Ryuzo Shimizu (Japanese footballer, born 1902)

Ryuzo Shimizu (born Sept 30, 1902) was an early Japanese international footballer. Records of his career and later life are sparse; he is remembered as one of Japan’s pioneering national-team players.

Ryuzo Shimizu (清水隆三, Shimizu Ryuzo; born September 30, 1902) was a Japanese athlete who represented his country as a player on the national side. Surviving documentation confirms his selection for the Japan national team, though many personal and career details remain scarce or unverified in modern records.

Overview

Shimizu belonged to the generation that took part in the earliest international fixtures for Japan. Football had been growing in Japan through schools, universities and local clubs since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and players of Shimizu’s era helped establish the national team’s presence abroad. He is typically described in historical lists simply as a national-team participant rather than by a long club résumé.

Historical context

During Shimizu’s lifetime the sport was largely amateur in Japan and most leading players combined football with studies or other professions. International matches were fewer and archival preservation was uneven, which is why many details — including his playing position, club affiliation and date of death — are not well documented in public sources. Nonetheless, early internationals like Shimizu are often cited as pioneers who contributed to the sport’s domestic growth.

Legacy and records

Shimizu’s main historical footprint is his status as a capped player for Japan. Because records from that period are incomplete, researchers rely on contemporary newspapers, match announcements and team lists to compile careers. His example illustrates the wider challenge of reconstructing the biographies of early 20th-century athletes in Japan.

Notable facts

Born September 30, 1902; kanji: 清水隆三.
Recognized as a member of the Japan national team; specific match data are limited.
Represents the cohort of amateur players who advanced Japanese football during its formative decades.

For readers seeking more on early Japanese football history and lists of national-team players, consult specialized historical compilations and archives, which often aggregate match reports and team rosters from the period.