Asia's "Big One": The Japan International One Loft Race
By Dallas Kenny
Asia’s "Big One":
The Japan International One Loft Race
By Dallas Kenny
In 1950, pigeon racers in Japan received their first invitation to participate in a US international race. This race included 13 countries and a bird from Japan took 165th place.
Times change, and today Japan hosts one of the larger international one-loft races in the world. Europeans and Asians (especially Tiawanese) have been participating in this race for years but few Americans are aware of its existence.
Actually, the history of international pigeon races in Japan goes back to the early 1950’s. It is known, for example, that the first Japanese international race took place in 1953 and that in1955, the "International Friendship Loft" was built on the roof of a department store in Osaka.
Interest in single-loft racing in Japan increased dramatically after several countries – Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Phillipines, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan – formed the Asia Pigeon Racing Federation.
Later, the JRPA (Japan Racing Pigeon Association) sponsored international races from the large loft on the roof of its Tokyo headquarters. In 1996, the race site was moved to Yasato (63 miles north of Tokyo). Unlike the US, which seems to have a futurity race every week, Japan has no major one-loft competitions except this one, which is sponsored each year by the JRPA.
When visiting Japan in the summer of 1998, JRPA Vice President Uchida kindly arranged for me to visit the association’s International Race loft in Yasato. The journey began on a crowded Tokyo street in front of the JRPA headquarters. There we were met by Mr. Onuma, a Tokyo area flyer and one of the JRPA staff, who transported me, my wife, and father-in-law on a two hour journey to the rural town of Yasato.
The urban scene changed dramatically as we left Tokyo’s sprawling suburbs and emerged into a broad plain of green rice paddies framed-in by steep mountains. "There," said Onuma, pointing at what appeared to be a small white shack on the horizon, "that’s it." As we raced down a narrow country road, the white building loomed larger and larger. Mr. Onuma, an architect by trade, explained that the loft was designed to hold over 5000 birds. As we approached, hundreds of birds were exercising around the loft. We had arrived just before the evening feeding time.
One lady was busy mixing grains the loft while other workers were taking care of the water and cleaning the loft. It was a very large building, with all of the birds housed on the second floor.
As we entered the front door, we spotted several bamboo crates of new arrivals, pigeons in baskets that were about to be vaccinated. The first floor also housed the computer room where the German-made electronic clocking system was administered.
Anyone going upstairs to visit the loft must first wade through a tray of disinfectant. It was clear that every precaution had been made to insure a healthy environment for the birds.
Mr. Itagaki, a vice president of the JRPA, was showing us around the facility when the high-pitched chirp of a police whistle cut through the air. It was the loft manager with his head out a window calling in the birds. The hundreds of pigeons that we just saw blackening the skis outside suddenly came charging in through the traps.
There will be six races flown in the upcoming 1999-2000 Japan International One-Loft Race:
December 1999 200 K (125 miles)
January 2000 300 K (188 miles)
February 2000 499 K (250 miles)
March 2000 500 K (312 miles)
April 2000 700 K (438 miles)
May 2000 900 K (563 miles)
The last two races will be across the ocean from the north main island of Hokaido.
Prizes (based on over 3500 birds):
First three races – 1st to 100th place, $10,000 per race
Fourth race - includes inter-combine race birds, $8,900
Fifth, Sixth race - 1st prize $27,000
- 2nd place $18,000
- 3rd place $8,900
- 4th place and under – prizes depend on number of birds entered and budget.
Before the 1999-2000 race series, there were will be nine training tosses, five in the Fall of 1999, and four times the following Spring. The Fall tosses are at 10K, 30K, 70K, 100K and 150K. The Spring tosses leading up to the first race are at 50K, 100K, and 200K.
The 1998 race series was won by the Kyuper Brothers loft of Holland. Birds racing in the 1997 series were from the following countries:
90% Japan
10% Overseas,
of these:
42% Taiwan
20% Belgium
15% Thailand
20% France, Britain & Germany
2% South Korea
The JRPA believes that this race may help counteract flagging interest in the sport because it encourages people of modest means to participate. Rather than make a huge investment of time and money in a regular loft, participants can easily raise a few youngsters on their balconies each year and send them off to the races.
The JRPA says that there are few barriers to importing birds to Japan, so it is relatively easy for overseas flyers to send birds. The average wait when entering the country is only a couple of hours for pigeons.
Americans interested in participating can get an official application form from the Japan Racing Pigeon Association main office. The application form gives complete directions on where and how to send birds. You may request an race entry form from:
Mr. Honzawa
Japan Racing Pigeon Association
17-11, Ueno Koen
Daito-ku
Tokyo
Japan 110-0007
Phone: 011-81-3-3822-4231
Fax: 011-81-3-3822-4234
There is no local agent for the race in the US. To contact the Association by telephone, ask to talk with one of the English speakers on their staff, Mr. Akio Arai (Office Manager) or Mr. Minoru Nunomura (Veterinarian). But because of the time difference, and language barrier, I would recommend using a fax.
The fee is 20,000 Yen (approximately $177 at the current exchange rate). 4200 birds were accepted for the 1998-99 race, but the loft will hold up to 6000 birds.