9. The Emperor's Cup

The Emperor's Cup is an open tournament of the greatest soccer in Japan, and it is located in a line with J. League and the J. League Yamazaki-Nabisco cup, and let it be the domestic 3 major titles of Japan. The Emperor’s cup was started in 1921. The right of participation of AFC Champions League (ACL) and FUJI XEROX SUPERCUP of a following season are granted to the championship club of this convention.

It is in 1948 that the Emperor's Cup received for the first time. Emperor Showa watched the "East-West game" on April 3 in 1947, and JFA received the Emperor's Cup from the Imperial Household Agency in following July, 1948. At first, although the Emperor's Cup was presented to the winner of the East-West game, it came to be presented to the victorious team of the all Japan championship from the 31st time, and also changed the convention name to "Emperor's Cup all Japan soccer championship" which is the present convention name.

After inauguration of Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965, although the right of participation of Emperor’s Cup was given each 4 teams of higher ranks of JSL and all Japan college soccer tournament, there is also a rise of the voice which asks for an open cup like FA cup of England used as the model of the convention, and it became open from the 52nd time. After the J. League inauguration, it becomes the only convention which can fight a pro team and an amateur team, and also a second kind registration team (high school student age) can also participate from the 76th time. Although the 83rd time was mainly held from December on the New Year's Day, it has been improved so that more games can be managed also in Hokkaido, northeast, and north Shin-etsu area which were hard to hold in a cold district by carrying out large expansion of the convention schedule from the end of September from the 84th time. 

 The "NHK cup New-Year's-Day soccer" which invited the each champion team of a member of society and student is held in 1968 on the New Year's Day. But because the Emperor's Cup final came to be held on New-Year's-Day from the 48th time of the degree next year, the NHK cup soccer was abolished only by this 1 time. As these vestiges, the NHK cup is awarded to a victorious team with the Emperor's Cup now.