When you think of Hideki Matsui, you might recall his powerful swings in the World Series, his consistent performance in the middle of the Yankees' lineup, or his status as a baseball icon in both Japan and the United States. But there's another side to Matsui that fans might not be as familiar with: his extensive pornography collection, a second-to-none “goon cave” reportedly consisting of 55,000 adult videos.
Matsui's affinity for adult videos first came to light in a 2003 Time article. It detailed how he amassed a vast collection of tapes, which he often traded with Japanese reporters. According to one Japanese journalist, Matsui's taste in adult videos reflects unique cultural institutions in Japan, such as soiled-panty vending machines and no-panties shabu-shabu cafes (are the panties deposited before work at the no-panties cafes in said vending machines? We may never know): “Matsui is a horny guy. All of us [Japanese men] are horny, more or less. But Matsui doesn't attempt to hide the fact.”
The full extent of Matsui's collection became known in 2012 when GQ reported that it consisted of more than 55,000 videos. At his first American press event, when Matsui ran out of gifts for the writers, he humorously promised, “I'll get porn for the rest of you.”
Matsui's journey to baseball stardom, which provided the financial resources needed to construct this Smaug-sized hoard of pornography, is a testament to his unparalleled work ethic and dedication—qualities that resonate with the Japanese public. Born in Ishikawa Prefecture, Matsui was large for his age and always a standout athlete, even as a young boy. His mother's athletic background and his own diverse sporting achievements, including a citywide sumo tournament win and a black belt in judo, set the stage for his future success in baseball.
A Seiryo High School, Matsui earned the nickname “Godzilla” for his towering home runs and—even more notably, according to legendary Japanese baseball writer Robert Whiting—his severe adolescent acne, the scars from which left deep craters in his cheeks that persist to the present. His reputation was cemented when he was intentionally walked five times in the final game of the National High School Baseball Championship—a display of his extraordinary talent and composure.
Chosen in the first round of the 1992 draft by the Yomiuri Giants—Japan’s answer to the Yankees, as overpowered dynasties go—Matsui quickly became the top player for a team once dominated by Sadaharu Oh, Shigeo Nagashima, Tatsunori Hara, and gaijin Warren Cromartie. His obsessive, Japanese-style approach to practice, sometimes swinging the bat up to 800 times in a single session, paid off. Over his career in Japan, he led the Giants to multiple championships and earned three Nippon Pro Baseball MVP awards.
When Matsui decided to move to Major League Baseball, it was perceived by some NPB managers and players as a selfish act, marking the first time he had put his interests above the team's. Despite criticism from Yomiuri management, the public largely supported his decision. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi even expressed admiration for Matsui's move, highlighting the growing presence of Japanese athletes on the global stage—something many Hall of Fame-caliber stars had been able to avoid for decades in sports like wrestling and baseball simply because the country’s domestic market was so large and lucrative.
As the first true Japanese power hitter to join MLB, Matsui helped flamethrowing pitcher Hideo Nomo and slap-hitting outfielder Ichiro Suzuki prove that Japanese players could compete with the best in North America. Even though he entered the league as an older player nearing the end of his brilliant prime, his tenure with the Yankees, especially his MVP performance in the 2009 World Series, solidified his legacy as a formidable slugger.
Throughout his career, Matsui was praised by journalists for remaining humble and approachable, always willing to sign autographs and engage with fans. In this sense, his extensive collection of adult videos, rather than tarnishing his image, humanized him and made him relatable—perhaps even more today than when he played, given that vast numbers of sportswriters dwell on social media 24/7 while they “edge” and “goon” to pass the time.
Hailing from a culture where pornography is both ubiquitous and uniquely Japanese, Matsui's openness about his hobby was refreshing. In the land of the rising sun, pornography—referred to as adult videos (AV)—is ingrained in the cultural landscape. Unlike in many Western countries, where adult entertainment is sometimes stigmatized, Japanese society exhibits a more accepting—one might even say “holistic”—view of pornography. AV covers a broad spectrum of genres, from live-action films to animated hentai, and delves into a variety of unique fetishes and paraphilias. These range from bukkake (group ejaculation) and gokkun (consuming semen) to tentacle erotica, showcasing the industry's creative and diverse nature.
In spite of its ubiquity, the Japanese AV industry has evolved under specific legal constraints, most notably the requirement to censor genitalia in any lawful production. This censorship has led to the development of assorted pixelization techniques that obscure explicit content to ensure compliance with the law. Despite these restrictions, the industry has thrived, becoming a significant part of the country's entertainment sector.
Matsui's extensive collection of 55,000 AVs reflects this cultural acceptance. His willingness to talk about his hobby publicly, even joking about it with American reporters, made him a figure of enduring fascination to curious fans who may never get a chance to partake in Japan's rich AV culture. In contrast, many domestic athletes have struggled with far darker hobbies or violent behaviors, which often overshadow their professional accomplishments. For instance, former star Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez found himself involved in numerous violent incidents, including a murder conviction that ultimately led to his untimely death. Similarly, quarterback Michael Vick's surefire Hall of Fame career was derailed by his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring, which laid bare an aspect of his personal life that many pearl-clutching middle-class outsiders found troubling and unacceptably violent.
Matsui's candor about his quaint obsession stands in stark contrast to these grimmer narratives. Rather than resorting to violence or other harmful behaviors, Matsui found solace in the purchasing and categorizing of tens of thousands of AVs. Weird? Probably. But his story is a reminder that athletes, like everyone else, have unusual personal interests and eccentric hobbies that can define them just as much as their professional achievements. Hopefully, the quick wrists that served him so well during his playing days will sustain his goon hand (GH) for decades to come—the Japanese are a notoriously long-lived people, after all.