The face of Japanese soccer is showing its age now, somewhat craggy and residing under a floppy shock of hair turned salt and pepper.

But the ebullience of the one known simply — and widely — as “Kazu” has not faded with the years.

A smiling Kazuyoshi Miura still draws a crowd, be they youth-league players who have only glimpsed him on television or their parents, who grew up under his spell two decades earlier.

When Miura’s 45th birthday comes Sunday in Japan, he will be here with his Yokohama FC team for Saturday’s final night of the two-day Hawaiian Islands Invitational soccer tournament that opens Thursday at Aloha Stadium with teams from South Korea, Australia and Major League Soccer (Colorado Rapids).

It is an advanced age for a professional soccer player. But, then, his has been a career noteworthy for being as unconventional as it has been remarkable.

The man who brought pro soccer into the mainstream in Japan nearly 20 years ago was born and raised in the shadow of Mt. Fuji, Miura, dropped out of high school in his native Shizuoka at age 15 and went to learn the “beautiful game” at its epicenter, Brazil.

What he gleaned from the experience of playing there and, eventually, with the Santos team of Pele fame, helped the pro J.League get off the ground and gave it a personality to rally around.

What the 5-foot-8, 158-pound striker brought back from his seven-year apprenticeship in Brazil was so different that he became Japan’s first soccer superstar. From his samba-like celebration of scoring a goal — dubbed the “Kazu dance” — to his smooth “Kazu feint” footwork, his flamboyance gave the sport a refreshing look that brought new fans. Staid and shy were out and bold and colorful were in.

At a point when baseball and sumo were the traditional pastimes, “King Kazu,” as he was to be headlined, made the debuting J.League a compelling and fashionable alternative.

“He was like Babe Ruth,” said Takeshi Mitsuya, a Tokyo native who showed up at the University of Hawaii soccer fields to watch Miura’s team work out Monday. “Because of him, people came to the stadiums to watch (pro) soccer.”

He was the first Japanese player to win player of the year in Asia, and the first soccer player in Japan to become a mainstay of TV commercials and ads. His 91 caps and 56 goals in international competition have made him a revered figure.

Miura went on to play professionally in Italy, Croatia and Australia. But for all the detours in a 28-year professional career, and advancing age, he has remained a showman and a favorite. When he was the last cut from Japan’s World Cup team, there was a huge outcry. And some, like Mitsuya, have not forgiven the administration.

His goal in a nationally televised benefit match for victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami last year captured the country’s imagination. An auction of his characteristically colorful shoes raised $70,000.

Speculation is that this might be Miura’s last pro season, though he maintains that he hasn’t decided.

And, indeed, he makes few concessions to age, leading by vigor as much as seniority in Yokohama FC team sprints and drills.

“He’s a legend,” Mitsuya said. “He will always be.”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.