Japanese bowling pioneer Ritsuko Nakayama, first woman to bowl professional perfect game, dies at 84

Ritsuko Nakayama, a key figure in the 1970s Japanese bowling boom, has died at the age of 84. She was among the first generation of female professional bowlers in Japan, passing her qualification test in 1969. Nakayama made history in 1970 by bowling the first perfect game in women’s professional bowling and gained widespread fame, even earning a popular nickname from a television commercial.

• Ritsuko Nakayama, a prominent figure in Japanese bowling, died at 84.
• She was instrumental in the sport’s boom in the 1970s.
• Nakayama was part of the first generation of 13 women to pass the professional qualification test in 1969.
• She bowled the first perfect game in women’s professional bowling in 1970.
• Her popularity led to her appearing in a commercial, earning her the nickname “Sawayaka Ritsuko-san.”