Players from Fuwaku Rugby Club at a training session for the senior over-70s team in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture. All photos: AFP
Yasutake Oshima, 85, second left, with teammates from the Fuwaku Rugby Club, which was created in 1979
Oshima, 85, stretches at his home in Chigasaki in suburban Tokyo
Senior citizens in Japan are encouraged to play full-contact rugby
Senior rugby enthusiasts train at the Fukasawa Multi-Purpose Sports Plaza in Kamakura
Rugby is seen as a great way for older players to keep fit and bonded to a community
The sport is also seen as an effective way to keep senior citizens active and mentally engaged
Rugby enthusiast Yasutake Oshima shows a picture he took in Scotland in 2008
The Fuwaku rugby club was created in 1979 and is one of about 150 clubs in Japan that stage competitive full-contact matches for players over the age of 40
At a match between two over-60s teams at the Tochigi Prefectural Sports Park in Tochigi
Clubs use different colour shorts to identify players, depending on their age
Yasutake Oshima during line-out practice at Fuwaku Rugby Club
Senior citizens prepare for a match in Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture
Fuwaku players during a match in Tochigi prefecture
Senior citizens are encouraged to take up rugby for their mental and physical welfare
A match between two over-60s teams at the Tochigi Prefectural Sports Park
Players over the age of 70 during a training session at the Hodogaya Rugby Stadium in Yokohama
Senior players have many clubs to choose from with about 150 hosting competitive full-contact rugby matches for players over the age of 40
The Fuwaku Rugby Club is one of many in Japan that stages matches for older men
Players during a training session at the Fukasawa Multi-Purpose Sports Plaza in Kamakura
Yasutake Oshima at prayer in his home in suburban Tokyo
A match between seniors in Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture
Rugby is an increasingly popular sport in Japan, which hosted the 2019 Rugby World Cup
