Kansei Matsuzawa's Raiders story started in the stands. Now it's unfolding on the field

Kansei Matsuzawa put an exclamation point, or two, on mandatory minicamp in early June by drilling a pair of 60-yard field goals into the pool at the Raiders facility.

Yes, into the drink. With ease, for a guy who purportedly lacked the big leg for such big kicks.

The erstwhile Tokyo Toe, who famously taught himself to kick by watching videos on YouTube and turned himself into a consensus All-American at Hawaii, did not rest on his newfound long-distance laurels during the Raiders' six-week summer break.

Far from it.

With distance, literal and figurative, a point of emphasis, Matsuzawa continued his offseason work with former kicker Nick Novak in San Diego (along with Raiders punter and holder AJ Cole) and came to training camp with something else in his bag.

"You can see a little bit more power in his kicks," Raiders special teams coach Joe DeCamillis said of Matsuzawa. "I'm pleased with where he's at, but he's got a lot of work to do left.

"It's a legitimate competition."

Oh, you didn’t know?

Sure, Matt Gay, an eighth-year NFL vet and one-time Pro Bowler (under DeCamillis with the Rams, by the way), is the front-runner for the gig in the wake of the Raiders moving on from Daniel Carlson. But, as DeCamillis said, nothing is guaranteed.

Yet.

And that's a good thing. Remember, new coach Klint Kubiak wants competition throughout the roster and special teams can win, and lose, games.

Matsuzawa is more than a novelty; he is a feel-good tale whose origin story began with his attending a Raiders game in Oakland as a fan on a solo trip from Japan to the United States.

The 2018 NFL season opener.

With all the pomp and circumstance of "Monday Night Football."

Against the Rams.

"Definitely it's a full-circle moment," Matsuzawa said. "It's so, like, beautiful. … The Raiders lost the game, but I've been influenced by players, teams and the fans. And the Raiders always have a great fan base. And I was so excited to cheer the players on, but now I'm on the players' side, so it's really exciting to me."

As I've said, the Tokyo Toe not only has one of the coolest nicknames in all of sports, he has a resume to boot (pun intended).

Matsuzawa was a model of consistency at Hawaii last fall, even as he battled the infamous trade winds during home games, making his first 25 field-goal attempts (he finished 27-of-29) and converted all 40 point-after attempts. He was a perfect 72-72 in PATs in two years for the Rainbow Warriors.

But - and there's always a but - distance was not a strength because, well, distance was not needed. He attempted just two field-goals of at least 50 yards in two seasons at Hawaii, going 1-2.

Enter Novak.

"When I got him, he was already very professional," Novak told me in a phone interview. "He was beyond his years when I first got him. He didn't feel like he was a rookie; he felt like he was already in his second or third year.

"He had to get a little stronger to actually compete and win a job."

Novak, who has been working with Matsuzawa since he left Hawaii, said he noticed more "pop" in the rookie's kick when he returned from OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

Then DeCamillis noticed more power when the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Matsuzawa came back to the Raiders for training camp.

"I've got to have more distance," Matsuzawa said. "I've got to show great height at the line of scrimmage. I was working with [Novak] the last five months and it's been really good."

Novak exhaled.

"I'm just excited for him," Novak said. "It's day-to-day, right? I don't want to be overly [positive] because he's got to go out there and prove it. But he has gotten so much better. Stronger.

"He's very straight and not a lot of fade, not a lot of draw. It's a repeatable ball. Most of that is attributed to his contact consistency."

As well as the coaching he's received from DeCamillis and senior special teams coach Marquice Williams, he's been studying tapes of Seahawks kicker Jason Myers, and leaning on mentorship from the guy with whom he's competing.

"I have a great mentor in Matt," Matsuzawa said. "I'm grateful to work with him. … My journey is a little unique, a little different.

"I have a good routine, work ethic. And then I just trust my process. … [I've] got to be elite level in the NFL so I'm working on a better routine. Obviously, I've got to take care of my body well. I think it's been amazing so far, yeah."

Gay said Matsuzawa was already "way farther ahead" than where he was as a rookie.

"He's been nothing short of great to work with," Gay said. "Humble. Just a good dude all around.

"He's definitely hitting the ball really well so he pushes me to keep hitting the ball well. Can't take days off. He's awesome. I like Kansei a lot."

Yes, it's a legit competition. But even if Gay wins it, both DeCamillis and Novak pointed to the Raiders potentially holding on to Matsuzawa as part of the International Player Pathway program. That way, they reason, he can keep a roster spot and continue his development.

Plus, Matsuzawa, who learned English while playing two seasons at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, already has experience kicking in Allegiant Stadium.

Small sample size, but he booted a 45-yard field goal as well as a PAT in Hawaii's 38-10 loss to UNLV last November.

"I want to do better," Matsuzawa said. "I want to be a great player. It's been amazing but I feel like this is the first step in my new journey."

One that began on a whimsical trans-Pacific trip to a Raiders game in 2018.