[NPB NOTEBOOK] Swallows Employee Who Took on the Role of Beloved Mascot Tsubakuro Dies

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We start off this edition of NPB Notebook with some sad news. Japanese baseball has lost one of its most beloved mascots. On Wednesday, February 19, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows announced that the employee who played the team's hugely popular mascot Tsubakuro had died.

The team asked for privacy and the name of the staffer and cause of death were not revealed.

An announcement was posted on the team's official website.

"The staff member who supported Tsubakuro has passed away," it read. "We would like to express our gratitude and respect for the achievement of raising him to this point as the team mascot."

Tsubakuro made his debut during a game against the Hanshin Tigers at Jingu Stadium on April 9, 1994. Since that time, he has become one of the most beloved mascots in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Swallows — *Tsubakuro entertains baseball fans on June 17, 2022, at Jingu Stadium. (©SANKEI)*

His signature move was the "kururinpa," which he performed after the fifth inning at Jingu Stadium.

What was the kururinpa?

Tsubakuro would toss his helmet up in the air, hoping it would land back on his head, which it rarely did. It was a comical, light-hearted routine that the fans loved.

Tsubakuro was popular with fans and players alike. He was there to celebrate with the players when they won and console them with a hug when they lost.

Baseball Community Pays Tribute to Swallows Mascot

Tributes to Tsubakuro poured in from around the baseball world on news of his passing.

"From 2001, Tsubakuro became my favorite character to work with, teaching me how to do the fans' favorite performance," former Swallows great Alex Ramirez wrote on X. "I will always remember you."

Even Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani took time out of his spring training routine to pay tribute.

"I've been watching him since I was little, and I think he was popular as a representative mascot," Ohtani said, according to Sports Nippon. "It's very sad, but I'm grateful."

Ohtani recalled that he had interacted with Tsubakuro during interleague games when he was with the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters and during practice sessions with Samurai Japan.

NHK reported on Thursday, February 20 that many fans visited a Tsubakuro shrine at the team's spring training site in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture, to pray and take photos.

Tsubakuro was a fixture at Jingu Stadium over the years. He marked his 2,000th appearance at a Swallows home game on August 5, 2022.

He showed up at the team's spring training facility on February 1, but the team announced six days later that his planned appearances for the remainder of spring training through April had been canceled due to poor health.

Rest in peace, Tsubakuro.

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Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.