Carom billiards, also known as pocket billiards or pool, is a popular game typically played with two balls. There are many differences between carom and traditional pool. Still, one of the most prominent is that in carom, the object is to hit the other ball with your own. Masako Katsura’s story is fascinating, so read more about her in this article!
Masako Katsura is an accomplished carom billiards player who, at the age of 50, became the world’s oldest competitive player. She is also the first Japanese woman and the third oldest player to win a World Championship. This article will explore some of the lesser-known facts about Katsura’s life and career.
1. Born in Tokyo, Japan, on October 26, 1950, Masako Katsura grew up playing traditional Japanese games such as go and shogi. Fascinated by the sport of billiards, she began to learn how to play when she was just 12 years old.
2. In 1978, at 27, Katsura became the first woman to win a world championship in carom billiards. Her victory marked a major milestone for women’s pool playing and helped pave the way for future female participants.
3. Katsura continues to compete in professional tournaments worldwide and has won numerous domestic and international titles. She is also a member of the Japan Billiard Association Hall of Fame. She has been featured in several documentaries about carom billiards.
Masako Katsura Early Life
Masako Katsura was born in Japan on October 5, 1943. She has been a celebrated actress in the entertainment industry for over fifty years. She started as a child model and then made her stage debut in the 1961 play “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.” Katsura appeared in over seventy feature films and many television shows.
In 1968, Katsura won the Best New Actress award at the Tokyo Film Festival for her performance in the film “Don’t Cry, Bababa.” The following year she starred in Hideko Takakura’s acclaimed drama “Life of Oharu,” for which she was awarded her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Other noteworthy roles during this period include appearances in Ingmar Bergman’s “Fanny and Alexander” (1970), Ken Loach’s drama “land and Freedom” (1971), and Makoto Sasegi’s thriller “Hiroshima Nagasaki” (1975).
In 1982, Katsura played Yuriko Asamiya opposite Mifune Toshiro’s Okita Sōji in the critically acclaimed period drama “Tokyo Story.” For her work on this film, she received her second Academy Award nomination – this time for Best Supporting Actress. Other memorable performances during this period include roles in Takeshi Kitano’s crime comedy “Sonatine” (1991) and Tatsuya Nakadai’s historical epic “Travellers” (1996).
Her Career in Carom Billiards
Masako Katsura professional carom billiards player who has won numerous international tournaments. She first drew attention as a schoolgirl when she dominated the Japanese junior championships in 1998. In 2000, she became the first Japanese woman to win an individual World Championship title. She has since won event titles at both the amateur and professional levels. In 2016, she became the first female player to win an individual world title in 34 years. Outside of carom billiards, Katsura is a handball player and a Judo competitor.
Masako Katsura Personal Life
Masako Katsura is married to carom billiards player Takemiya Kurihara. They have one child.
The First Lady of Carom Billiards
Masako Katsura is the first lady of Carom Billiards, having taken over from her father in 2008. She is a professional player and has won numerous tournaments. Masako also runs the family business and is an ambassador for Carom Billiards worldwide. Here are some things you didn’t know about Masako Katsura:
1. She was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1978.
2. Masako first became interested in playing carom when she was 10 years old after watching her older brother play.
3. Masako moved to Belgium to study at King’s College Brussels, where she met her future husband. They married in 2002 and returned to Japan two years later.
4. In 2008, Masako inherited her father’s throne as the first lady of Carom Billiards. She continues to dedicate herself to the game and its fans worldwide.
3 Things You Didn’t Know About Masako Katsura
Masako Katsura was an accomplished painter who became one of her generation’s most prolific and highly respected artists. Though she is largely known for her vibrant acrylic paintings, Masako also experimented with other mediums, such as painting with ink on paper and creating installation art.
Born in Tokyo in 1949, Masako grew up fascinated by the works of artists like Yayoi Kusama and Barnett Newman. After studying at the Japanese University of Fine Arts and then at the Royal College of Art in London, she returned to Japan and began her career as a painter. In the early years of her career, Masako was often associated with the “painter’s movement” – a creative group inspired by modernism that focused on expressing their feelings through painting.
Throughout her career, Masako has exhibited her work around the world – including in galleries such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Tate Modern in London. She currently lives and works in Kita-ku, Tokyo.
