gender	Female
Age	82 years (1913–1995)
Nicknames	The First Lady of Billiards Katsy, Masako
Place of birth	Tokyo
Date of death	1995
Height	1.52 meters.
Occupation	carom billiards player
Hometown	Tokyo, Japan

Who in the world was Masako Katsura

Masako Katsura first started playing pool when she was 14 years old. Katsura was born in Tokyo on March 7, 1913. Her mom kept a close eye on her as she grew up, especially after her father gave her away. And Katsura’s mom told her to learn how to play billiards.

Katsura said, “I was weak and I was tired all the time.” “So, my mom told me to play billiards so I could get some exercise and get stronger.” In Tokyo, many people went to billiard halls in the 1920s. Even Katsura’s sister-in-brother-in-laws law’s had one. Katsura found out she was good at the game once she got a cue. Katsura didn’t wait too long before he started running at the pool hall and working out every day.

Her biography

Masako Katsura was a Japanese carom billiards player who was the most active in the 1950s. She was born on March 7, 1913, and died in 1995. Her nickname was “Katsy,” and she was sometimes called the “First Woman of Billiards.” Katsura paved the way for other women to play billiards by competing and becoming one of the best in a world where men were the norm.

The first female player in Japan

Katsura is the best female player in Japan. She learned the game from her brother-in-law at first, and then she learned from eastern champion Kinrey Matsuyama. In competition in Japan, she finished second three times in the U.S. national three-cushion billiards championship. She was known in the exhibition for walking away with 10,000 points in the game of heterosexual rail. After playing so many games, she moved back to Japan around 1990 and died in 1995.

All about her history

Masako Katsura, no doubt, was a wonderful player and had a great history. Honestly, she has a great history which is explained below:

She was the first female billiard player.

Masako Katsura has been around since the 1920s, when she first started competing in billiards tournaments in Tokyo, Japan. She was a good player, and when she played in the 1930s, she became known as the “First Lady of Billiards.” When she moved to the United States in 1951, she quickly found success as an international billiards competitor.

Her life before World War II

Before World War II, women were not allowed to participate in billiards competitively. After the war, though, Masako Katsura was the first woman to play in an international billiards championship. She also played on T.V. and in live billiards shows during her career.

As a child, Masako Katsura was a simple girl. Her father died when she was only 12, and her mother brought her up on her own. Katsura worked as an assistant in a pool hall when she was younger. Despite her inauspicious beginnings, she eventually caught the eye of Kinrey Matsuyama, the Japanese Willie Hoppe. He taught her how to play games and became her mentor.

Her life in San Fransico

Katsura moved to San Francisco in December 1951 after she had learned from her teacher. She met Master Sergeant Vernon Greenleaf there. They fell in love and married. Greenleaf had been in the military, and Katsura taught him how to do things. At the time, he worked for the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps as a quartermaster. He asked Katsura to teach him how to play pool while he was at the post.

Katsura was a champion at the game of billiards and was very good at it. She was very good at billiards and could beat men of any age from cities all over Japan. By the time she was 13, she could play billiards like a pro.

The first job she gets

Katsura got a job at her brother-in-pool law’s hall after she graduated from high school. She worked at it every day, and soon she was a pro at billiards. When she was 15, she won the Straight-Rail Championship for Japanese Women.

Katsura then won the World Three-Cushion Tournament in 1954. She was the only person in the competition who was a woman. Her performance was so good that she finished ahead of three well-known men.

Her brilliant success 

Masako Katsura went on to win many titles in both the U.S. and Japan. She won a number of titles because she was so good at trick shots. She became famous all over the world, and she even did a few interviews and other things. Katsura also became a well-known billiards player, in addition to all the other things she did. During her life, she was in a number of shows and traveled all over the United States.

Katsura did a lot in her life, even though it was cut short by a tough loss to the current world champion. She is one of the best billiards players in the world, and she is the oldest official player in Japan.

All about her career 

Katsura competed against Japanese men as her game improved. At 15, she played like a pro and competed in China, Japan, and Taiwan with her sisters. Kinney Matsuyama helped her billiard career in 1937. He advised her on information and stage performance.

Katsura won many eastern 3-cushion championships. she was a U.S. nationwide championship in 1934 and other awards professionally. Katsura improved under her new train. She becomes Japan’s greatest women’s professional billiard player by 1947.

Second place in japan

She placed second in Japan’s 1948 three-cushion championship. Katsura outperformed many male billiard players and began participating in public shows to encourage girls to play. Katsura’s four-and-a-half-hour quick rail game score of 10,000 points made a 1940s exhibition famous.

After the second international battle ended, Katsura explored ways to further her sports career. She became famous worldwide after playing with American troops. Katsura has played billiards in California since 1951. However, America became male-dominated without a female player. In the 1952 world three-cushion billiards championship, she set records and finished first.

She also wrote a book.

Katsura wrote Japanese billiards books. The 1961 sector three-cushion championship was canceled due to limited fan interest. Harold Worst, the 1954 champion, challenged the Japanese sensation to a title fight in an international circuit. Katsura lost six of seven matches against Worst. After the game, she rarely appeared, even in exhibition suits.

She moved to America.

In 1950, both the economy and sports were hurt by World War II. But when the war was over, Masako worked hard to get her reputation back and put on a one-woman show for Japanese soldiers. 

She put on billiards shows for the American troops, which helped her become famous around the world. After seeing her skills and grace in the press, USA champion Welker Cochran invited her. Katsura relocated to California in 1951 after marrying. She was surprised to learn that American men only played billiards.

In the U.S., only men could be seen in billiards halls, but in Japan, women used to work and play there.

She has the honor of being the first female billiard player.

Together, Welker Cochran and Katsura pushed for women to be allowed to play billiards in the U.S. Katsura was even called “a real Japanese Cue-tee.” But some very experienced pool players praised Katsura’s skill and liked the way she played. She was also called “the first lady of billiards” because she was the first woman to compete in an international billiards tournament in 1952.

Soon, she became known all over the world. She showed that billiards isn’t just a game for men. No matter their gender, both men and women can play it. In the 1950s, Katsura won almost every international tournament she entered. But when she lost to Harold Worst, she decided to leave the game.

About her relationship life

Venom Greenleaf was a sergeant in the U.S. Army for nearly 22 years. Vernon and Katsura met in a service club in Tokyo. After a short time, Greenleaf started to like Katsura and began taking lessons. Both were incredibly good at what they did. They got married in 1947, but they never had any children.

She made it to the finals.

Katsura also made it to Japan’s national three-cushion championship finals. But in the finals, she lost. She came in second place three times. Also, she got 10,000 points at the straight rail in a row. She stopped at the number because it was a point of reference.

Her height, weight, and physical appearance

Masako Katsura’s height is 1.52 metres. But this height is a possibility. We still don’t know what she weighs. We still need to find Masako’s body size. But we know that she has brown eyes and black hair.

Last breath of Masako Katsura 

After Katsura had already achieved success in a number of billiards competitions in Japan, he began participating in television interviews, exhibitions, and other types of public events. In addition to that, she is the author of two books on billiards, titled “Improve Your Billiards” and “Introduction to Billiards.” After Katsura’s defeat at the hands of Worst in 1961, she made the decision to end her career as a professional billiards player and never compete in another event again.

Aside from this, it is reported that her husband Greenleaf did not take kindly to it when other people made remarks or comments about his wife. In 1995, Masako Katsura took her last breath inside the home that she shared with her sister Noriko. On that day, we said goodbye to a wonderful human being as well as a fantastic athlete. However, her deeds and sportsmanship will be remembered forever, and she will remain in our hearts as an inspiration for the rest of our lives.

FAQS

Did she enjoy her life as a kid?

According to the information presented in a number of sources, she suffered a tragic loss when she was just a very little child when her father passed away. That is when she began to feel irritated, but soon after that, a series of different happenings in her day-to-day life led to the development of a newfound interest in athletics on her part.

Does anyone care about her, like if she plays or not, loses or wins?

Look at what she did for women in billiards and other games played with cues. She changed the rules so that women could play these sports. She is a great example of what it means to be a leader. You know, she loved every moment of her long, successful life. She was loved by her fans, and they loved her back.

At what age she died?

She died at the age of 82 in 1995

Final words

There is not any doubt that Masako Katsura was a great billiard player. She was the one who one the door for women to take part in sports like billiards. She is not with us now, but she will always remain in our hearts as a great player of billiard.