, Tokyo, where rubber-ball baseball is played During the
Meiji era (1868–1912), baseball introduced from the
United States became established in Japan, particularly in schools and universities. Children also played informal baseball using hard
tennis balls, but these proved unsuitable because of durability and speed. The sport originated in Kyoto, where educators and members of a youth baseball research group developed a safer form of baseball using rubber balls. In 1919, a rubber baseball was developed, and a tournament using the new ball was held at Kyoto Municipal Seitoku Elementary School, marking one of the earliest organized competitions in the sport. A monument at in Kyoto commemorates the area as the birthplace of rubber-ball baseball. The introduction of rubber balls contributed to the spread of youth baseball across Japan, leading to the establishment of organized associations and national competitions. After the
Second World War, the sport was reorganized nationally, and the was established in 1946. National competitions subsequently expanded, including major tournaments such as the All-Japan Rubber Baseball Tournament. ==Ball types==