Meet Toru and Kayoko Ohtani: Facts about Shohei Ohtani's parents
Los Angeles Dodgers standout Shohei Ohtani's parents, Toru and Kayoko Ohtani, have played a key role in his career success. In September 2024, while watching his son’s first game at Dodger Stadium, Toru said:
Seeing you dedicate yourself fully to baseball makes me envious as a dad.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Shohei Ohtani was born to Japanese parents, Toru and Kayoko Ohtani.
- The MLB All-Star’s parents were active in competitive sports.
- Shohei has two older siblings, Ryuta and Yuka.
Shohei Ohtani's profile summary
| Full name | Shohei Ohtani |
| Nickname | Shotime |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 5 July 1994 |
| Age | 30 years old (as of June 2025) |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Place of birth | Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture, Japan |
| Current residence | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height | 6'3" (193 cm) |
| Weight | 95 kg (210 lbs) |
| Body measurements in inches | 43-16-34 |
| Body measurements in centimetres | 109-41-86 |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Mother | Kayoko Ohtani |
| Father | Toru Ohtani |
| Siblings | 2 |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife | Mamiko Tanaka |
| Children | 1 |
| School | Hanamaki Higashi High School |
| Profession | Professional baseball player |
| Net worth | $150 million |
| Social media | InstagramFacebook |
Toru and Kayoko Ohtani were athletes
Shohei Ohtani's father, Toru, was an amateur baseball player who competed as an outfielder in Japan’s industrial league for a corporate-sponsored team.
Kayoko Ohtani, Shohei Ohtani's mother, competed at the national level in badminton during her high school years. Her dedication and athleticism left a strong impression on Shohei, who told MLB in 2017:
I can’t beat her in badminton to this day. She’s tall and she’s been playing badminton for a long time.
Source: Original
Shohei Ohtani’s dad coached him
The MLB superstar's father passed on his love for baseball, and he also coached him from elementary school until junior high school. In a 2017 interview with The Mainichi Newspaper, Toru reflected on Shohei’s upbringing, saying:
I wasn’t particularly tough in his upbringing. It was very ordinary, really just ordinary. He would actively engage in whatever he was interested in. He was a child who would try anything.
Toru Ohtani often wrote down advice for his son, carefully guiding his development. In a 2022 Nippon interview, Shohei shared:
Up until I reached high school, we probably spent more time together on the field than anywhere else. There was no special treatment. In practice and games, I didn’t think of him as my dad. He was first and foremost my coach.
Shohei Ohtani's mother also contributed to his growth. The former badminton player took her son to practice sessions, which helped develop his athletic movements. As she said:
I would let Shohei play with the equipment. Maybe it’s because the motions in badminton are similar to baseball, but he could swing the racquet like a champ without me having to show him.
Source: Twitter
What nationality are Shohei Ohtani's parents?
Toru and Kayoko Ohtani are Japanese nationals who live in Ōshū, Japan.
One of Shohei Ohtani’s siblings, Ryuta, also has a passion for baseball. He plays and coaches a corporate baseball team in Japan’s industrial league.
What is Shohei Ohtani's ethnicity?
The AL MVP winner has Asian roots, born in Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. He is a Cancer by zodiac sign and Japanese by nationality. During a 2025 CBS interview, he spoke about inspiring Japan's next generation of baseball players, saying:
It really means a lot to me when kids who play baseball say they want to be like Shohei Ohtani. This has happened a lot, both when I played in Japan and after I started playing in America. I feel a strong responsibility to make sure I don’t let those kids down.
Source: Getty Images
Does Shohei Ohtani have a wife?
A report by People noted that the MLB player is married to former Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka. Their union was announced in February 2024.
On 19 April 2025, Shohei Ohtani's family shared the joyful news of their first child’s arrival. In an Instagram post featuring a photo of the newborn’s feet, he wrote:
I am so grateful to my loving wife, who gave birth to our healthy, beautiful daughter. To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.
Shohei Ohtani makes his parents proud with impressive career stats
Ohtani has made records by becoming the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He won the 2024 World Series in his first MLB postseason appearance.
At the international level, he won the MVP Award during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Baseball Reference published that, as of June 2025, Shohei's MLB statistics include a batting average of .282 with 946 hits and 156 stolen bases.
Source: Getty Images
Frequently asked questions
- How many languages does Shohei Ohtani speak? He speaks Japanese fluently and speaks some English, but usually relies on an interpreter during interviews.
- What are Shohei Ohtani's parents' heights? The height and body measurements of the MLB player's parents are not public knowledge.
- Who is Shohei Ohtani's wife? The Dodgers star married Mamiko Tanaka, a former professional basketball player from Japan, in February 2024.
- What do Shohei Ohtani's parents do? His mother was a national-level badminton player, and his father worked in automobile manufacturing while playing amateur baseball.
The unwavering support from Toru and Kayoko Ohtani has been vital in shaping their son’s success in Major League Baseball. Their dedication, both on and off the field, highlights the strong family foundation behind one of baseball’s brightest stars.
READ ALSO: Is Kamalani Dung Shohei Ohtani’s wife? Everything to know about the baseball pitcher
As Briefly.co.za published, Kamalani Dung is a professional softball pitcher from Waianae, Hawaii. She played for the Puerto Rican National Team in 2018 and 2019.
She is famously known for being in a relationship with Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese professional baseball pitcher. Discover more about their relationship.
Source: Briefly News
