In June 1936, an eight from Tokyo Imperial University made the journey to England as part of Japan’s preparations for the Berlin Olympics and in doing so, wrote one of the most remarkable chapters in this regatta’s history.
They arrived as unknowns. They left victorious, in the Marlow Grand Challenge Cup.
The tradition of international crews using Marlow as a stepping stone to Henley Royal Regatta is a long and proud one. In recent years crews from Denmark, the United States, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia have all raced at Marlow Regatta at Dorney, alongside crews from Canada and China in other years. That so many nations make the journey is testament to the quality of racing throughout the history of the event. The 1936 Tokyo crew were very much part of that same story, though what they produced on the River Thames at Marlow that day was something nobody had seen before, or has quite seen since.
The crew had spent three years developing a radical new approach to rowing. Their boat was shorter and lighter than anything seen in British waters, built from Hinoki cypress wood by a naval architect from Tokyo University. The crew themselves averaged just over ten stone, significantly lighter than their British rivals, and had developed the ability to accelerate to extraordinary stroke rates at critical moments in a race.
At Marlow they entered the Grand Challenge Cup. In their opening heat they took on First Trinity Cambridge, going off at 46 strokes per minute to Trinity’s 40, and were two lengths clear within two minutes. The semi-final against London Rowing Club followed a similar pattern. But it was the final against Thames Rowing Club that really caught the imagination. Tokyo bided their time, drawing Thames in, before producing a closing burst that peaked at 52 strokes per minute, a rate that had simply never been seen in first class racing. The crowd’s reception was tremendous.
What makes it particularly special is that their victory is still visible today. Look at the base of the Marlow Grand Challenge Cup and you’ll find their names, engraved in Japanese characters on one of the silver plaques, a quiet but enduring mark of the respect they earned here ninety years ago.
Tokyo Imperial University is today known as the University of Tokyo, one of Japan’s most prestigious institutions. From Marlow they went on to Henley and then the Berlin Olympics, carrying with them a story that deserves to be better known. For the full account, we’d recommend the excellent piece written by Tim Koch for the Hear The Boat Sing rowing history blog.
