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Kunishige Kamamoto (釜本 邦茂, Kamamoto Kunishige, born April 15, 1944) is a former Japanese football player. He won the bronze medal with the Japan national team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico, finishing as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals. Kamamoto is often considered to be the greatest Japanese football player of all-time.
Biography
He was born in Kyoto on April 15, 1944. He grew up in Kyoto and attended Yamashiro High School. Then, he was on to Waseda University School of commerce. His major was commerce and earned bachelor of arts degree from Waseda University in 1966. He was selected Japan national football team in his college year. He joined the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico city, Mexico.
Kamamoto was the first Japanese league superstar, being the Japan Soccer League's top scorer 6 times with his club Yanmar Diesel, the forerunner to today's Cerezo Osaka. Upon retirement he became a manager and went across town to the local rivals, Gamba Osaka. Later, he became a member of the House of Councilors.
Kamamoto has been a politician since 1995 and the vice chairman of the Japan Football Association since July 1998.
Club statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J. League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1967 | Yanmar Diesel | JSL Division 1 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 7 | - | 17 | 21 | |
| 1968 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 5 | - | 17 | 19 | |||
| 1969 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 7 | - | 15 | 17 | |||
| 1970 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 5 | - | 17 | 21 | |||
| 1971 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 5 | - | 17 | 16 | |||
| 1972 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 5 | - | 18 | 16 | |||
| 1973 | 16 | 17 | 2 | 0 | - | 18 | 17 | |||
| 1974 | 18 | 21 | 4 | 3 | - | 22 | 24 | |||
| 1975 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 2 | - | 20 | 11 | |||
| 1976 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 17 | ||
| 1977 | 18 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 26 | ||
| 1978 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 23 | ||
| 1979 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 11 | ||
| 1980 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 12 | ||
| 1981 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 11 | ||
| 1982 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 1983 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1984 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Country | Japan | 251 | 202 | 48 | 51 | 12 | 9 | 311 | 262 | |
| Total | 251 | 202 | 48 | 51 | 12 | 9 | 311 | 262 | ||
National team statistics
| Japan national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1964 | 4 | 1 |
| 1965 | 3 | 3 |
| 1966 | 7 | 6 |
| 1967 | 5 | 11 |
| 1968 | 10 | 12 |
| 1969 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | 6 | 3 |
| 1971 | 6 | 8 |
| 1972 | 8 | 15 |
| 1973 | 3 | 2 |
| 1974 | 5 | 5 |
| 1975 | 7 | 5 |
| 1976 | 16 | 9 |
| 1977 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 84 | 80 |
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Gamba Osaka | 1993 | 1994 | 80 | 31 | 0 | 49 | 38.75 |
| Total | 80 | 31 | 0 | 49 | 38.75 | ||
Honours
- Summer Olympics football top scorer : 1968
- Japanese Footballer of the Year (7): 1966, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981
- Japan Soccer League Top Scorer (7): 1968, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976 (on his own), 1978 (shared with Carvalho).
- Japan Soccer League Best Eleven (14): 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981.
- Japan Soccer League Assists leader (2): 1973, 1975
- Japan Soccer League Star Ball Award (5): 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972
- Japan Soccer League Fighting Spirit Award (1): 1968
- Japan Soccer League 100 goals Award: 1974
- Japan Soccer League 200 goals Award: 1981