Hanshin Koshien Stadium was built in less than four months back in 1924. Its grand unveiling took place on August 1 of that year in front of over 10,000 residents, mostly students from some 150 elementary schools located along the Hanshin railway lines. The stadium’s designer, Seizo Noda, was also in attendance, and declared the ballpark’s grand opening with these words:
“Ladies and gentlemen, this Koshien Grand Athletic Ground is the largest of its kind in the Orient. I have a dream to make it the mecca of Japanese sports.”
It has done just that as the host stadium of Japan’s two annual high school national tournaments. These single-elimination showdowns captivate the hearts of the entire nation every spring and summer, and you would be hard-pressed to find a baseball-loving boy who does not dream of someday standing on the holy dirt and grass of the stadium.
One hundred years later, thousands of high schoolers have fulfilled their fantasies and gone on to careers as professional baseball players. Thousands of others have played on the same field as members of the Hanshin Tigers (or their opponents).
On August 1, 2024, the Hanshin Electric Railway celebrated a century of operating the ballpark with a special ceremony that preceded a matchup between NPB’s hottest rival teams: the Tigers and Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants.
But first, the pre-game. The stands were already nearly full as the crowd was fully aware of the magnitude of this day. The show opened as MC Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Inception, etc.) called on select performers individually: Noh performer Shonosuke Ohkura, taiko drummer Taishi Yamabe, and rock guitarist Miyavi each did short performances. Then, they rolled out a red carpet that stretched from right field to center. Accompanied by girls wearing elaborate Japanese headpieces, they were introduced and walked down the carpet in turn:
- Yoshio Yoshida (Hanshin Tigers legendary shortstop and manager)
- Tsuneo Horiuchi (Yomiuri Giants legendary pitcher)
- Toshiro Ishii (Nishinomiya City mayor)
- Yutaka Sado (symphony conductor)
- Daisuke Araki (five-time Koshien baseball tournament participant)
- Kaori Sakamoto (2022 Pyongyang Olympic bronze medalist figure skater)
- Mika Ahn (former fashion model, current TV talent)
- Mina Nagashima (former Koshien tournament announcer, daughter of Yomiuri Giants slugger Shigeo)
- Koji Uehara (Yomiuri Giants, Boston Red Sox legendary pitcher)
- Kyuji Fujikawa (Hanshin Tigers legendary pitcher)
- Randy Bass (Hanshin Tigers legendary first baseman)
Watanabe took the microphone again and called for the fans to join him in saluting the stadium’s past while praying for a bright, prosperous future. He yelled out “Koshien!” and the fans responded with “Iyasaka!” This was repeated three times. The pre-game ceremony closed with J-pop sensation Ai singing her famous song Aldebaran. As she performed, several large banners with various Koshien motifs were spread out across the stadium’s outfield, each being held by eight people.
(Side note: When Ai passed the mic back to Ken Watanabe, she accidentally called him Ken Takakura – the late Japanese actor who played field manager Uchiyama in the 1992 movie Mr. Baseball.)
The honored guests all walked back down the red carpet to thunderous applause, paused for pictures in front of the field gate, and left.
For the record, the Hanshin Tigers rewarded the faithful fans, the organization, and the stadium itself, with a convincing 9-2 victory over their eternal rivals. Slugger Teruaki Sato punctuated the victory with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, the lone long ball of the night.
Happy Birthday, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. Here’s to 100 more years. Iyasaka!
