From The Vaults

In the spring of 1922, the Prince of Wales paid a royal visit to Japan in reciprocation for Emperor Hirohito’s visit to the United Kingdom of the previous year...

Following its display during 2018/19 at the World Rugby Museum in Twickenham, the exhibition has traveled to Japan to tell the story of rugby in the tournament's host nation, charting the evolution of rugby alongside the development of modern Japan.

The Shimogamo Shrine is a designated UNESCO world heritage site that dates from the 6th Century. It is described in the Japanese origin myth as the final resting place of Yatagarasu, the three legged crow, who guided Japan’s first Emperor to his place of residence at Yamato.

Edmund Charles Blunden CBE MC is remembered as a well-travelled poet and war hero but fewer people are aware of his impact on the early development of rugby in Japan.