Kunishige Kamamoto

Kunishige Kamamoto (釜本 邦茂, Kamamoto Kunishige, born April 15, 1944) is a former Japanese football player, manager and politician. He won the bronze medal with the Japan national team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, finishing as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals,[2] and is the all-time leading goalscorer for Japan.[3] He served as a member of the House of Councillors between 1995 and 2001.

Kunishige Kamamoto
釜本 邦茂

Personal information
Full name	Kunishige Kamamoto
Date of birth	April 15, 1944
Place of birth	Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 ^1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1960–1962	Yamashiro High School
1963–1966	Waseda University
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1967–1984	Yanmar Diesel	251	(202)
Total		251	(202)
National team
1964–1977	Japan	76[1]	(75)
Teams managed
1978–1984	Yanmar Diesel
1991–1994	Gamba Osaka
2009	Fujieda MYFC
Honours Yanmar Diesel Winner Japan Soccer League 1971 Winner Japan Soccer League 1974 Winner Japan Soccer League 1975 Winner Japan Soccer League 1980 Runner-up Japan Soccer League 1968 Runner-up Japan Soccer League 1972 Runner-up Japan Soccer League 1978 Winner JSL Cup 1983 Winner JSL Cup 1984 Runner-up JSL Cup 1977 Runner-up JSL Cup 1982 Winner Emperor's Cup 1968 Winner Emperor's Cup 1970 Winner Emperor's Cup 1974 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1971 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1972 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1976 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1977 Runner-up Emperor's Cup 1983 Representing  Japan Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City Team Asian Games 1966 Bangkok Team
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Kamamoto was born in Kyoto on April 15, 1944. He grew up in Kyoto and attended Yamashiro High School. Then, he was on to Waseda University School of commerce. He became a top scorer in the Kanto university league for 4 years in a row. He also won the 1963 and the 1966 Emperor's Cup at university. This was the last time a university team won the Emperor's Cup. His major was commerce and earned a bachelor of arts degree from Waseda University in 1966.

Club career

After graduating from Waseda University, Kamamoto joined Japan Soccer League club Yanmar Diesel (currently Cerezo Osaka) in 1967. He played all games in league from first season. In 1968, he became a top scorer in the league. The club won their 1st title 1968 Emperor's Cup with his winning goal in final. The club also won 1970 Emperor's Cup. In 1971, the club won their 1st league champions and he also became a top scorer Second time. In 1974 and 1975, the club won the league for 2 years in a row and also won 1974 Emperor's Cup. In 1978, he became a playing manager. The club won the league champions in 1980. In 1982, he ruptured his Achilles tendon 2 times. In 1984, when he was 40 years old, he retired. He became a top scorer 7 times and was selected Best Eleven 14 times. He was also selected Japanese Footballer of the Year awards 7 times.

National team career

On March 3, 1964, when Kamamoto was a Waseda University student, he debuted and scored a goal for Japan national team against Singapore.[4] In October, he was selected by Japan for 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He played all matches and scored 1 goal. In 1968, he also was selected Japan for 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Japan won Bronze Medal and he became a top scorer. He played all matches and scored 7 goals. In 2018, this team was selected Japan Football Hall of Fame. In the 1970s, after many Olympic players left national team, he continued being selected national team. He also played at 1966, 1970 and 1974 Asian Games. In 1977, he retired from national team. He played 76 games and scored 75 goals for Japan until 1977.

Coaching career

In 1978, when Kamamoto played for Yanmar Diesel, he became a playing manager. He led the club to won first league champions in 1980. The club also won 1983 and 1984 JSL Cup. In 1984, he resigned at the same time he retired from playing career. In 1991, he signed with across town to the Yanmar Diesel rivals, Matsushita Electric (later Gamba Osaka). He resigned in 1994.

Kamamoto was selected as a member of the House of Councillors in July 1995, then served until July 2001.

Kamamoto was also served the vice-president of the Japan Football Association from July 1998 to July 2008. In 2005, he was selected Japan Football Hall of Fame.

Club statistics

[5]

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Japan			League		Emperor's Cup		JSL Cup		Total
1967	Yanmar Diesel	JSL Division 1	14	14	3	7	–		17	21
1968			14	14	3	5	–		17	19
1969			12	10	3	7	–		15	17
1970			14	16	3	5	–		17	21
1971			14	11	3	5	–		17	16
1972			14	11	4	5	–		18	16
1973			16	17	2	0	–		18	17
1974			18	21	4	3	–		22	24
1975			17	9	3	2	–		20	11
1976			18	15	3	2	1	0	22	17
1977			18	20	4	4	3	2	25	26
1978			18	15	3	4	3	4	24	23
1979			18	7	3	2	2	1	22	11
1980			18	10	2	0	3	2	23	12
1981			18	11	2	0	0	0	20	11
1982			8	1	0	0	0	0	8	1
1983			2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
1984			0	0	3	0	0	0	3	0
Total			251	202	48	51	12	9	311	262

International goals

Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	3 March 1964	Tokyo, Japan	Singapore	2–1	Won	Friendly
2.	14 March 1965	Tokyo, Japan	Hong Kong	2–1	Won	Friendly
3.	14 March 1965	Tokyo, Japan	Hong Kong	2–1	Won	Friendly
4.	22 March 1965	Tokyo, Japan	Burma	1–1	Draw	Friendly
5.	11 December 1966	Bangkok, Thailand	Iran	3–1	Won	1966 Asian Games
6.	14 December 1966	Bangkok, Thailand	Malaysia	1–0	Won	1966 Asian Games
7.	16 December 1966	Bangkok, Thailand	Singapore	5–1	Won	1966 Asian Games
8.	16 December 1966	Bangkok, Thailand	Singapore	5–1	Won	1966 Asian Games
9.	17 December 1966	Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	5–1	Won	1966 Asian Games
10.	19 December 1966	Bangkok, Thailand	Singapore	2–0	Won	1966 Asian Games
11.	27 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Philippines	15–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
12.	27 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Philippines	15–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
13.	27 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Philippines	15–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
14.	27 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Philippines	15–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
15.	27 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Philippines	15–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
16.	27 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Philippines	15–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
17.	30 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Taiwan	4–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
18.	30 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Taiwan	4–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
19.	30 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Taiwan	4–0	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
20.	3 October 1967	Tokyo, Japan	Lebanon	3–1	Won	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
21.	7 October 1967	Tokyo, Japan	South Korea	3–3	Draw	Qualification 1968 Summer Olympics
22.	30 March 1968	Tokyo, Japan	Australia	2–2	Draw	Friendly
23.	30 March 1968	Tokyo, Japan	Australia	2–2	Draw	Friendly
24.	4 April 1968	Tokyo, Japan	Australia	3–1	Won	Friendly
25.	4 April 1968	Tokyo, Japan	Australia	3–1	Won	Friendly
26.	14 October 1968	Puebla, Mexico	Nigeria	3–0	Won	1968 Summer Olympics
27.	14 October 1968	Puebla, Mexico	Nigeria	3–0	Won	1968 Summer Olympics
28.	14 October 1968	Puebla, Mexico	Nigeria	3–0	Won	1968 Summer Olympics
29.	10 December 1970	Bangkok, Thailand	Malaysia	1–0	Won	1970 Asian Games
30.	16 December 1970	Bangkok, Thailand	Indonesia	2–1	Won	1970 Asian Games
31.	16 December 1970	Bangkok, Thailand	Indonesia	2–1	Won	1970 Asian Games
32.	28 July 1971	Copenhagen, Denmark	Denmark	2–3	Lost	Friendly
33.	28 July 1971	Copenhagen, Denmark	Denmark	2–3	Lost	Friendly
34.	27 September 1971	Bangkok, Thailand	Philippines	8–1	Won	Qualification 1972 Summer Olympics
35.	27 September 1971	Bangkok, Thailand	Philippines	8–1	Won	Qualification 1972 Summer Olympics
36.	27 September 1971	Bangkok, Thailand	Philippines	8–1	Won	Qualification 1972 Summer Olympics
37.	29 September 1971	Bangkok, Thailand	Taiwan	5–1	Won	Qualification 1972 Summer Olympics
38.	29 September 1971	Bangkok, Thailand	Taiwan	5–1	Won	Qualification 1972 Summer Olympics
39.	29 September 1971	Bangkok, Thailand	Taiwan	5–1	Won	Qualification 1972 Summer Olympics
40.	12 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Khmer	4–1	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
41.	12 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Khmer	4–1	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
42.	12 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Khmer	4–1	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
43.	12 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Khmer	4–1	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
44.	16 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Sri Lanka	5–0	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
45.	16 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Sri Lanka	5–0	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
46.	16 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Sri Lanka	5–0	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
47.	16 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Sri Lanka	5–0	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
48.	16 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Sri Lanka	5–0	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
49.	18 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Philippines	5–1	Won	1972 Merdeka Tournament
50.	18 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Malaysia	1–3	Lost	1972 Merdeka Tournament
51.	4 August 1972	Bangkok, Thailand	Philippines	4–1	Won	Pesta Sukan Tournament
52.	4 August 1972	Bangkok, Thailand	Philippines	4–1	Won	Pesta Sukan Tournament
53.	14 September 1972	Tokyo, Japan	South Korea	2–2	Draw	Japan-Korea Annual Match
54.	14 September 1972	Tokyo, Japan	South Korea	2–2	Draw	Japan-Korea Annual Match
55.	20 May 1973	Seoul, Korea Republic	South Vietnam	4–0	Won	Qualification 1974 FIFA World Cup
56.	20 May 1973	Seoul, Korea Republic	South Vietnam	4–0	Won	Qualification 1974 FIFA World Cup
57.	3 September 1974	Tehran, Iran	Philippines	4–0	Won	1974 Asian Games
58.	3 September 1974	Tehran, Iran	Philippines	4–0	Won	1974 Asian Games
59.	3 September 1974	Tehran, Iran	Philippines	4–0	Won	1974 Asian Games
60.	28 September 1974	Tokyo, Japan	South Korea	4–1	Won	Japan-Korea Annual Match
61.	28 September 1974	Tokyo, Japan	South Korea	4–1	Won	Japan-Korea Annual Match
62.	4 August 1975	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Bangladesh	3–0	Won	Merdeka Tournament
63.	4 August 1975	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Bangladesh	3–0	Won	Merdeka Tournament
64.	7 August 1975	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Indonesia	4–1	Won	Merdeka Tournament
65.	7 August 1975	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Indonesia	4–1	Won	Merdeka Tournament
66.	14 August 1975	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Burma	2–0	Won	Merdeka Tournament
67.	25 January 1976	Tokyo, Japan	Bulgaria	1–3	Lost	Asahi International Soccer Tournament
68.	27 March 1976	Tehran, Iran	South Korea	2–2	Draw	Qualification 1976 Summer Olympics
69.	27 March 1976	Tehran, Iran	South Korea	2–2	Draw	Qualification 1976 Summer Olympics
70.	8 August 1976	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	India	5–1	Won	Merdeka Tournament
71.	10 August 1976	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Indonesia	6–0	Won	Merdeka Tournament
72.	13 August 1976	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Burma	2–2	Won	Merdeka Tournament
73.	16 August 1976	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Thailand	2–2	Won	Merdeka Tournament
74.	16 August 1976	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Thailand	2–2	Won	Merdeka Tournament
75.	20 August 1976	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Malaysia	2–2	Won	Merdeka Tournament

Japan national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1964	2	1
1965	3	3
1966	7	6
1967	5	11
1968	4	7
1969	0	0
1970	6	3
1971	6	8
1972	8	15
1973	3	2
1974	5	5
1975	7	5
1976	16	9
1977	4	0
Total	76	75

Managerial statistics

[6]

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Gamba Osaka	1993	1994	80	31	0	49	038.75
Total			80	31	0	49	038.75

Honours

Individual

• Summer Olympics football top scorer : 1968
• Japanese Footballer of the Year (7): 1966, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981
• Japan Soccer League Top Scorer (7): 1968, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976 (on his own), 1978 (shared with Carvalho).
• Japan Soccer League Best Eleven (14): 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981.
• Japan Soccer League Assists leader (2): 1973, 1975
• Japan Soccer League Star Ball Award (5): 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972
• Japan Soccer League Fighting Spirit Award (1): 1968
• Japan Soccer League 100 goals Award: 1974
• Japan Soccer League 200 goals Award: 1981

References

1. Kunishige Kamamoto - Goals in International Matches
2. "Flashback: Kunishige Kamamoto recalls Japan's 1968 Olympic bronze medal | AFC". cms.the-afc.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
3. "Top 10 Japanese Athletes". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
4. Japan National Football Team Database
5. "Kamamoto, Kunishige". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
6. J.League Data Site(in Japanese)

External links

• Kunishige Kamamoto – FIFA competition record
• Kunishige Kamamoto at National-Football-Teams.com
• Japan National Football Team Database
• Kunishige Kamamoto at J.League (in Japanese)
• Japan Football Hall of Fame at Japan Football Association
• Japan Football Hall of Fame (Japan team at 1968 Olympics) at Japan Football Association
• Japan Soccer Archive: Biography and action photos