Tokino Minoru: The Undefeated Emperor of Postwar Japan

In the difficult years after World War II, when Japan was still rebuilding from the ruins, a single racehorse appeared on the northern island of Hokkaido and lit up the sport like a comet. His name was Tokino Minoru. He ran ten times, he won ten times, he set record after record – and then, just seventeen days after his greatest triumph, he was gone.

To this day, his name is spoken with a special tone among Japanese racing fans: not only as a champion, but as a symbol – a horse who seemed to be born for one race, won it undefeated, and disappeared while still at the very peak of his power.

Born in a Rebuilding Nation

Tokino Minoru was foaled on 2 May 1948 at Motokiri Farm in Mitsuishi, Hokkaido. Japan was still in the early stages of postwar reconstruction. Food was scarce, industry was slowly recovering, and leisure activities like horse racing were once again becoming a way for people to forget their daily hardships, even if just for a few minutes.

He was well bred. His sire, Seft, was Japan’s leading stallion at the time, and his dam, Dai-ni Tyrant Queen, descended from the prestigious Koiwai Farm foundation mare Tyrant Queen. On paper, the pedigree was nothing to be ashamed of. In practice, however, none of his older siblings had done anything remarkable on the track, and Seft was often seen as a “minor” stallion whose progeny tended toward speed rather than classic stamina.

One person, however, saw something different. Tokyo-based trainer Kazuichirō Tanaka visited the farm and was struck by the colt’s body. The youngster had a powerful hindquarter, deep through the girth, with bones and muscles that promised real engine. Tanaka later recalled that he knew, almost at a glance, that this was not an ordinary horse.

Tanaka urged his acquaintance, movie mogul Masakazu Nagata, president of the film studio Daiei, to buy the colt. Nagata hesitated at first, but in the end he agreed and purchased the horse for about 1 million yen – a huge sum at the time, roughly equivalent to the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner’s first prize of the era. (Some later testimonies mention 800,000 or 900,000 yen, but most historical sources agree on “around one million yen.”)

Registered under the name Perfect, the colt was shipped south to Tanaka’s stable in Tokyo. No one yet knew that this “expensive gamble” would soon become the center of a nationwide racing boom.

A Wild Debut and a New Name

In July 1950, the colt made his debut at Hakodate Racecourse in Hokkaido. The days leading up to the race were far from smooth. During the starting gate rehearsal he acted up badly, forcing a retest. There was even talk of scratching him from the race. Only after some lobbying by influential owner Tomoji Kuribayashi was he allowed to run.

On raceday, he was still a handful. In the paddock he became so fractious that he unseated his jockey, Mitsumasa Iwashita. It looked like trouble. But when the gates finally opened, everything changed.

He rocketed out of the stalls, grabbed the lead, and never looked back. Over 800 meters of turf he simply ran away from the field, winning by eight lengths in a time of 48.1 seconds – a Japanese record for the distance at that time.

That night, Trainer Tanaka called owner Nagata to report the win. According to later anecdotes, Nagata replied, “What horse is that? I don’t remember buying such a horse.” But when he later visited the stable and saw the colt’s imposing physique and glowing coat, he changed his tune completely and supposedly told Tanaka and the breeder: “Thanks to you, I’m going to win the Derby.”

It was around this time that the colt received the name by which the world now knows him: Tokino Minoru, meaning “Time Bears Fruit” or “The Ripening of Time”.

The “Tokino” part was a special ownership prefix. It is said to have been used by writer Kan Kikuchi, whom Nagata greatly respected, and Nagata adopted it for certain horses he held in especially high regard. Whether every detail of that origin story is historically provable or not, the name clearly carried a sense of destiny: a long-held dream that would finally “bear fruit” in the Japanese Derby.

Crushing His Rivals: The Undefeated Streak Begins

After that sensational debut, Tokino Minoru simply kept on winning. His second race, an open-class event, was another easy victory.

In his third start, the Sapporo Stakes, he faced another unbeaten colt, Truck O. Tokino Minoru demolished him, winning by a huge margin – contemporary accounts speak of more than ten lengths – and once again stopping the clock in record time.

Moving to the Kanto region, he took on open-company races at Nakayama Racecourse and continued to dominate. He broke track records in succession, demonstrating not just brilliance, but a level of superiority that made the rest of his generation look ordinary.

With these victories behind him, he went into the Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes (then the premier race for three-year-olds under the old age system) as the heavy favorite. The going was officially “slightly soft”, but that did not slow him down. He led or sat prominently throughout and drew away in the stretch to win by four lengths.

Six races. Six wins. Several in record time. By the end of his two-year-old (old “three-year-old”) season, Tokino Minoru was recognized as the clear champion of his crop in eastern Japan.

Toward the Classics: A Heavy Burden, Another Record

In 1951, now officially a four-year-old under the old system (roughly equivalent to today’s three-year-olds), Tokino Minoru began his classic campaign.

Before the first Classic, Trainer Tanaka sent him to a handicap race at Nakayama. The handicapper did not show mercy. Tokino Minoru was assigned 59 kilograms – a full seven kilograms more than he had carried before.

Even so, he fought for the lead from the start, took control, and never let anyone past, beating the familiar rival Itsusei by more than three lengths. The result? Another record time.

An easy open-class victory at Tokyo followed. At this point, his record stood at eight starts, eight wins, with record times sprinkled throughout. There was only one question in the air: not whether he would win the Classic races, but by how far.

The First Crown: Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas)

The first test was the Satsuki Sho, held at Nakayama in April 1951. This is the Japanese equivalent of the 2000 Guineas, and the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown.

Tokino Minoru was sent off at odds so short that “defeat” was not considered a serious possibility. He took the lead or tracked closely, and when the field straightened for home, he simply lengthened his stride and moved away. Itsusei once again chased bravely, but could get no nearer than two lengths at the wire.

The winning time was 2:03.0, a new race record. With this victory, Tokino Minoru became a Classic winner and extended his unbeaten record to nine-for-nine.

By this stage, racing magazines and newspapers were almost unanimous: the upcoming Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) was “Tokino Minoru’s Derby”. The only unknown seemed to be how many lengths he would win by.

The Day Time Bore Fruit: Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) 1951

On 3 June 1951, Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu was packed. Around 70,000 spectators filled the stands and the infield.

That year’s Derby carried a first prize of around 1 million yen, a huge figure at the time – so much so that the race was popularly called the “Million-Yen Derby”. The postwar public, hungry for heroes and spectacle, found both on that day.

The field was large – 26 runners – but in the betting ring there was effectively only one horse. Tokino Minoru started as a crushing favorite.

When the gates opened, jockey Mitsumasa Iwashita settled him in a good position, close enough to the front but not fighting the reins. Down the backstretch he travelled like a coiled spring. Around the final turn, Iwashita guided him to the outside and asked for an effort.

The response was immediate. Tokino Minoru surged past the leaders and opened up. Itsusei and the rest tried to follow, but the race was over.

At the wire, Tokino Minoru was one and a quarter lengths in front. The winning time was 2:31.1, another record.

Undefeated. Classic winner. Now Derby winner. In that moment, it felt as though his name had fulfilled its promise – time had indeed “borne fruit”.

For owner Nagata, it was the realization of an ambitious dream. For trainer Tanaka and jockey Iwashita, it was the pinnacle of their careers. For the Japanese public, it was the birth of a new hero in a still-recovering nation.

A Sudden Shadow: Tetanus Strikes

And then, almost as quickly as he had risen, tragedy struck.

Seventeen days after his Derby triumph, Tokino Minoru fell ill. It is believed that he suffered a small wound in the stable – some sources say a nail in the foot, others mention a minor bump or cut – but the exact cause is unknown. What is clear is that the injury became infected, and tetanus set in.

In the early 1950s, treatment options for tetanus in horses were very limited. Trainers, veterinarians, and stable staff did everything they could, including expensive serum treatments. Contemporary reports state that costs equivalent to the Derby winner’s purse were spent in a desperate attempt to save him.

Despite all efforts, his condition worsened. There were convulsions, signs of laminitis, and finally symptoms of septicemia.

On the night of 20 June 1951, at 10:34 p.m., Tokino Minoru breathed his last. He was officially four years old under the old system (roughly a three-year-old by modern reckoning), and still undefeated on the track.

News of his death stunned not only racing fans but the wider public. Newspapers carried the story prominently. Writer Nobuko Yoshiya contributed a moving piece, famously describing him as “a phantom horse born to win the Derby and then vanish.” The phrase “maboroshi no uma” – “the phantom horse” – has followed him ever since.

A funeral was held at Trainer Tanaka’s stable. His body was buried at Tokyo Racecourse, beside another ill-fated Derby winner, Governor, who had died in a training accident a few years earlier.

The Phantom Triple Crown

One reason Tokino Minoru’s legend has such lasting power is that his story is so clearly unfinished.

Had he lived, almost everyone believed he would have gone on to contest the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), the third leg of the Triple Crown. With his talent and dominance, many were convinced that he would have become the first horse in Japanese history to win all three Classics.

In reality, the Kikuka Sho of that year was won by his old rival Itsusei – the same horse who had chased him home again and again in the Satsuki Sho and the Derby. With Tokino Minoru gone, Itusei finally stepped into the winner’s circle.

The true first Triple Crown winner, Shinzan, did not appear until 1964 – thirteen years after Tokino Minoru’s death. That long wait only strengthens the sense that a Triple Crown had been “lost” with his passing.

And so, in Japanese racing history, Tokino Minoru is often described as the “phantom Triple Crown horse” – the colt who seemed destined to take all three crowns, but never had the chance.

Legacy: More Than Records

Tokino Minoru’s legacy is not limited to his unbeaten record of 10 starts, 10 wins, with seven victories in record time. He also left a deeper mark on Japanese horse racing culture and practice.

Hall of Fame Induction

In 1984, the Japan Racing Association (JRA) established its official Hall of Fame, or “Kenshō-ba” system, to honor the most outstanding horses in its history. Tokino Minoru was selected in the very first group of inductees. Even decades after his death, his status as a legend was beyond dispute.

Kyodo Tsushin Hai (Tokino Minoru Kinen)

In 1969, JRA added his name as a subtitle to an important prep race for the Classics. The race is officially titled the Kyodo Tsushin Hai (Tokino Minoru Kinen), run in February at Tokyo Racecourse over 1,800 meters.

Many future Classic winners and stars of the Japanese turf have passed through this race. By carrying his name, the event acts as a bridge between generations: young horses chasing their own dreams while running in a race that honors a legend whose dreams were cut short.

The Statue at Tokyo Racecourse

Owner Masakazu Nagata was deeply affected by his horse’s death. In 1955, he oversaw the production of a film titled “Maboroshi no Uma” (“The Phantom Horse”), which told Tokino Minoru’s story. The film was selected by Japan’s Ministry of Education, and brought the legend to a wider audience beyond racing fans.

Nagata also pushed for a permanent monument. In cooperation with artist Takayoshi Mitsui, a bronze statue of Tokino Minoru was created. On 7 December 1966, it was unveiled at Tokyo Racecourse, near the old paddock area – roughly where the Rose Garden is today.

For many fans, especially those who grew up hearing stories of the undefeated Derby winner, visiting this statue is a kind of pilgrimage. It is a place to pause, take a photo, and remember a horse they never saw, but feel they somehow know.

Improved Veterinary Awareness

Tokino Minoru’s death from tetanus also highlighted an uncomfortable truth: even the greatest racehorse is vulnerable to infection and disease.

In the years that followed, prevention and vaccination against tetanus in racehorses became more consistently enforced. While it would be an exaggeration to say that his case alone changed everything, it certainly helped raise awareness of just how crucial basic medical care is for equine athletes.

An Unfinished Story That Never Fades

Why does Tokino Minoru still fascinate people, even decades after his last race?

Part of the answer lies in the numbers: undefeated in ten starts, dominant in nearly all of them, and repeatedly breaking records. Those statistics alone would secure him a special place in history.

But the deeper reason is that his story feels like a film with the reel cut off just before the final scene. He appeared, shone brighter than anyone else, reached the summit of the Tokyo Yushun, and then vanished before we could see what he might truly have been.

As writer Nobuko Yoshiya wrote, he seemed like a horse “born to win the Derby and then disappear.” That sense of a destiny fulfilled and then abruptly closed is precisely what makes him unforgettable.

For foreign fans discovering Japanese racing, names like Deep Impact, Orfevre, or Almond Eye may be more familiar at first. But if you trace the history back to the early postwar years, you will always find one name shining at the center of the story: Tokino Minoru, the undefeated emperor whose time on the track was short, but whose legend has never dimmed.