The League
The
Japanese Professional Baseball Organization (JPBO or Nihon Puro Yakyu Kikou) has its roots in earlier professional leagues in the land of the rising sun, with a few members predating the shutdown of all professional games during World War II.
The logo depicts a fictional player about to swing his bat in the O of the wordmark, itself reminiscent of the Japanese flag. His batting stance was strikingly unconventional at the time of the logo's introduction. "Yeah, like anyone's going to set home run records with
that leg kick," quipped one of the team owners. Still, fans have lovingly dubbed the silhouette Oh-san after the letter.
The Sub-leagues
Since American personnel were instrumental in setting up the nascent league during their occupation of Japan following the war, JPBO officials configured the league to have two separate, and independent, sub-leagues that would meet in the championship series for the Maru Plate.
Since the majors were organized into American and National leagues, the JPBO naturally has the
Nihon (Japanese) and
Zenkoku (national) Leagues. Given that N and Z can look close to each other when rotated, the designers at each league chose stark colour/font differences and added visual aids. The Nihon League's more dignified look belies its position as the senior circuit, while the Zenkoku's bright magenta helps it stand out against its more popular counterpart.
