Koji Funamoto
Encyclopedia
Koji Funamoto is a former Japanese
footballer who played goalkeeper for the Toyo Kogyo
football club from 1961 to 1975 and for the Japan national team
from 1967 to 1975. Funamoto was born and raised in Hiroshima
, Japan. He played youth football at Hiroshima University Fuzoku High School before starting his club career with Toyo. He and high school teammates were central figures in the golden era of football in Hiroshima from 1958 to 1972. Following his playing career, he coached goalkeepers for Toyo Kogyo and for the Japan national team, coached youth soccer in Hiroshima, and worked in the business office at the Mazda Motor Corporation
(formerly Toyo Kogyo) until his retirement. After his retirement from Mazda, he served as match commissioner of the J League until 2007 and has served as match commissioner of the Japan Football League
since 2008.
, and Sonkyo Nomura became locally famous together by leading their school to a second place finish in the National High School Football Championship
tournament in 1959. Ogi, Kuwahara, Funamoto, and Mizote carried the team to the quarterfinals of this tournament in 1960. Funamoto moved on to club football immediately after high school, while Ogi, Kuwahara, and Kuwata would play four years at Chuo University
before joining Funamoto in club play with Toyo Kogyo.
club in 1961. Toyo then won the National Sports Festival
football tournament in 1962 and were Emperor's Cup
semifinalists (1961, 1962) and quarterfinalists (1963) with Funamoto at goalkeeper. In 1965, the club became an inaugural member of the newly formed Japan Soccer League
(JSL), the first national league of soccer clubs in Japan. He remained with the club for 11 seasons in the JSL until his retirement in 1975. With Funamoto and his former high school teammates, Toyo dominated the JSL for the first six years, winning the championship five times (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970) and placing second once (1969). The club won the Emperor's Cup
three times (1965, 1967, 1969) during this period and finished third in the Asian Football Confederation
(AFC) Club Championship tournament in 1969. As goalkeeper, Funamoto played a critical role on Toyo's early success in the JSL when they won 75 of their first 112 matches (67%), allowing opponents just 87 goals. He was named goalkeeper of the year in the JSL in 1970. The golden era of Hiroshima football then came to an end over the next three years when the club won 15 of 54 matches (28%), while allowing 82 goals.
, on the Japan national team
from 1967 to 1975. He appeared in 19 matches, 17 as a starter and 2 as a substitute, shutting out opponents 5 times. He allowed 25 goals, while the Japan team went 9-8-2 (W-L-D). He played in the Merdeka Cup (1970, 1972, 1975), Asian Games
(1970), Asian Cup qualifiers (1975), Olympic
trials (1967), and World Cup
qualifiers (1969, 1973) during his International career.
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from 1979 to 1980. He lectured at the Mazda soccer school from 1981 to 2007. His proteges included Kenichi Uemura
, Kenji Wakai, and Masaaki Iemoto. He worked in the Mazda
business office until his retirement.
After he retired, he served as a match commissioner of the J League until 2007 and that of Japan Football League
since 2008. He currently enjoys retirement in Hiroshima City, playing golf with friends, gardening, and watching football with his family.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
footballer who played goalkeeper for the Toyo Kogyo
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
football club from 1961 to 1975 and for the Japan national team
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
from 1967 to 1975. Funamoto was born and raised in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan. He played youth football at Hiroshima University Fuzoku High School before starting his club career with Toyo. He and high school teammates were central figures in the golden era of football in Hiroshima from 1958 to 1972. Following his playing career, he coached goalkeepers for Toyo Kogyo and for the Japan national team, coached youth soccer in Hiroshima, and worked in the business office at the Mazda Motor Corporation
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
(formerly Toyo Kogyo) until his retirement. After his retirement from Mazda, he served as match commissioner of the J League until 2007 and has served as match commissioner of the Japan Football League
Japan Football League
The is the 3rd tier of the Japanese association football league system, following J. League Division 1 and J. League Division 2. Also known as the JFL, it is generally considered as the top amateur league in Japan although in reality it is a semi-professional league as many full-time footballers...
since 2008.
Youth soccer career
Funamoto played for Fuzoku High School from 1958 to 1960. He and teammates Aritatsu Ogi, Yasuyuki Kuwahara, Takayuki Kuwata, Kensei MizoteKensei Mizote
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Hiroshima, Hiroshima and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he became mayor of Mihara, Hiroshima in 1987 and was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in...
, and Sonkyo Nomura became locally famous together by leading their school to a second place finish in the National High School Football Championship
All Japan High School Soccer Tournament
The of Japan, commonly known as "Winter Kokuritsu" , is an annual nationwide high school association football tournament. It is the largest scale amateur sport event in Japan, even as soccer continues to gain more attention....
tournament in 1959. Ogi, Kuwahara, Funamoto, and Mizote carried the team to the quarterfinals of this tournament in 1960. Funamoto moved on to club football immediately after high school, while Ogi, Kuwahara, and Kuwata would play four years at Chuo University
Chuo University
Chuo University is a one of the Japanese leading universities. Thus it is competitive in several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 27th, 25th, 34th during 2008-2010 respectively in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai.-Research...
before joining Funamoto in club play with Toyo Kogyo.
Club career
Funamoto joined the Toyo KogyoMazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
club in 1961. Toyo then won the National Sports Festival
National Sports Festival of Japan
is the national premier sports event of Japan. The abbreviated name is Kokutai . The 65th National Sports Festival of Japan was held in October 2010 in Chiba Prefecture.- Emperor's Cup and Empress Cup Champions :...
football tournament in 1962 and were Emperor's Cup
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...
semifinalists (1961, 1962) and quarterfinalists (1963) with Funamoto at goalkeeper. In 1965, the club became an inaugural member of the newly formed Japan Soccer League
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
(JSL), the first national league of soccer clubs in Japan. He remained with the club for 11 seasons in the JSL until his retirement in 1975. With Funamoto and his former high school teammates, Toyo dominated the JSL for the first six years, winning the championship five times (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970) and placing second once (1969). The club won the Emperor's Cup
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...
three times (1965, 1967, 1969) during this period and finished third in the Asian Football Confederation
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
(AFC) Club Championship tournament in 1969. As goalkeeper, Funamoto played a critical role on Toyo's early success in the JSL when they won 75 of their first 112 matches (67%), allowing opponents just 87 goals. He was named goalkeeper of the year in the JSL in 1970. The golden era of Hiroshima football then came to an end over the next three years when the club won 15 of 54 matches (28%), while allowing 82 goals.
| JSL Player/Club Statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Club | Appearances | Club Record (W-L-D) | League Standing | Club Goals Allowed | Tournament Results |
| 1965 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 12-0-2 | 1 | 9 | Emperor's Cup champion |
| 1966 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 12-1-1 | 1 | 6 | Emperor's Cup 2nd Place |
| 1967 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 10-2-2 | 1 | 16 | Emperor's Cup champion |
| 1968 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 10-3-1 | 1 | 11 | |
| 1969 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 10-3-1 | 2 | 10 | Emperor's Cup champion, AFC club championship 3rd Place |
| 1970 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 11-2-1 | 1 | 5 | Emperor's Cup 2nd Place |
| 1971 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 3-7-4 | 6 | 17 | |
| 1972 | Toyo Kogyo | 14 | 7-5-2 | 3 | 13 | Emperor's Cup 3rd Place |
| 1973 | Toyo Kogyo | 18 | 5-8-5 | 8 | 28 | Emperor's Cup semifinalist |
| 1974 | Toyo Kogyo | 18 | 6-6-6 | 6 | 25 | Emperor's Cup semifinalist |
| 1975 | Toyo Kogyo | 18 | 4-10-4 | 8 | 29 | |
| Totals | 166 | 90-47-29 | 169 | |||
International career
Funamoto shared goalkeeping duties with two-time Olympian, Kenzo YokoyamaKenzo Yokoyama
is a retired Japanese football player. Yokoyama also coached the Japan national team between 1988 and 1991.-Career:Yokoyama was born in Saitama Prefecture, Japan in 1943. After graduating from Kawaguchi High School and Rikkyo University, he played professionally in the Japan Soccer League for...
, on the Japan national team
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
from 1967 to 1975. He appeared in 19 matches, 17 as a starter and 2 as a substitute, shutting out opponents 5 times. He allowed 25 goals, while the Japan team went 9-8-2 (W-L-D). He played in the Merdeka Cup (1970, 1972, 1975), Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
(1970), Asian Cup qualifiers (1975), Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
trials (1967), and World Cup
World Cup
A World Cup is a type of sporting competition.World Cup commonly refers to:*FIFA World Cup *ICC Cricket World Cup*Rugby World Cup World Cup can also refer to:-Baseball and softball:...
qualifiers (1969, 1973) during his International career.
|-
|1967||1||0
|-
|1968||1||0
|-
|1969||1||0
|-
|1970||1||0
|-
|1971||0||0
|-
|1972||5||0
|-
|1973||2||0
|-
|1974||0||0
|-
|1975||8||0
|-
!Total||19||0
|}
After football
Funamoto retired after the 1975 season after 15 years with Toyo and 11 years in the JSL. He served as goalkeeper coach from 1975 to 1980 for Toyo Kogyo and for the Japan national squadJapan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
from 1979 to 1980. He lectured at the Mazda soccer school from 1981 to 2007. His proteges included Kenichi Uemura
Kenichi Uemura
is a former Japanese football player. He is a defender and was capped 4 times for Japan national football team.-Playing career:After graduating from Matsunaga High Schook, he joined J. League Division 1 side Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 1993. He broke into the first team in the first season. His first...
, Kenji Wakai, and Masaaki Iemoto. He worked in the Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
business office until his retirement.
After he retired, he served as a match commissioner of the J League until 2007 and that of Japan Football League
Japan Football League
The is the 3rd tier of the Japanese association football league system, following J. League Division 1 and J. League Division 2. Also known as the JFL, it is generally considered as the top amateur league in Japan although in reality it is a semi-professional league as many full-time footballers...
since 2008. He currently enjoys retirement in Hiroshima City, playing golf with friends, gardening, and watching football with his family.