JapaneseFootballerGoalkeeperJ.League player

Kenta Tokushige

Kenta Tokushige is a Japanese professional football goalkeeper for Ehime FC, known for his lengthy career with various J.League clubs and as a former Japan U-17 national team player.

1. Overview

Kenta Tokushige (徳重 健太Tokushige KentaJapanese) is a Japanese professional football player who serves as a goalkeeper for Ehime FC in the J3 League. Born on March 9, 1984, in Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Tokushige stands at 74 in (187 cm) and weighs 192 lb (87 kg). He has built a lengthy career in Japanese professional football, notably playing for clubs such as Urawa Reds, Cerezo Osaka, Vissel Kobe, and V-Varen Nagasaki before joining Ehime FC. He is also a former Japan U-17 national team player, having represented his country in the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship.

2. Early life and background

Kenta Tokushige was born on March 9, 1984, in Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. He developed his football skills from a young age, progressing through various youth teams before entering professional football.

2.1. Childhood and youth career

Tokushige's early football education began at Kagoshima City Take Elementary School and Kagoshima City Take Junior High School, followed by Isahaya City Ono Junior High School. Despite initially hoping to attend Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School, financial considerations led his parents to persuade him to enroll in Kunimi High School in Nagasaki Prefecture.

During his time at Kunimi High School from 1999 to 2001, Tokushige achieved significant success. In his second year, the team secured three major high school titles. As captain in his third year, he led the team to victory in both the All Japan Youth Championship and the High School Championship. While at Kunimi High School, Tokushige was part of a notable cohort of players; his seniors included Yoshito Ōkubo and Shota Matsuhashi, while his juniors featured Sōta Hirayama and Daigo Watanabe. His classmate was Yūhei Tokunaga. His impressive performances also earned him selections for various Japanese youth national teams, starting from the U-16 level. In 2001, he was also registered as a designated player for Avispa Fukuoka, although he did not make any appearances for the club.

3. Club career

Kenta Tokushige's professional club career began in 2002 and has spanned several prominent Japanese clubs, where he has consistently served as a goalkeeper, navigating through periods of intense competition for starting roles and experiencing both team promotions and relegations.

3.1. Urawa Reds

After graduating from high school, Tokushige joined J1 League club Urawa Reds in 2002. However, despite being part of the squad for three years, he struggled to secure playing opportunities due to the presence of established goalkeepers such as Ryota Tsuzuki and Norihiro Yamagishi. He made no appearances during his initial tenure at the club.

3.2. Cerezo Osaka

In October 2004, seeking more playing time, Tokushige was loaned to Cerezo Osaka, a club that was experiencing a shortage of goalkeepers at the time. He made his J.League debut on November 23, 2004, against Shimizu S-Pulse at Nagai Stadium. However, this proved to be his only appearance for Cerezo Osaka, as he found himself behind goalkeepers like Tomohiko Ito and Daisuke Tada in the pecking order. He returned to Urawa Reds in 2005, but again, he did not play any matches for the club during that year.

3.3. Vissel Kobe

In August 2005, Tokushige made another loan move, joining Vissel Kobe, which was then in a relegation battle. He made four appearances for the club that year, but Vissel Kobe was ultimately relegated to the J2 League. Despite the relegation, his loan was extended, and he remained with the team. For the next two years, even as Vissel Kobe secured promotion back to J1, Tokushige continued to face limited playing opportunities, often behind Kota Ogi and Tatsuya Enomoto.

A turning point came in 2008 when an injury to regular goalkeeper Tatsuya Enomoto, sidelining him for approximately one month, provided Tokushige with a chance to play. He seized this opportunity, making nine J.League appearances that season, which was his highest tally for a single season at that point. The following year, he made a permanent transfer to Vissel Kobe. Under the new manager Masahiro Wada in 2010, Tokushige took over the starting position from Enomoto and played a crucial role by making numerous big saves, contributing significantly to the team's J1 League survival. In 2011, after Enomoto transferred to Tokushima Vortis, Tokushige played every minute of all 34 league matches for the first time in his career, establishing himself as the regular starter for the entire year.

He continued as the regular goalkeeper in 2012, but his season was interrupted on October 24 when he suffered a left ankle sprain during practice. This injury unfortunately forced him to miss part of the team's critical relegation battle, though he did return towards the end of the season. Vissel Kobe ultimately finished 16th and was relegated to the J2 League. In 2013, despite initially losing his position to newly acquired goalkeeper Kaito Yamamoto, Tokushige regained his starting role in June, and Vissel Kobe achieved promotion back to J1 after just one season. However, from 2014 onwards, his playing time became limited again following the arrival of Yamamoto and South Korean national team goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

3.4. V-Varen Nagasaki

In 2018, Tokushige made a full transfer to newly promoted J1 League club V-Varen Nagasaki. Upon joining, he quickly established himself as the starting goalkeeper, surpassing the previous season's first-choice keeper, Takuya Masuda. He made 28 appearances that season, but V-Varen Nagasaki was ultimately relegated to the J2 League at the end of the 2018 season.

In the 2019 season, he competed for the starting position with Masaya Tomizawa and played in 27 matches. For the 2020 season, he initially lost the opening day starting spot to Toru Takagiwa, who had joined from Shimizu S-Pulse. However, Tokushige continued to battle for the position throughout the season, ultimately making 23 appearances. In the 2021 season, he began as the starting goalkeeper and had a strong start, but Tomizawa eventually became the regular in the middle of the league season, and Tokushige did not make any further appearances.

3.5. Ehime FC

In 2022, Tokushige completed a full transfer to Ehime FC. At Ehime FC, he was given the jersey number 1 for the first time in his professional career, a significant recognition of his role. In his first season, he served as a key goalkeeper, appearing in 33 league matches for the club.

4. National team career

Kenta Tokushige represented Japan at the youth international level. In September 2001, he was selected for the Japan U-17 national team to participate in the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship. Throughout the tournament, he played in all three of Japan's matches.

5. Career statistics

Club performanceLeagueCupLeague CupTotal
SeasonClubLeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
JapanLeagueEmperor's CupJ.League CupTotal
2001Kunimi High School-20--20
2002Urawa RedsJ1 League00000000
200300000000
20040000-00
2004Cerezo Osaka10-0010
2005Urawa Reds0000-00
2005Vissel KobeJ1 League40-0040
2006J2 League3010-40
2007J1 League504020110
2008900020110
200900403070
20101302020170
20113402000360
20123103010350
2013J2 League240-00240
2014J1 League70101090
2015502030100
201600602080
201730302080
2018V-Varen NagasakiJ1 League2802010310
2019J2 League2701000280
2020230--230
2021120-00120
2022Ehime FCJ3 League330--330
202380--80
2024J2 League1501010170
Career total28503102303390

6. Achievements and honors

Tokushige has earned one significant club honor during his professional career.

  • J3 League: 2023

7. Personal life and anecdotes

Kenta Tokushige has a notable anecdote from his time at Urawa Reds: he once grew his hair long in the back, inspired by his admiration for fellow goalkeeper Ryota Tsuzuki. He is also known for his playful and humorous personality, often enjoying making small jokes, a trait that sometimes leads to good-natured teasing from his younger goalkeeper teammates.