Originally from Iwate Prefecture, an agricultural area of Japan, Shihori Oikawa is an onna-bugeisha as far as field hockey is concerned. For those who do not know, onna-bugeisha is the name given to the Japanese warriors, the female of the most known samurai. Historically, they were members of the bushi (samurai) class in feudal Japan and were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war. Without the warlike weight, Oicchi, as she is also known, is the security of the Oranje Rood’s defense.
Affable, kind and friendly, Shihori is still developing her English through private lessons. To SELF-PASS, she spoke about the experience in The Netherlands and the future of field hockey in Japan.
She is 28 years old, started playing because her mother “was the coach of the middle school team. When I was younger, she took me to practice and I started to like the sport“. A few years later she is fulfilling her dream of playing in Europe and she’s loving the Hoofdklasse. Two years ago she came to the Netherlands to do some experimental practices and ended up staying: “I came with other players to practice. Coming to The Netherlands was a really great desire and a goal of mine, but I do not know why my colleagues didn’t want to come too“.
