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Special Summer Photo Exhibition
100th edition of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship
Summer Koshien — Unforgettable Games, Unforgettable Players
A quarter-final match at the 80th edition of the Summer Koshien. At the end of the eighth inning, Meitoku Gijuku High School (Kochi Prefecture) was leading 6—0, but in the 8th and 9th inning Yokohama High School (Kanagawa Prefecture) hit seven runs to complete an amazing comeback and clinch a place in the semi-final. Daisuke Matsuzaka came to the rescue for Yokohama and sparked scenes of wild celebration around the stadium.
Ryohei Murayama, then-president of Asahi Shimbun Company, throws the ceremonial first pitch at the first ever edition of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship in 1915.
During the tenth inning of the final match of the 78th edition of Koshien, with one man out and the bases loaded, Daisuke Honda of Kumamoto Technical High School launched a massive hit, which was fielded in the deep by Katsushi Yano of Matsuyama Commercial High School (Ehime Prefecture), who launched a magnificent return throw that resulted in a miraculous tag out. In the eleventh inning, Matsuyama High hit three runs to clinch the championship.
It was the final game of the 88th edition of Koshien. The match was being replayed after the previous day's game ended in a draw. Komazawa University Tomakomai High School (Hokkaido) had two out in the ninth inning, when Waseda Jitsugyo High School's ace pitcher Yuki Saito delivered an almighty straight ball to strikeout batter Masahiro Tanaka, and secure the championship.
To mark the 100th edition of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship (commonly known as “Summer Koshien”) the Asahi Shimbun Company and Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. are pleased to present the photo exhibition “Summer Koshien — Unforgettable Games, Unforgettable Players”, which runs from August 3 — 16, 2018 at FUJIFILM SQUARE in the Tokyo Midtown complex in Tokyo's Roppongi district.
The Japanese High School Baseball Championship started life as the National Junior High School Baseball Championship in August 1915, and this year marks the 100th edition of the tournament. The tournament was cancelled during the war years, but such was its popularity that it was able to overcome all adversities and continues to this day as a major fixture of the summer sporting calendar in Japan.
Underpinning the tournament is the philosophy that baseball is an essential part of school education, with the aim of not only developing physical strength and skills but also nurturing respect for one's opponent and the spirit of fair play. The vast majority of the approx. 3,400 matches held throughout the previous editions of the tournament have been held at the Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, and some 250,000 games have been played in regions across Japan with the ultimate aim of reaching the national Koshien championship.
To commemorate the 100th edition of the tournament, the Japan High School Baseball Federation and Asahi Shimbun Company ¬— the main organizers of the annual tournament — jointly published A History of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship and together are holding the photo exhibition “Summer Koshien — Unforgettable Games, Unforgettable Players”.
This photo exhibition is comprised of two major themes: ‘unforgettable games' and ‘unforgettable players' of the 3,400 or so matches that have graced the tournament. We are delighted to present images that evoke vivid memories of fiercely contested matches of years gone by.
Throughout the exhibition, we are also holding special talk events for children who harbor their own dreams of becoming major baseball stars of the future. A prominent Asahi Shimbun sports writer will be tracing the history and attractions of high school baseball in a fun and easy-to-understand way. To enable children to deepen their knowledge and conduct summer holiday free research assignments, we will also be handing out special Summer Koshien Quiz Sheets.
We are delighted to welcome everyone — from diehard baseball fans to novices — to come along and share in the history of this important national event, which is being held to coincide with this year's 100th edition of the tournament.
| Name of exhibition | Summer Koshien — Unforgettable Games, Unforgettable Players |
|---|---|
| Dates and Time | August 3 — 16, 2018 |
| Dates and times | 10:00 - 19:00 (please note that last entry is at 18:50 and at 14:00 on the final day of the exhibition) |
| Venue | FUJIFILM SQUARE |
| Admission | Free Please note that all elementary schoolchildren and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. |
| No. of exhibits | 100 photos (half-size, full-size and super enlarged) |
| Special events | Special summer features — The Mysteries and Marvels of Koshien 1) “That Summer — behind the scenes episodes at Koshien” by a prominent Asahi Shimbun sports reporter 2) Free handouts of the Summer Koshien Quiz Sheet (throughout the duration of the exhibition) |
| Presented by | Asahi Shimbun Company and Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. |
| Special cooperation by | FUJIFILM Corporation |
| Supported by | The Japan High School Baseball Federation, the Minato City Board of Education and the Osaka City Board of Education |
| Exhibition tour | August 24 — 30, 2018 10:00—19:00 (last entry is at 14:00 on the final day of the exhibition) Fujifilm Photo Salon, Osaka 1F MetLife Honmachi Square (former Osaka Marubeni Bldg.) 2-5-7 Honmachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0053 Tel: 06-6205-8000 (10:00—18:00) 1) “That Summer — behind the scenes episodes at Koshien” by a prominent Asahi Shimbun sports reporter* 2) Free handouts of the Summer Koshien Quiz Sheet (throughout the duration of the exhibition) * Details of the guest speaker will be announced on the Fujifilm website when available. |
| Related events | The 100th edition of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship (17 days starting on August 5, 2018) High school baseball commemorative events
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The 100th edition of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship
- A History of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship
Over 3,000 specially selected photographs from over 100 years of the Summer Koshien.
The only publication that exhaustively covers the entire history of the tournament presented in a beautiful two-volume tome.
Expected date of publication — March 2019
Closing date for orders — December 15, 2018
Price: ¥16,200 (inclusive of tax; also sold separately)
- A special edition of Asahi Weekly entitled Koshien will also be available prior to the start of this year's 100th edition of the Japanese High School Baseball Championship
Editorial dept. Shukan Asahi, Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.
Tel: 03-5541-8766
