Kawabuchi was born in Takaishi on December 3, 1936. After graduating from Waseda University, he played for Furukawa Electric. In 1965, Furukawa Electric joined new league Japan Soccer League. In the initial league season, he was the first player to score a hat-trick, against Nagoya Mutual Bank. He retired in 1970. He played 68 games and scored 10 goals in the league.