Japan and Korea both have rich cue-sport scenes, but their players and games should not be grouped into one format. This guide distinguishes pocket pool, four-ball carom and three-cushion, then introduces examples of players and organisations associated with them.

1. Carom Tables in Japan & Korea

A table without pockets is a carom table. Calling it a “pool table without pockets” can obscure the distinction from pocket pool. Carom scoring depends on prescribed ball contacts and, in some disciplines, cushion contacts. It still requires judgement and practice; removing pockets does not establish that one cue sport involves less luck or more strategy than another.

2. Billiards in Japan: Distinct Disciplines

The Nippon Billiard Association lists pocket and carom competitions separately. Its domestic-games guide identifies three-cushion, artistic billiards, one-cushion, balkline and four-ball among the carom disciplines. For newcomers, that range offers several ways to explore the game beyond the familiar pocket table.

3. Billiards in Korea: A Professional Scene

Korea’s professional scene includes PBA carom competition. Following a named event is a useful way to learn: check the discipline, competitors and match format before comparing results. A player’s success in pocket pool and another’s in three-cushion represent different achievements.

4. Understanding Carom Billiards

Carom is a family of games. Three-cushion uses three balls and requires the cue ball to contact cushions at least three times before reaching the second object ball. Four-ball games use four balls and different scoring conditions. Identify the discipline before comparing techniques or results, rather than explaining playing styles through national stereotypes.

5. Sa-gu: Korea’s Strategic Challenge

Sa-gu is Korean four-ball carom. In the conventional form described in the background of Korean scoring-device patent KR20100015258A, two white cue balls and two red object balls are used. A player scores by contacting both reds without contacting the other white ball. Hitting all three other balls is therefore not the stated objective. Agree local scoring and finishing conventions before play.

6. Yotsudama: Japanese Four-Ball

Yotsudama is a distinct four-ball carom game, not an umbrella term for three-cushion. Machida Billiards describes a version using two reds and two whites in which the cue ball contacts at least two of the other three balls to score. The venue also notes alternative scoring systems, so check the version in use rather than assuming Korean and Japanese four-ball are identical.

7. Prominent Players and Tournaments

Masako Katsura: A Trailblazer in Japanese Billiards

Masako Katsura remains a memorable figure in Japanese carom billiards. In its 2021 tribute, the Union Mondiale de Billard celebrated her as a trailblazer for women in professional competition. Her story offers a historical perspective alongside the modern champions below.

Modern Champions: Yukio Akakariyama and Cho Jae-ho

Yukio Akakariyama and Cho Jae-ho illustrate different disciplines. WPA reporting places Akakariyama in the 2011 World Nine-ball Championship, a pocket-pool event. PBA records identify Cho among its carom champions, including the 2024 World Championship. Follow each event in its own right when exploring the region’s players.

Conclusion

For a useful introduction to Japan’s and Korea’s cue sports, begin with the equipment, scoring rules and named competition. Sa-gu, yotsudama, three-cushion and nine-ball each reward skill, but they are not interchangeable. Learning those distinctions makes watching, choosing a table and joining a local game more rewarding.

Sources

References checked October 19, 2026: Nippon Billiard Association: separate pocket and carom disciplines; Korean scoring-device patent background: four-ball and three-cushion objectives; Machida Billiards: its four-ball rules and scoring alternatives; WPA 2011 event report: Akakariyama in World Nine-ball competition; PBA tournament record: Cho Jae-ho’s 2024 World Championship; UMB’s 2021 tribute recognising Katsura as a trailblazer in professional carom.