More Memories Of Uniforms - Kintetsu Edition

The team that was ultimately known as the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes began life in 1950 as the Kintetsu Pearls and were one of several teams that joined the new Pacific League when the old Japan Baseball League transformed into the new two league Nippon Professional Baseball organization.  The team changed their name to the Kintetsu Buffalo in 1959 when they hired former Giants star Shigeru Chiba as manager - Chiba's nickname was Mogyu which translates as either "wild" or "formidable" Buffalo.  The name went plural in 1962 and the city/prefecture name was added in 1999.  Officially the team "merged" with the Orix Blue Wave after the 2004 season but in reality the Buffaloes were simply absorbed by Orix.  The Kintetsu corporation completely divested itself of the team, none of Orix's team records include anything from any Kintetsu players and Orix has not even recognized the one uniform number Kintetsu retired (Keishi Suzuki's #1).  About the only acknowledgement of Kintetsu that I see by Orix is the use of Kintetsu uniforms in "turn-back-the-clock" games.

As always I'm using The History Of Uniform and the Professional Baseball Uniforms Encyclopedia 1936-2013 as sources.  The uniform posts from Yakyu Baka and Yakyu DB don't go back far enough to cover Kintetsu.

1950-52 Home

1950-53 Home

1950-57 Away (2 different)

2009 BBM Kintetsu Memorial #09

1954-58 Home

2004 BBM Kintetsu Memorial #K32

1958 Home

1958 Away

2000 BBM 20th Century Best 9 #184

1959 Home

1959 Doyusha JCM 30b (Shigeru Chiba)

1959 Away

1959 Marusan JCM 12a (Junzo Sekine)

1960-61 Home

1962 Doyusha JCM 55 (Junzo Sekine)

1960-61 Away

1960 Marusan JCM 43e (Glenn Mickens)

1962-64 Home

2014 BBM Brilliant Teenagers #133

1962-64 Away

2004 BBM Kintetsu Memorial #K35

1965 Home

2009 BBM Kintetsu Memorial #12

1965 Away

1966-71 Home

1966-71 Away

2015 BBM Memories Of Uniform #133

1972-73 Home

2014 BBM Brilliant Teenagers #135

1972-73 Away

1973 Home

2011 BBM Legend Of The Bs #51 (Takashi Iwamoto)

1973 Away

1974-76 Home

2015 BBM Memories Of Uniform #134

1974-76 Away

1975/76 Calbee #544 Kohei Shimamoto

1977 Home

2010 Epoch All Japan Baseball Foundation 1977 #59

1977 Away

2011 BBM Legend Of The Bs #52 (Yukio Nishimoto)

1978-96 Home

1994 Calbee Hokkaido #C-25 (Hideo Nomo)

1978-96 Away

1992 Calbee #41

1997-2004 Home

2001 BBM Nippon Series #S55

1997-98 Away Black

1997 BBM #153

1997-98 Away Red

2015 Memories Of Uniform #135

1999-04 Away Black

2015 Memories Of Uniform #136

1999-04 Away Red

Notes:

The away uniforms from the 1950's are very confusing.  HOU lists one of the two styles as being from 1950-52 while PBUE has three different listings for it - two different ones for 1950-52 and one for 1950-57.  Looks like all three have the same uniform style but different hat designs.  HOU has the other style as being from 1950-53 while PBUE only lists it as being from 1957.  HOU has no away uniform listed for 1954-57.  I decided to use the 1950-57 time period for both of them.

The only difference in the 1966-71 and the 1972-73 uniforms is that the hat has a colored brim in the later version.  There was a hat with the "buffalo" logo that was apparently an alternate hat between 1969 and 1971 as well.  I've also seen some cards with photos from the mid-70's showing a variant of this hat that is not listed in either source.

The uniforms listed as 1973 differ from the 1972-73 uniforms in that they have trim at the collar and sleeve cuffs and have solid red stirrups rather than black, white and red.  That said, I'm not positive that the card of Iwamoto shows him in this uniform since I can't see the stirrups.  I'm pretty sure there's trim on his jersey though.

The main difference between the 1975-76 uniforms and the 1977 uniforms was that the emblem on the left sleeve changed.  The main difference between the 1977 and 1978-86 uniforms was that the player's name was added to the back and the hat design changed.

The Chiba and Sekine menko cards don't have the correct colors.

I don't know why Keishi Suzuki is wearing the 1962-64 home uniform in that Brilliant Teenagers card when he didn't join the Buffaloes until 1966.  My only guess is that they wore the old uniforms in training camp that year.

I just have to add that that Tuffy Rhodes card is one of my all time favorites.