The Most Famous
VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS from Japan
This page contains a list of the greatest Japanese Volleyball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 121 Volleyball Players, 5 of which were born in Japan. This makes Japan the birth place of the 9th most number of Volleyball Players behind Cuba and Poland.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Japanese Volleyball Players of all time. This list of famous Japanese Volleyball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Masae Kasai (1933 - 2013)
With an HPI of 45.05, Masae Kasai is the most famous Japanese Volleyball Player. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages on wikipedia.
Masae Kasai (河西 昌枝 Kasai Masae, 14 July 1933 – 3 October 2013) was a volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Women's National Team, Oriental Witches, that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Masae Kasai was born in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, and started playing volleyball when the sport was still played with nine players a side in Japan (six are used internationally). She joined the Nichibo fiber spinning company right out of high school, first playing for corporation's Ashikaga (Tochigi) team, later for the one from Kaizuka (Osaka). The latter team dominated the women's sport in the late 1950s and 1960s, and when the Japanese started playing according to international rules, Nichibo Kaizuka's players formed the national team. Kasai and her team mates débuted at the 1960 World Championships, finishing behind the Soviet Union. Two years later, the Japanese won the title, defeating the Soviet squad before a Moscow audience. When volleyball made its Olympic début in Tokyo, they lived up to high expectations by again beating the Soviet Union in the final round-robin match, in straight sets. After the Olympics, team captain Masae Kasai met with the Japanese Prime Minister and complained to him that she had not been able to find a husband because of the difficult training regimen. The Prime Minister set her up with a date and the two later married. She later went on to become a volleyball coach in Japan and China, and sat on the board of the Japanese Volleyball Association. In 2008, she was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame. Masae Kasai (who changed her last name to Nakamura after she married) died on October 3, 2013, in Tokyo from intracranial hemorrhage.
2. Takako Shirai (1952 - )
With an HPI of 36.25, Takako Shirai is the 2nd most famous Japanese Volleyball Player. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Takako Shirai (白井貴子 Shirai Takako, Korean: 윤정순, Hanja: 尹貞順, born 18 July 1952, in Okayama City) is a former volleyball player from Japan who was a member of the Japanese women's national volleyball team that won the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. In 2000, Shirai became an inductee of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
3. Saori Kimura (1986 - )
With an HPI of 32.21, Saori Kimura is the 3rd most famous Japanese Volleyball Player. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Saori Kimura (木村 沙織, Kimura Saori, born August 19, 1986) is a retired Japanese volleyball player who played for Toray Arrows. She also played for the All-Japan women's volleyball team and was a captain of the team. She was a participant at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 2012. She was so versatile that she could play any position. On 10 July 2012, Toray announced that Kimura will move to VakıfBank Türk Telekom next season. On 3 June 2013, Daikin (which is a sponsor of Galatasaray Daikin) announced that Kimura will move to Galatasaray Daikin next season. On 5 June 2014, Toray Arrows announced Kimura would join the next season. In 2017, Kimura announced her retirement.
4. Yoshie Takeshita (1978 - )
With an HPI of 30.36, Yoshie Takeshita is the 4th most famous Japanese Volleyball Player. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Yoshie Takeshita (竹下 佳江 Takeshita Yoshie, born March 18, 1978) is a retired Japanese volleyball player who played for JT Marvelous. She served as the head coach of Japanese volleyball team Victorina Himeji. and now serves as Executive Adviser. Takeshita played for the All-Japan women's volleyball team and was a participant at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Olympics. At the 2012 Olympics, she was part of the Japanese team that won the bronze medal. She was also part of the 2010 Japanese Women's team that won bronze at the world championships, beating the US in the bronze medal match. Takeshita's nickname was World's smallest and strongest setter (世界 最小 最強 セッター Sekai saisho saikyo setter). She was the captain of the Japanese volleyball team during the 2006 World Championship and took the most valuable player award. On 28 September 2012, JT Marvelous announced her retirement. On 21 June 2013 Takeshita was selected to become a member of the directors of Japan Volleyball Association.
5. Erika Araki (1984 - )
With an HPI of 28.61, Erika Araki is the 5th most famous Japanese Volleyball Player. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Erika Araki (荒木 絵里香, Araki Erika, born 3 August 1984) is a retired Japanese volleyball player. She served as captain for the national team from 2009 to 2012. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics winning a bronze medal, and 2020 Summer Olympics, in Women's volleyball which she was the captain.
Pantheon has 5 people classified as volleyball players born between 1933 and 1986. Of these 5, 4 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living volleyball players include Takako Shirai, Saori Kimura, and Yoshie Takeshita. The most famous deceased volleyball players include Masae Kasai. As of April 2022, 1 new volleyball players have been added to Pantheon including Takako Shirai.
Living Volleyball Players
Go to all Rankings
Takako Shirai
1952 - Present
HPI: 36.25
Saori Kimura
1986 - Present
HPI: 32.21
Yoshie Takeshita
1978 - Present
HPI: 30.36
Erika Araki
1984 - Present
HPI: 28.61
