Emperor's Cup
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| Founded | 1921 |
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| Region |  Japan |
| Number of teams | 88 |
| Current champions | F.C. Tokyo |
| Website | JFA |
 2011 Emperor's Cup |
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The Emperor's Cup All-Japan Soccer Championship Tournament (天皇杯全日本サッカー選手権大会 Tennōhai Zen Nippon Sakkā Senshuken Taikai), commonly known as The Emperor's Cup (天皇杯 Tennōhai) or The Emperor's Cup Soccer (サッカー天皇杯 Sakkā Tennōhai), 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. Before World War II, teams could qualify not only from Japan proper but also from Korea, Taiwan, and sometimes Manchuria.
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[edit] Overview
As it is a competition to decide the "best football team in Japan," the cup is now open to every member club of the Japan Football Association, from J1 and J2 (J. League Divisions 1 and 2) down to teams from the JFL, regional leagues, and top college and high school teams from around the country. The Emperor's Cup is one of two well-known national football tournaments named after a monarch (the other is Spain's Copa del Rey).
The holder can wear a Yatagarasu emblem (the ordinary winner wears one, the E letter and the purple line above the bird, the league-cup double winner can wear the gold star and line above the Yatagarasu) and obtains an AFC Champions League spot for the next season.
Since the creation of the J. League in 1992, the professional teams have dominated the competition, although doubles, once common in the JSL, have become very rare. However, because the Emperor's Cup is contested in a knockout tournament format, the opportunity for "giant-killers" from the amateur ranks upsetting a top J. League squad is a very real possibility. A major upset almost occurred in the 2003/04 competition, when Funabashi Municipal High School took the 2003 J. League champion Yokohama F. Marinos to a penalty shootout. [1] Waseda University was the last non-league winner of the Emperor's Cup, in 1966.
Since 1969, the Emperor's Cup final has been played on New Year's Day of the following year at the National Olympic Stadium in Tokyo and is regarded as the traditional closing match of the season. However, for the purposes of qualification to the AFC Champions League, the competition is considered the beginning of the season. For example, the Emperor's Cup winner for the 2005 season was crowned on January 1, 2006, and the winner participates in the 2007 tournament.
In November 2007, the JFA announced that the ACL 2009 spot would be given to the 2008 season's winner (crowned on January 1, 2009), not to the 2007 winner. In any case, the 2007 winner, Kashima Antlers, had already completed a double, thus the runner-ups Sanfrecce Hiroshima would have qualified, but they were relegated to J2 in the same season.
The 2011 final will be the first to be contested by two second tier teams, F.C. Tokyo and Kyoto Sanga F.C..
[edit] Format
The knockout phase of the competition begins towards the end of the year. In 2006, 48 teams took part in the first two rounds – the winner from each of the 47 prefectural championships and the collegiate champion. The top team in the JFL standings and all thirteen J2 teams joined in the 3rd round. Finally, the eighteen J1 teams joined in the 4th round, making a total of 80 participating teams.
[edit] The Trophy
The original All Japan Championship Tournament trophy was awarded to the JFA by the English Football Association in 1917. This trophy was used until January 1945, when the militarist government confiscated it and melted down to procure additional metal for the war effort. When the tournament was reinstated, the present trophy, showing the Imperial chrysanthemum seal began to be awarded.
In August 2011, the English FA presented its Japanese counterpart with a replica of the original trophy. JFA President Junji Ogura expressed hope that the trophy, to be awarded at the 2011 finals, would be "a symbol of peace".[1] [2]
[edit] Past Emperor's Cup Champions
Teams in bold indicate doubles with the league title after 1965. Teams in italics indicate non-top flight clubs after 1965.
[edit] Top performing clubs
| Club | Champions | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Keio University | 9 | 4 |
| Kwansei Gakuin University | 7 | 1 |
| Yokohama Marinos | 6 | 1 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 6 | 3 |
| Tokyo Verdy | 5 | 3 |
| Kashima Antlers | 4 | 2 |
| JEF United Ichihara Chiba | 4 | 2 |
| Waseda University | 4 | 2 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3 | 10 |
| University of Tokyo | 3 | 1 |
| Cerezo Osaka | 3 | 8 |
| Shonan Bellmare | 3 | 4 |
| Gamba Osaka | 3 | 1 |
| Chuo University | 2 | 3 |
| Júbilo Iwata | 2 | 2 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 2 | 3 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 2 | 1 |
| Ri-jo Shukyu-dan (Hiroshima) | 2 | 1 |
| Kyoto Sanga F.C. | 1 | 1 |
| NKK F.C. | 1 | 1 |
| F.C. Tokyo | 1 | 0 |
| Astra Club (Tokyo) | 1 | 0 |
| Kobe-Ichi Junior High School Club | 1 | 0 |
| Nagoya Shukyu-dan | 1 | 1 |
| Seoul Shukyu-dan | 1 | 0 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 1 | 4 |
| Tokyo Shukyu-dan | 1 | 0 |
| Tokyo Old Boys Club | 1 | 0 |
| Yawata Steel | 1 | 3 |
| Eidai Industries | 0 | 1 |
| Hiroshima University | 0 | 1 |
| Hosei University | 0 | 1 |
| Kobe University | 0 | 2 |
| Kobun Jr. Highschool | 0 | 1 |
| Korea University | 0 | 1 |
| Kyoto University | 0 | 1 |
| Mikage Shukudan | 0 | 2 |
| Osaka Club | 0 | 3 |
| Rikkyo University | 0 | 1 |
| Sendai Soccer Club | 0 | 1 |
| Tanabe Pharmaceuticals | 0 | 1 |
| Tokyo Bunri University | 0 | 1 |
| Tokyo University | 0 | 1 |
| Yoshino Club | 0 | 1 |
[edit] Other Emperor's Cups
The Emperor's Cup term is used for many national championships in other sports. Like the football prize, most of them are knockout tournaments, except for professional sumo where the trophy is awarded for winning a round-robin Grand Sumo Tournament.
- Kendo
- Kyudo
- Judo – All-Japan Judo Championships
- Softball
- Basketball – All Japan Basketball Championships
- Volleyball – Emperor's Cup and Empress's Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship
- Professional Sumo
- Amateur Sumo
- Tennis
- Soft Tennis
- Table Tennis
- Amateur Wrestling
- Track & Field (students only)
- Ekiden
- Swimming (students only)
[edit] References
[edit] See also
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