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Help!
What's happened to you?
A monster trapped me...
Don't worry.
You're very kind.
Thank you so much.
I'm freezing...
What's happening to me?
Ah, she's tricked me!
The monster...
it's her!
The Witches of the Orient.
There have been many tales over the years about the Witches of the Orient.
But they have rarely spoken in all that time.
With great kindness,
some of them agreed
more than 50 years after their magical feats
to relive their moment in history.
Bon appétit!
It looks good! It's rice with sweet chestnuts.
Oh really?
They're in season.
When was the last time we met?
Wasn't it in August?
During the shoot.
The 12th of August.
It was the Ancestors' Festival.
Back then I was living far away
and now I'm just round the corner by comparison.
Tanida, have you come from Osaka today?
- I live in Kyoto now. - In Kyoto?
She's living with her daughter.
Oh really?
- Yes, my other daughter's here. - Here in Kyoto?
Aren't you living with your youngest daughter?
Yuka's had an operation.
Oh? Is that so?
We're a little worried but that's the way it is.
The newspapers said...
that some witches had come from Japan.
That's the first time we'd heard of it...
Witches! Honestly... We didn't have hooked noses!
What rubbish!
Are you joking?
You mustn't make fun of people!
We didn't understand.
In Japan, saying that somebody is a witch isn't very kind.
Witches have hunched backs and pointed noses.
They do their tricks and things.
And nobody likes them.
Us? Witches?
At first we were surprised.
We were reminded that
witches were endowed with supernatural powers.
So, in actual fact, that suited us fine.
My maiden name was Matsumura Katsumi.
I was witch number 7.
I was born in Osaka.
My parents were farmers.
Yes, they were real farmers.
I went to Shitennoji high school.
In Shitennoji.
It had the reputation of being the best for volleyball.
And it also gave a good all-round education.
Players like Matsumura Yoshiko
and Tanida
went there before I did.
My forebears, so to speak.
And they were really very good.
Nichibo had already taken them on.
And so, I was the next young one
to follow that lineage.
'It's your turn to join Nichibo.'
That's what they told me.
And so I was taken on.
At the time,
let's say...
Nichibo in Kaizuka was the place for volleyball.
They were the strongest team in Japan.
We worked like everyone else and on top of that,
we also had volleyball.
'Just because you play volleyball
doesn't mean you get special treatment.'
That was coach Daimatsu's attitude.
We got up at 6am.
There were four women to a room.
But only one player in each room.
We did the cleaning together.
Then we went to the factory together at 8am.
And then up until noon,
we worked at the factory.
After that, up until 1pm,
it was our lunchtime.
From 1.30pm,
we went to the gym.
The way it worked was that the substitutes would get there first.
Starting with the youngest of them... and that was me.
We numbered about a dozen and we cleaned the gym.
We had to arrive before everyone else to get it all ready.
We scrubbed the floorboards,
we pumped up the balls
and put up the net.
We had to do all of those things.
Those were the tasks of the youngest... the substitutes.
Coach Daimatsu used to say:
'Even after three years, a substitute is still a beginner
and has to do the work of a beginner.'
When we'd finished,
the senior players joined us in the gym.
They only came in when the preparations had finished.
And then once we were together,
we started the taiso,
our muscle-strengthening exercises.
And then...
the captain came in. She was always the last to arrive.
Captain Kasai made her entrance.
She got the balls and started the session.
She led it at the outset.
Between 5 and 5.30pm, after he'd finished his work,
coach Daimatsu would arrive.
And at around 6pm,
he'd take over the training session from the captain.
And then it was relentless training.
Right up until midnight, 1am or even 2am.
It was just him, Daimatsu, training us.
He did all of it by himself.
Snacks and the like were in the breaks.
And supper,
was after training.
So that could be at one, two or even three in the morning.
We ate supper only after training.
So quite often,
we only had three or four hours of sleep.
About 30 minutes to the south of Osaka,
near the station of Higashi Kaizuka
there's a factory surrounded by paddy fields.
On this site in November 1953 arose,
the Nichibo Kaizuka volleyball team.
The players get up at 6.30 in the morning.
At 8am, they're at work in the factory.
At 4.30 in the afternoon,
they get changed to go to the gym
to start their training.
They'll do that right up until midnight.
For these players, this is their daily ritual. Day after day after day.
They often repeat this drill two hundred times.
After winning all the domestic titles in Japan,
the Nichibo Kaizuka textile factory works team
is chosen by the Japanese volleyball federation
to represent Japan at the 1960 volleyball world championships in Rio.
The team, containing Kinuko Tanida and Emiko Miyamoto, lose in the final.
A few weeks after the defeat, several new players are drafted in
and the squad leaves for a three-month tour of Europe.
Kasai was nicknamed 'horse'.
Because her face was...
rather like a horse's face.
Isobe was nicknamed 'Achako'.
At the time there was a famous comic called Achako.
He had a particular way of walking and Iso walked like him.
She walked like this with her toes pointing inwards.
That's why the coach nicknamed her 'Achako'.
Status: Starter. Profile: Receiver. Skill: Service.
I was 'Futen the dreamer'.
Why Futen?
Because I looked as if I was in another world no matter what was happening.
I was always up with the clouds. I was the dreamer.
Status: Starter. Profile: Forward. Skill: Speed.
'Fugu Blowfish'.
Handa, 'the blowfish'.
Because it didn't take much to get her angry.
Status: Starter. Profile: Forward. Skill: Jump height.
'Pai the Mah-Jong tile'
a true white one.
Why?
As soon as I started training, my cheeks went red.
It happens straight away.
It's all over my face.
If I've been applying myself or not during training,
it's obvious.
In fact, when he spoke to us, the sensei always used nicknames.
All those I've just told you, Kasai, Miyamoto, Handa, Matsumura,
we used our own nicknames when we were together.
Quite honestly, we wondered how he'd come up with them.
It didn't bother us at all that he gave us nicknames.
But if someone from outside the group had addressed us in such a way
we'd have been furious.
Status: Substitute. Profile: Setter. Skill: Strategy.
'Chabin the kettle'.
That was me. Matsumura Katsumi.
I always had a shiny face,
just like the metal kettles.
I guess it was obvious that I'd be nicknamed 'kettle'.
A nickname is a lot shorter.
So rather than shouting Miyamoto, you scream her nickname.
It helps get things clear.
'Pai!' is much shorter and punchier than 'Tanida'.
It's more efficient if you're angry.
Status: Substitute. Profile: Forward. Skill: Explosive.
'Chitro'.
When we were in Europe,
there was a drink called 'chitronada'.
You drank it from a glass and it was slightly sparkling.
If you didn't drink it straight away, it became flat and tasteless.
Maybe my dizzy look reminded him of lemonade.
And so I became 'Chitro'...
So, Tanida, is this water?
I didn't say it wasn't.
It's water!
Who told you it was alcohol?
I offered you my glass of water
and then I passed it over to you.
That is just your kind of joke.
Yes, it's true.
Just like always.
I was right.
Thank you.
I remember your jokes...
It's a shame that I didn't have your wits.
That's true.
I really don't know what you're talking about.
'Restless'.
Hello.
It's Kanda.
It has been a long time.
How are you?
Yes, I'm fine.
And your mother? How's she?
She's not in great shape but more good days than bad ones.
Oh really? It must be difficult.
As a matter of fact, yesterday,
Tanida, Handa, Matsumura and Shinozaki,
all met up with me in Kyoto at the Century Hotel.
And during lunch,
as usual,
we talked about all kinds of things and we had such a good time.
We were so sad your mother wasn't there,
Miyamoto would have had a ball.
Kasai and Isobe are no longer with us, and so we can't do anything about that.
How we missed your mother.
She would have loved to have been with you...
The last time we saw her
was at Komazawa,
for the party at the gym.
Your mother was there and she was on such good form.
And now, three years on...
It was just afterwards that she started to go downhill.
It's true that your mother often had falls.
If she hadn't had a fall, she'd be okay.
In any case,
my dear Saki,
it must be difficult for you with your father and mother.
Take care.
Thank you very much.
My name is Matsumura Yoshiko.
Witch number 5.
I was a receiver.
A 'rolling' receiver.
My father was called up for the second world war
and he died far away on a battlefield.
Yes, that was my father's lot.
My mother was a civil servant.
So my mother,
my older sister and younger brother
as well as me all lived together.
At the start we were: 'The Typhoon from the Orient'.
We swept away opponents in Bulgaria,
Romania, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
And because we crushed them,
it was said that a typhoon had come in from the east.
But they also said that in the USSR
the typhoon would blow out.
That's what the media was saying.
But we won there as well.
It was at that moment, after the 22nd match
after we'd beaten the USSR,
after the sweep of 21 matches
that we became 'The Witches of the Orient'.
In Japan, being a witch isn't exactly what you'd wish for yourself.
But it seemed that abroad, in the USSR,
witches can pull off feats that are impossible for ordinary people.
We only saw the landscapes through windows.
But all that we saw,
was very different from what we knew in Japan.
It was the same for the players
we were seeing in the flesh for the first time.
When we were at high school, we never went on foreign tours.
So when we saw them up close,
they seemed huge.
They really did.
For example, we found Bulgaria really rustic.
Romania, on the other hand, seemed really pleasant.
As for the matches themselves,
I played in some of them
and I was proud to have had a part in the success.
I really was.
However, when we returned home after 22 victories on the trot,
at Haneda airport,
a huge crowd of journalists was waiting for us.
It was a big surprise.
All nine of us lined up.
But then...
there was one photographer.
We were there with Kasai, Daimatsu, the starting team
and the three substitutes.
I was the youngest so I was at the back... the 9th.
The photographer said that we were getting in his way and that we should leave.
When I heard that,
after all that I had given during the matches,
I flew into a rage.
It was then that I realised that more than just featuring,
I had to play as part of the starting team.
It was that photographer who wised me up.
The three substitutes were getting in his way.
He only wanted the starting team and not the substitutes.
Even with the effort we'd put into the 22 match winning streak,
we weren't considered as a part of the success.
But what could I do to become one of the six starters?
These six were absolutely brilliant.
They were installed and it was impossible to get in.
Shortly after our return, my destiny as a volleyball player was sealed.
Nakajima, one of the starting team, decided to retire.
She was only 1m 63cm tall.
And coach Daimatsu chose me to replace her in the team.
He brought me in.
And that's how I became one of the starters.
But there were five older players.
I had just turned 20.
We had to play in the world championships
in Moscow.
There was a big chance
that if we lost to the USSR,
I'd be blamed.
People could have said: 'They would have won with Nakajima.
But they lost because of Matsumura.'
Journalists loved writing that kind of stuff.
So, you can bet your life,
I did my very utmost
to knuckle down
and get into the best shape possible.
Wonderful!
That's the captain of the USSR team!
The favourite for tomorrow's final is, without a doubt, the USSR.
How are the Japanese women going to beat them?
The first line is like an iron curtain.
And even if we get through that, the defence is infallible.
Receivers and attackers can all jump really well.
Even if you don't take all that into account, success seems difficult.
So, what's your plan for the Japanese team?
Mr Okano? The plan?
Of no matter.
What are you saying?
The training session of the USSR team is of little importance.
Whether it's their attack or defence,
nothing has changed.
They haven't got any new techniques!
That's rubbish.
You believe...
It's not important!
I'm going out to get some fresh air...
Which photograph do you want to use?
You choose. Pick a good one.
Mr Okano!
He says it's of no importance! I don't get it!
October, 1962.
Moscow, the former seat of the tsars,
has become the epicentre of the volleyball world.
Some 400 players from 21 nations
have converged on the city
for the fourth world championships.
The USSR's men's and women's teams
are the defending champions.
They will vie to retain their titles
in a stadium worthy of Soviet ambitions.
And so the world championships are upon us.
Never have there been so many contenders for the ultimate prize.
35 teams from 22 countries in Europe, Asia,
Africa and South America, all gathered here to fight for the title.
However, the main threat in these championships could be right here.
Remember these faces well. These women from Japan
could pose the biggest obstacle to the aspirations of the Soviet volleyball team
as they battle for the gold medal.
Everyone wants to know their thoughts.
Especially those of the captain, Masae Kasai.
'Tell us about your match against the Soviet team
at the last world championships.'
"It was a life and death struggle.
In Brazil, the Soviet players were better than our players.
But over the last four years,
we've dedicated ourselves to preparing for the battles ahead.
And now we're ready."
It's a tough defeat for the hosts.
By contrast, the Japanese team and their coach are in seventh heaven.
And if I had not witnessed their victory,
I would have probably thought that these young women,
had not been successful.
It turns out that the joy of victory can
also manifest itself in this way.
The coach and players had fulfilled their side of the bargain.
The Nichibo Kaizuka team was the best in the world.
The story could end there.
However, volleyball had become an event at the Olympics.
And for Japan, the Witches of the Orient
could be worth their weight in gold.
You go first.
Who goes next? It's Ryo's turn.
You need to make sure we get a good look before you turn it back over again.
If you do it quickly like that, we can't see anything.
Yes, that's the way to do it.
Right, your turn Ryo.
Which one?
My maiden name was Tanida.
Tanida Kinuko.
Witch number 3.
Let's get a good look...
I was born in Ikeda.
The town of Ikeda in Osaka prefecture.
My father was called Kamekichi.
Fude was my mother's name.
And for a living...
they sold milk.
I can't find it.
Ah, got it. A lucky break.
After the world championships? I wanted to stop.
I had given so much I didn't think I had any more to give.
I was exhausted. I'd had enough.
We all had the intention to stop after the world championships.
However, the Olympic Games came after the world championships.
And we were, let's say... reminded of the Olympics.
We knew that the executives in the
volleyball federation wouldn't let us stop.
They made it very clear indeed that we couldn't step away.
Despite all that, we were also clear.
We didn't want to go on.
But, in the end,
we all agreed to continue until the Olympic Games.
There you go, you've got them all.
My maiden name was Shinozaki Yoko
and now it is Tamura Yoko.
I was witch number 10.
I was born in Tokyo in an air-raid shelter.
My dad was a cook.
A chef.
My mother made Japanese clothing,
like kimonos.
I worked in the warehouse.
It was at a factory that received supplies.
It was a textile factory. So there was a warehouse
from where we would receive these supplies.
I would check and sign them in
and I would stamp the invoices.
That was my work.
At the start, when it came to diving... because I was ungainly,
I cracked a rib.
It hurt whenever I coughed.
It hurt if I lay on my back when I was in bed.
I went to hospital
and they said that I'd bruised the rib.
I thought that I was going to have to rest.
But the doctor said resting didn't really make a difference for a bruised rib.
'It heals itself after about a month, ' he said.
'You don't have to stop training.'
'You can carry on!'
I wrapped a cushion around my ribs.
But whenever I jumped, it was like I was getting an electric shock.
I ended up getting used to the pain...
Our coach used to say:
'Make good passes so the attack is incisive.'
Most of the time we spent in training
was given over to making good passes.
The most difficult bit of training
was when there were two of us in a line on the court.
And we had to score 10 points in order to get substituted.
It didn't matter how many attempts you made.
To get replaced, you had to score 10 points.
For some, even if they had to dive 100 times, they never got to 10 points.
For others, they only needed 50 attempts.
It depended on how sensei threw the balls.
You would receive the ball.
You'd receive the ball sent over by the coach
and you had to send it upwards.
That was worth one point.
But for that, you'd have to run to get to the ball
and not miss the receiving strike.
At that moment,
you had to be in the best position possible
to send the ball back as high as possible.
Whatever position you were in,
you had to make sure it was a useful set-up shot.
You had to programme your body to always give an upwards pass.
If you messed up a pass, one point was taken away.
You'd often reach 9 points and think about getting to the end.
You'd be saying to yourself... just one more point and it will be over.
But we were so tired and weakened
that there'd be one ball that you couldn't deal with properly.
You'd lose the point and you'd be back to eight points.
And if things got worse, you'd drop to 7, 6 or 5 points.
You could even find yourself at minus 10.
At that point, recovering took enormous willpower.
After that kind of collapse, you really didn't want to mess up a pass.
No matter how exhausted we were or how close to passing out
our bodies would come through.
Missing the pass was out of the question.
If you did, it would come back to haunt you.
Just after I started, finishing time was around 11pm.
But because we had to get to 10 points,
on bad days, it would go on and on and on.
I remember one day...
just after finishing our bath, we bumped into the workers arriving at dawn.
We said: 'Good morning' and 'Good night' at the same time.
Training was as long as necessary.
A profoundly shocking experience
chilled by this fanatical striving
winners of 137 consecutive contests since 1960.
They practise six days a week, 51 weeks a year.
His grim, wild-eyed intensity is frightening.
Even in Japan,
they called Daimatsu 'The demon'.
That's what other people said.
Those who were overseeing our progress
would come to see us.
And after two or three visits, they'd be struck by the way we trained.
They were very impressed
and said that our coach was a demon.
Was he really?
Training sessions were tough and well-organised.
But that was as it should be.
It was due to the discipline and the harshness that we became so strong.
It wasn't by fooling around that
we became a good team and such powerful players.
We were all on board
and we accepted the need for tough drills.
But now, if you look back,
of course you can think it was tough but we didn't see it that way.
Not at all.
Yes, it was certainly rigorous.
And there were times when I wanted to get away.
And moments when I wanted to quit.
But I couldn't.
Some people said it was all too much.
Teachers and parents of the pupils also complained.
They wanted this kind of energy to be spent on studies.
But really? For the students, playing in a club
teaches them how to live in a way that books can't do.
This forthright young teacher is really embarrassing.
Anyway, I can't dismiss the complaints of pupils' parents.
I'm just asking you to take them into consideration.
But I've already warned you that I would implement my methods.
Well, on that subject, let's talk about these methods.
Not all the pupils have taken to them, have they?
You need to ask yourself some questions.
Okay, it's agreed. And understood?
Do you think so? Do I look happy?
If the pupils no longer want me as their coach,
I will resign in a heartbeat.
Following the exploits of the Witches...
there was a boom in manga, cartoons and animés on women's volleyball in Japan.
At the forefront: Chikako Urano's Attack no1 in 1968.
For the past 50 years, all these stories have had a common theme:
The harshness of training
and the need for a 'secret weapon'.
Judo falls?
In the beginning, we fell to the floor like in judo.
We fell like that... on the side and then you got up.
First we trained on carpets,
then we went and did it on the court.
But I don't think
that the coach was thinking of judo at the beginning.
It was more...
Daruma dolls.
Do you know of the Daruma dolls?
Darumas are roly-poly dolls.
They stand up straight away if you push them.
And they inspired him.
Seeing those gave him the idea of receiving the ball while rolling.
Well, that's what we were told.
To be the best in Japan, new techniques were needed.
And to be the best in the world,
they had to be fine-tuned to perfection so that we could beat anyone.
And so,
we followed his tactics to the letter
and spent as much time as necessary learning his rolling moves
so that it became part of us.
There was nothing like: 'This hurts', 'This is difficult, ' or 'This is boring.'
We had chosen to follow the way of the coach and we were with him.
He wanted us to trust him and we trusted him.
And we did it... it all came through training.
At the start it hurt a lot,
then less and less.
To protect ourselves during training,
so that we didn't hurt ourselves,
we came up with all sorts of tricks and devices.
We used to put on cushions,
and bits of stuffing.
We also put pads on our shoulders
and when we received the ball from the
coach, we pushed it up as high as possible.
That was training.
We all had to get through that
and we did by adapting to the technique.
It was the same thing for sleep. We didn't get enough. That's just the way it was.
Our bodies got used to it.
We forced them to get used to it.
It was us who forced them to get used to it.
When we had our periods... we talked about it within the group.
We kept that kind of thing in-house. And when it was too hard,
we came up with little tricks so we could get a bit more rest.
We'd cover for each other if we needed a break
so Daimatsu wouldn't notice anything.
We looked after each other.
Daimatsu was famous for having survived several months in the Burmese jungle
during the second world war.
Exhausted by hunger and lack of sleep,
all the men under his command emerged alive from the ordeal.
Even if he did deprive the Witches of sleep,
he took them out once a month
at his own expense
for a trip to the cinema.
When we were young, we all looked at Daimatsu
and we all thought that we'd love to marry
someone like him.
Oh, he was charming and looked distinguished.
He was handsome
and he spoke in such a wonderful way.
If he said: 'Imbecile!'
It didn't sound as if he was telling you off because he spoke with such composure.
When he asked: 'What are you doing?'
Was he angry?
Perhaps he was or maybe not at all...
You never knew with him.
At that time,
several of us didn't have a father at home.
Of the starting six in the team,
I didn't have a dad,
Isobe had lost both her parents,
and Tanida's father wasn't there.
Miyamoto didn't have her mother.
Only Handa
and Kasai had both of their parents.
Oddly enough,
he was the same age as my father.
And yet he could have also been
the kind of man you'd want to marry.
When I returned to a normal life after volleyball,
I found everything surprisingly easy.
For example, at work, when my colleagues were complaining
about being tired, or hungry, or too hot or too cold,
I couldn't really understand it.
If I was a bit peckish, it didn't bother me at all.
The heatwaves in the summer... left me cold!
And I was never tired.
Everything seemed so easy.
I was convinced that by making an effort,
I would arrive at my goal.
But I discovered that when it comes to educating children...
it's not only a question of will.
I don't know what went on before I arrived in the team,
but there was massive pressure.
What had changed was that the gold medal was the target.
In Japan,
all our fans were convinced
that we were going to win the gold medal.
We felt this pressure right the way through our training.
Just before the Olympics we went to do a training camp in Wakayama.
It was even tougher than our sessions at the factory.
And even though we were used to those, we all lost weight during the camp.
Tokyo had been chosen to host the 1940 Olympic Games.
There were no Olympic Games in 1940.
And now it's the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.
We formally declare the closing of the 11th Olympic Games
and, as is the tradition,
we invite young people from all over the world
to gather in four years in Tokyo
to celebrate the 12th Olympic Games.
On 26 May, 1959, Tokyo was selected to stage the 1964 Olympic Games.
A chance to move on from the second world war;
an opportunity to showcase Japan's powers of recovery
and to project its new image to the world.
The stakes were high.
Two events were scheduled to make their Olympic debut:
Judo,
and volleyball.
At that point, recovering took enormous willpower.
It wasn't by fooling around that
we became a good team and such powerful players.
We worked at the factory.
We all worked together.
I did my very utmost
to knuckle down
and get into the best shape possible.
There was nothing like: 'This hurts'; 'This is difficult, ' or 'This is boring.'
Of course you can think it is tough but we didn't see it that way.
Do you know of the Daruma dolls?
Darumas are roly-poly dolls.
They stand up straight away if you push them.
Yesterday, for the first time, the Syncom 3 satellite
transmitted images from Japan to the United States for a TV programme.
The broadcast included the rehearsal for the torch ceremony
and a message from the American president Lyndon B Johnson.
He said: 'Both the United States and Japan can be thanked for this magnificent symbol
of the cooperation that strengthens the ties between our two countries.
'I hope to see this satellite communication
system spread across the world.
'This system can contribute so much to the understanding of peoples.
'It is a vital step on the path towards establishing lasting peace in the world.'
After President Johnson's message, Japan's foreign affairs minister,
Mr Shiina, replied.
He said it was apt that the Olympic Games
a symbol of peaceful competition between nations -
should be the first broadcast
from Asia to the United States.
Shiina also said he hoped
that the first broadcast would strengthen ties
between the two countries.
October 10th, 1964.
And now in the stadium, there is total silence
as spectators await the arrival of the Olympic flame.
And here it is.
The torch was lit on 21 August 1964
in the presence of King Constantine II of Greece.
In that ceremony at the ancient site of the Olympics,
a high priestess wearing a white robe, lit the flame in a bowl
which had been heated by the rays from the sun.
And now, here is that same flame, that has crossed continents.
It arrived yesterday in Japan and spent its first night on Japanese soil
in a cauldron in front of the Imperial Palace.
This flame is being carried by someone
who has been deemed Japan's most worthy.
A 19-year-old student, Yoshinori Sakai, has been anointed.
He is a first-year student at Waseda University.
He was born on the day the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
He was officially chosen on 18 August as the flame bearer.
He was selected because of his fluid stride,
physique and good looks.
His 17-year-old brother,
who is a student at Meguro High School,
was chosen as the flame bearer
when the flame passed through the city of Hiroshima.
It's Yoshinori Sakai who will light up the vast National Stadium
and the flame will burn throughout the Games in Tokyo.
The lighting of the flame at Olympia and the subsequent torch relay
were introduced at the 1936 Olympics in Germany.
The flame then went on to burn for the length of the games
at the main stadium in Berlin.
October 23th, 19644:05 pm.
On the 23rd of October, the judo final was just before ours.
It was between Kaminaga and Geesink.
I watched the final. It was early in the afternoon.
I watched it.
And I saw Kaminaga beaten.
Geesink won the gold medal.
When coach Daimatsu saw us in front of the TV,
he got angry.
'I told you not to watch that!'
He was livid that we were watching TV.
I still remember it.
We really believed that we couldn't stay in Japan.
We talked about it in the team...
'We'll have to leave Japan if we lose in the final.'
'Where will we go?'
Because we liked the Romanians, we thought about Romania.
They'd invited us. 'If you lose, come to us!' they'd said.
And we spoke about that.
Akio Kaminaga's defeat in the Kodokan, the shrine of judo,
was a huge disappointment in Japan.
Several hours later, Japan's five national TV
stations transmitted the women's volleyball final.
More than 50 years later, the broadcast remains
one of the most watched events on Japanese TV.
On the big day,
we were confident of success.
When we went onto the court, we weren't frightened.
We had trained so well
that we were certain that we could win.
It's 7.30pm on the 23rd of October.
The eagerly awaited women's volleyball final
pitting Japan against the USSR is set to begin.
The Japanese team:
Kasai, Miyamoto,
Tanida, Handa,
Matsumura and Isobe
are the best players.
The Soviet team has improved since the world championships.
It's surprisingly true.
They're moving faster today.
Miyamoto smashes.
The ball's back to Japan's court.
An Isobe smash to the left!
And it's in!
Roschina to serve.
She's 23-year-old and stands at 1 metre 69 centimetres.
She serves to the back of the court.
Isobe was a bit flat-footed there...
Tanida passes to the right... Miyamoto...
The Soviets get the ball...
That's a bad pass and it's with the Japanese.
Tanida takes,
Matsumura passes.
Isobe hits! But that came to nothing.
The Soviets have the ball and send it back.
The Japanese... in a good position,
Kasai... and Isobe smashes!
It's in! Strike's good!
In the gymnastics, Latynina, from the USSR, has taken the gold.
Her compatriot Astakhova... silver
and Ducza from Hungary collected the bronze.
As a Soviet won the gymnastics,
the women volleyball players are obviously keen to claim gold too.
They lost the first set. And now it's 1-1 in the second.
Mischak powers down a smash but the Japanese manage to recover it.
Kasai passes and Tanida hits,
but the Soviets block.
The ball is back with Japan... Matsumura.
Kasai...
Tanida... Smash!
The Soviets recover...
It's on their side... Ryzhova... Ryskal and it's in!
Score.
The ball squeezed through the block and went out over on the right.
Mischak...
Ryzhova...
Kamenek... hits!
But Isobe is under it...
Tanida...
Handa fires down...
Ryskal manages to retrieve it...
the ball is back with the Japanese...
Matsumura...
Kasai pats it into the space!
That little dink worked brilliantly!
The skipper Kasai
bamboozled the opposition with that shot!
Superb play from the wily veteran.
The Japanese captain showing all her experience there.
Isobe serves...
Soviets receive.
Ryskal smashes down...
Out! The ball is out!
One point for Japan who take the set 15-8.
Second set to Japan.
You didn't see that coming. Ryskal completely messed that up.
Ryskal has missed...
several smashes today.
Japan have won the second set after that error from Ryskal.
First set, 15 points to 11.
And the second, 15-8.
It took 30 minutes for the opener. 24 minutes for the second.
Japan annihilating the Soviet Union.
Japan are two sets to the good.
And you can't say they don't deserve it.
The Japanese are in great shape.
They're seeing the spaces really well.
Another point from the service of Matsumura.
It's her third today.
The third for Matsumura,
and Ryskal still failing.
There was spin on the ball.
It must have changed direction.
Ryskal went to the right
and fell in front of the ball.
Matsumura sends over another serve.
Ryskal is again the receiver, she knocks to...
Kamenek hits...
the Japanese have the ball... Matsumura...
Miyamoto... Kasai who pushes it back.
Soviets in with a chance here...
Ryzhova!
Isobe keeps it alive... good play there...
Handa pushes it up...
Kasai with the smash! And it's a winner!
Isobe did really well there.
Great pass from Handa to set up the skipper.
That was a good strike from Kasai.
Japan have three top attacking players.
They're all so strong and versatile.
Miyamoto pushes into the forecourt.
Mischak pushes it up.
Ryskal!
'The rollin' receive', Japan's secret weapon!
The ball is back with the Japanese...
Kasai passes... Isobe hits to the left.
It's in!
Japan have got the serve back.
Handa serves...
Gureeva receives...
Good pass.
Gureeva smashes!
But it's picked up by Handa.
And Tanida can hit...
The set-ups haven't been effective...
and the ball returns to the Japanese court.
Tanida passes, Miyamoto hits!
The Soviets block... Did someone touch the net?
No whistle.
The Japanese have the ball again...
Handa, Kasai,
and Isobe on the left!
But the Soviets get it back.
Ah, they just mistimed that!
The ball's with the Japanese now.
But it's too long. It's a blow for the Soviets.
Another point to Japan.
They lead 10 points to 3.
October 23th, 19648:47 pm.
The ball's down in the Japanese court.
Another point to the Soviets who are coming back. 13-8.
Japan's coach, Daimatsu, has called for a time-out.
His players have 13 points. They're attacking and defending well.
- That's true. - Daimatsu won't have much to say.
He's just got to tell them to finish the Soviets off.
And not to get worried.
Just keep on doing what they've been doing, is that it?
- No need to get flustered. - Exactly.
8:49 pm.
Japan have the serve.
Isobe with the delivery.
A few steps back, serves.
It's a good deep service.
She targeted Buldakova,
Ryzhova passes but she totally missed it!
Japanese in with a chance here.
Kasai passes,
Matsumura hits! It looks good...
It is good!
Match point to Japan!
They're edging nearer to victory.
Just one more point for the ultimate triumph!
8:50 pm.
The spectators are on the edge of their seats.
Ryskal serves.
Handa receives,
Isobe sends the pass back,
and Matsumura hits!
It's a double hit and out! That's good enough for Japan.
Mischak...
Mischak tried to push the ball up but it didn't work.
It's 14 points to 10. It's Japan's second match point.
Matsumura's got the ball. She's served well today.
Will this be the decisive one?
She looks at the Soviet court.
She sends the ball high...
Mischak receives and pushes the ball up...
Buldakova punches it down for a quick one-two.
We thought that would be it for the Japanese.
But Buldakova played smartly there.
8:54 pm.
Handa's going to serve.
She has chosen to stand a good five metres behind the line.
The ball goes deep into the Soviet court.
Ryzhova receives, then Roschina.
And Mischak hits.
Japan recycle it...
Tanida strikes back.
The ball is on the Soviets' court.
Ryskal is firing,
but Handa gets it.
Isobe with a new attack...
But there's a foul! On the Japanese side!
It's an error.
It's a fault.
A point to the Soviets.
- What was it for? - Probably for going over the net.
8:55 pm.
Japan have got the serve back.
This is their sixth chance.
Their sixth shot at glory.
It's Miyamoto with the lefty serve.
The ball will come back to the Japanese side.
But there's been a fault at the net!
The Soviets reached over the net!
It's over!
The Japanese have won!
The players are jumping for joy.
The substitutes are congratulating their coach.
The players are falling down in tears.
They're bawling their eyes out.
They're surrounding their skipper.
On August 6th, 1966.
Yashica beat Nichibo Kaizuka three sets to two.
This defeat ends an incredible succession of wins.
The record stands:
258 victories without defeat.