Jim Allen, Columnist, The Daily Yomiuri
"Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow ... This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has." | Watch and Read »
Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
"It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country ... to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out." | Watch and Read »
Hideki Matsui, Outfielder, New York Yankees
"It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate." | Watch and Read »
Kazuo Sayama, Baseball Historian
"In Japan, [baseball] began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo that is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math." | Watch and Read »
Masayuki Tamaki, Baseball Historian
"It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart." | Watch and Read »
Robert Whiting, Baseball Historian
"... You can't build character without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment." | Watch and Read »
Interview with Jim Allen, columnist for The Daily Omiuri.
The sad thing is, and this is part of the charm of high school baseball, is that [at Koshien,] everybody knows today is the last day for half the teams in the tournament. Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow, and if they're seniors, they'll never make it to the top. This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has. These kids aren't holding back.
People refer to pro baseball players as "salarymen" players. They're corporate guys — they make big salaries, they drive fancy cars. [For the kids,] the attitude is that because they could lose this game today and never be heard from again, they're going to give it their all. For a pro team, if they lose 40 or 50 games, it's a successful season. For a team at Koshien, if you lose the first game, you finish the tournament 0-1, and you're forgotten. It's a disaster. The kids will be sobbing and watering the infield with their tears as they scoop up the dirt to take home with them. It's kind of pathetic, but the fans eat it up. That spirit — give it all you got, and then cry when you lose, and cry when you win, so much emotion — that's [Koshien's] real drawing power.
In many ways, it's fitting that the national tournament is in August. Japan lost the war in August. Koshien is as much about defeat as it is about winning, as baseball is in America as well. [It's about] epic losses. Japan is very big on epic failure. The Second World War was an epic failure, but the fallen veterans are not forgotten.
POV: Why do the players cry so much, and why do the fans cry so much?
Masayuki Tamaki: I can't help but doubt [the trueness of their] emotion. Every player cries when they lose [at Koshien], even at the first heat. I used to play sports too, so I know how great it feels to win, or how sad it feels to lose. But nobody cries that much. In any other sports, I have never seen any student players cry when they lose at the first heat in a regional tournament.
It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart. Back in time, Suishu Tobita wrote: "Players that cannot even cry when they lose are not serious enough." So what players who cannot cry would do, is pretend to cry. And it became a habit. I think it's just the way it is. At high school soccer tournaments, the players may not cry when they lose. I don't think it means they have a different mentality than the baseball players do. It's just the habit that's different. And people like watching them cry. I think that's all.
Interview with Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
High school baseball is important to the Japanese because it's the last bastion of amateurism: kids playing for the pure love of the game, for the glory of their school, for the honor of their home district. I think the people here in Japan really like that amateur side of the game. There's no money involved, there [are] no huge rights fees for broadcast, there's not a lot of licensing of product or anything: It's really for the pure love of the game.
I think the high school playing in Koshien [started in] 1924. So, it's got a long history, and it's got this history of these kids giving their all for the glory and honor of the school. [They dive] into first base even when it's not called for, because that's expected of them — there's honor and pride involved here. The Japanese people all love this aspect of the game.
When Japanese people look at Koshien, they look at more than just baseball. It's a coming of age, a rite of passage from boyhood to adulthood. It's almost a religion in the way that people look at it. It's pure: The uniforms are still all white, the heads are still all cropped, there's no back-talking to umpires, kids take off their caps and bow to the umpire, even if the umpire's made bad calls. The coach is God. What he says, it's the rule. So it's not just a game. It's almost a religious rite, in some respects, for these kids to go to Koshien. It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country [who are high school age or younger] to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out. They [also] have this ritual of taking a bit of the dirt from the infield of Koshien and putting it in a bag, and you better believe that they are going to treasure that their entire life. Because getting there is very hard to do, since it's so competitive; out of almost four thousand-some high schools, the chances of going to Koshien are not that great for the average school. Some of the powerhouses may get to go again and again, but [for most players] it's a lifetime dream. If they get there, every win is cherished, and if they lose, they'll never forget the fact that they got there, and treasure that dirt from even a losing game.
POV: What can students learn from playing baseball?
Hideki Matsui: I think you can learn many things from baseball. [One of them] is establishing a relationship of trust between teammates. My high school teammates are still my close friends. Especially in Japan, there's a lot of emphasis on proper conduct and salutations in sports. There's also the system of seniors and juniors; the spirit of perseverance — not giving up until the very end; the joy of winning and the bitterness of losing. I think you can learn a number of things through baseball. I think that's what it means when people say baseball is a part of the educational system.
POV: So what was it like for you the first time that you stepped onto the field at Koshien for the tournament?
Matsui: I'd been dreaming of it since childhood, so I was extremely nervous on one hand, and overjoyed on the other. There was the emotional aspect that I'd held since childhood, and the nervousness of standing there for the first time.
POV: A lot of high school teams in Japan practice 11 months a year, 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. What do you think is the reason for so much practice?
Matsui: For us, that was normal, so it wasn't that painful. It's not that long. I mean it's from after class around 3 p.m. until the sun sets. We accepted it as normal, so it wasn't a problem for us. And it was by repeating lots of different kinds of training that I was able to advance technically and mentally. I think that's how you improve both technically and emotionally.
POV: Can you compare what it was like to play in the Koshien tournament and what it is like to play for the Yankees?
Matsui: There was excitement and nervousness involved in both, but the biggest difference is my age. When I went to Koshien for the first time, I was 16. I didn't have much experience, and I was very nervous. When I came [to New York], I was 28. By then, I'd experienced many things since childhood and played professionally in Japan for 10 years. I was definitely excited and nervous, but I was also able to move at my own pace and keep calm. That's a difference that comes with age.
POV: What did it feel like when you were at Koshien — did you feel a lot of pressure, and how did you deal with that?
Matsui: Yes, I'm not sure about pressure, but I did feel very nervous. It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate. You can't control the environment, so it just comes down to concentrating and doing the things you can control well. That's what I tried to keep in mind.
POV: When you were younger you were very good in sumo and judo as well. What made you choose to play baseball?
Matsui: That's easy. My junior high school didn't have a judo or sumo club. There was no choice. There was only baseball.
The history of Japanese baseball is a little bit different from the history of American baseball. In America it developed from a children's game. In Japan, it began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo which is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math.
It was very important that it began inside a school. It didn't develop from games played by children. The fact that it started on the campus of Japan's most prestigious school, and that it was taught by a teacher, determined the fate of Japanese baseball.
The students of the time tended to stay in the classroom and study or debate constantly. But they didn't play any sports, and they were physically weak. They were unhealthy.
That was a problem. So [Horace Wilson] said, look, if you are going to lead Japan in the future, you have to be strong. You have to study, but you also have to be healthy. And baseball was his way of bringing the students outside and into the sun.
He just happened to know baseball, which he learned in the Civil War. That was very fortuitous for Japan. It could have been any sport. But the students loved baseball. They were fascinated.
People watch [Koshien] as much for the pageantry of the thing as for the baseball. And even people who don't like baseball in Japan will stop and watch high school baseball. That includes my wife, who can't stand baseball, but there's just something about Koshien that you've got to watch it. It's like going to the shrine on New Year's, it's become a part of the fabric of Japanese society.
Many Americans think the whole point of going to high school is to have fun, that when you get into college, that's when you have to knuckle down a little bit, get serious about life, and decide what you are going to do. [Americans think that] when you're young, you enjoy yourself -- but the Japanese think just the opposite. [For the Japanese,] junior high school and high school is when you mold the personality, and so you can't mold character, you can't build character, without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment. They're actually doing them a favor. So you see, an upperclassman will whack some freshman over the head for some minor infraction, and then the underclassman will say, "Thank you very much. Thank you for teaching me." That's what it's all about. I know that it seems too much to Americans who see it, but there is a purpose to it all, it's not just sadism. There is a philosophy behind this.
The idea that sports could be played for fun is something that was introduced by the West, for release of tension and for relaxation. The idea of sport was so alien that there was no word to describe it in Japanese, so they wound up using the word "sportsu." The Japanese like baseball because it was their first group game in a country that was noted for its "groupist" proclivities. It gave them a chance to express group dynamics on a baseball field. Also, in the battle between the pitcher and the batter they could also see elements of an encounter between two kendo swordsmen, where it took a certain combination of concentration and lightning-fast movements to defeat your opponent.
"
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Jim Allen, Columnist, The Daily Yomiuri
"Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow ... This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has." | Watch and Read »
Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
"It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country ... to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out." | Watch and Read »
Hideki Matsui, Outfielder, New York Yankees
"It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate." | Watch and Read »
Kazuo Sayama, Baseball Historian
"In Japan, [baseball] began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo that is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math." | Watch and Read »
Masayuki Tamaki, Baseball Historian
"It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart." | Watch and Read »
Robert Whiting, Baseball Historian
"... You can't build character without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment." | Watch and Read »
Interview with Jim Allen, columnist for The Daily Omiuri.
The sad thing is, and this is part of the charm of high school baseball, is that [at Koshien,] everybody knows today is the last day for half the teams in the tournament. Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow, and if they're seniors, they'll never make it to the top. This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has. These kids aren't holding back.
People refer to pro baseball players as "salarymen" players. They're corporate guys — they make big salaries, they drive fancy cars. [For the kids,] the attitude is that because they could lose this game today and never be heard from again, they're going to give it their all. For a pro team, if they lose 40 or 50 games, it's a successful season. For a team at Koshien, if you lose the first game, you finish the tournament 0-1, and you're forgotten. It's a disaster. The kids will be sobbing and watering the infield with their tears as they scoop up the dirt to take home with them. It's kind of pathetic, but the fans eat it up. That spirit — give it all you got, and then cry when you lose, and cry when you win, so much emotion — that's [Koshien's] real drawing power.
In many ways, it's fitting that the national tournament is in August. Japan lost the war in August. Koshien is as much about defeat as it is about winning, as baseball is in America as well. [It's about] epic losses. Japan is very big on epic failure. The Second World War was an epic failure, but the fallen veterans are not forgotten.
POV: Why do the players cry so much, and why do the fans cry so much?
Masayuki Tamaki: I can't help but doubt [the trueness of their] emotion. Every player cries when they lose [at Koshien], even at the first heat. I used to play sports too, so I know how great it feels to win, or how sad it feels to lose. But nobody cries that much. In any other sports, I have never seen any student players cry when they lose at the first heat in a regional tournament.
It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart. Back in time, Suishu Tobita wrote: "Players that cannot even cry when they lose are not serious enough." So what players who cannot cry would do, is pretend to cry. And it became a habit. I think it's just the way it is. At high school soccer tournaments, the players may not cry when they lose. I don't think it means they have a different mentality than the baseball players do. It's just the habit that's different. And people like watching them cry. I think that's all.
Interview with Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
High school baseball is important to the Japanese because it's the last bastion of amateurism: kids playing for the pure love of the game, for the glory of their school, for the honor of their home district. I think the people here in Japan really like that amateur side of the game. There's no money involved, there [are] no huge rights fees for broadcast, there's not a lot of licensing of product or anything: It's really for the pure love of the game.
I think the high school playing in Koshien [started in] 1924. So, it's got a long history, and it's got this history of these kids giving their all for the glory and honor of the school. [They dive] into first base even when it's not called for, because that's expected of them — there's honor and pride involved here. The Japanese people all love this aspect of the game.
When Japanese people look at Koshien, they look at more than just baseball. It's a coming of age, a rite of passage from boyhood to adulthood. It's almost a religion in the way that people look at it. It's pure: The uniforms are still all white, the heads are still all cropped, there's no back-talking to umpires, kids take off their caps and bow to the umpire, even if the umpire's made bad calls. The coach is God. What he says, it's the rule. So it's not just a game. It's almost a religious rite, in some respects, for these kids to go to Koshien. It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country [who are high school age or younger] to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out. They [also] have this ritual of taking a bit of the dirt from the infield of Koshien and putting it in a bag, and you better believe that they are going to treasure that their entire life. Because getting there is very hard to do, since it's so competitive; out of almost four thousand-some high schools, the chances of going to Koshien are not that great for the average school. Some of the powerhouses may get to go again and again, but [for most players] it's a lifetime dream. If they get there, every win is cherished, and if they lose, they'll never forget the fact that they got there, and treasure that dirt from even a losing game.
POV: What can students learn from playing baseball?
Hideki Matsui: I think you can learn many things from baseball. [One of them] is establishing a relationship of trust between teammates. My high school teammates are still my close friends. Especially in Japan, there's a lot of emphasis on proper conduct and salutations in sports. There's also the system of seniors and juniors; the spirit of perseverance — not giving up until the very end; the joy of winning and the bitterness of losing. I think you can learn a number of things through baseball. I think that's what it means when people say baseball is a part of the educational system.
POV: So what was it like for you the first time that you stepped onto the field at Koshien for the tournament?
Matsui: I'd been dreaming of it since childhood, so I was extremely nervous on one hand, and overjoyed on the other. There was the emotional aspect that I'd held since childhood, and the nervousness of standing there for the first time.
POV: A lot of high school teams in Japan practice 11 months a year, 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. What do you think is the reason for so much practice?
Matsui: For us, that was normal, so it wasn't that painful. It's not that long. I mean it's from after class around 3 p.m. until the sun sets. We accepted it as normal, so it wasn't a problem for us. And it was by repeating lots of different kinds of training that I was able to advance technically and mentally. I think that's how you improve both technically and emotionally.
POV: Can you compare what it was like to play in the Koshien tournament and what it is like to play for the Yankees?
Matsui: There was excitement and nervousness involved in both, but the biggest difference is my age. When I went to Koshien for the first time, I was 16. I didn't have much experience, and I was very nervous. When I came [to New York], I was 28. By then, I'd experienced many things since childhood and played professionally in Japan for 10 years. I was definitely excited and nervous, but I was also able to move at my own pace and keep calm. That's a difference that comes with age.
POV: What did it feel like when you were at Koshien — did you feel a lot of pressure, and how did you deal with that?
Matsui: Yes, I'm not sure about pressure, but I did feel very nervous. It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate. You can't control the environment, so it just comes down to concentrating and doing the things you can control well. That's what I tried to keep in mind.
POV: When you were younger you were very good in sumo and judo as well. What made you choose to play baseball?
Matsui: That's easy. My junior high school didn't have a judo or sumo club. There was no choice. There was only baseball.
The history of Japanese baseball is a little bit different from the history of American baseball. In America it developed from a children's game. In Japan, it began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo which is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math.
It was very important that it began inside a school. It didn't develop from games played by children. The fact that it started on the campus of Japan's most prestigious school, and that it was taught by a teacher, determined the fate of Japanese baseball.
The students of the time tended to stay in the classroom and study or debate constantly. But they didn't play any sports, and they were physically weak. They were unhealthy.
That was a problem. So [Horace Wilson] said, look, if you are going to lead Japan in the future, you have to be strong. You have to study, but you also have to be healthy. And baseball was his way of bringing the students outside and into the sun.
He just happened to know baseball, which he learned in the Civil War. That was very fortuitous for Japan. It could have been any sport. But the students loved baseball. They were fascinated.
People watch [Koshien] as much for the pageantry of the thing as for the baseball. And even people who don't like baseball in Japan will stop and watch high school baseball. That includes my wife, who can't stand baseball, but there's just something about Koshien that you've got to watch it. It's like going to the shrine on New Year's, it's become a part of the fabric of Japanese society.
Many Americans think the whole point of going to high school is to have fun, that when you get into college, that's when you have to knuckle down a little bit, get serious about life, and decide what you are going to do. [Americans think that] when you're young, you enjoy yourself -- but the Japanese think just the opposite. [For the Japanese,] junior high school and high school is when you mold the personality, and so you can't mold character, you can't build character, without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment. They're actually doing them a favor. So you see, an upperclassman will whack some freshman over the head for some minor infraction, and then the underclassman will say, "Thank you very much. Thank you for teaching me." That's what it's all about. I know that it seems too much to Americans who see it, but there is a purpose to it all, it's not just sadism. There is a philosophy behind this.
The idea that sports could be played for fun is something that was introduced by the West, for release of tension and for relaxation. The idea of sport was so alien that there was no word to describe it in Japanese, so they wound up using the word "sportsu." The Japanese like baseball because it was their first group game in a country that was noted for its "groupist" proclivities. It gave them a chance to express group dynamics on a baseball field. Also, in the battle between the pitcher and the batter they could also see elements of an encounter between two kendo swordsmen, where it took a certain combination of concentration and lightning-fast movements to defeat your opponent.
"
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Jim Allen, Columnist, The Daily Yomiuri
"Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow ... This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has." | Watch and Read »
Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
"It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country ... to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out." | Watch and Read »
Hideki Matsui, Outfielder, New York Yankees
"It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate." | Watch and Read »
Kazuo Sayama, Baseball Historian
"In Japan, [baseball] began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo that is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math." | Watch and Read »
Masayuki Tamaki, Baseball Historian
"It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart." | Watch and Read »
Robert Whiting, Baseball Historian
"... You can't build character without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment." | Watch and Read »
Interview with Jim Allen, columnist for The Daily Omiuri.
The sad thing is, and this is part of the charm of high school baseball, is that [at Koshien,] everybody knows today is the last day for half the teams in the tournament. Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow, and if they're seniors, they'll never make it to the top. This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has. These kids aren't holding back.
People refer to pro baseball players as "salarymen" players. They're corporate guys — they make big salaries, they drive fancy cars. [For the kids,] the attitude is that because they could lose this game today and never be heard from again, they're going to give it their all. For a pro team, if they lose 40 or 50 games, it's a successful season. For a team at Koshien, if you lose the first game, you finish the tournament 0-1, and you're forgotten. It's a disaster. The kids will be sobbing and watering the infield with their tears as they scoop up the dirt to take home with them. It's kind of pathetic, but the fans eat it up. That spirit — give it all you got, and then cry when you lose, and cry when you win, so much emotion — that's [Koshien's] real drawing power.
In many ways, it's fitting that the national tournament is in August. Japan lost the war in August. Koshien is as much about defeat as it is about winning, as baseball is in America as well. [It's about] epic losses. Japan is very big on epic failure. The Second World War was an epic failure, but the fallen veterans are not forgotten.
POV: Why do the players cry so much, and why do the fans cry so much?
Masayuki Tamaki: I can't help but doubt [the trueness of their] emotion. Every player cries when they lose [at Koshien], even at the first heat. I used to play sports too, so I know how great it feels to win, or how sad it feels to lose. But nobody cries that much. In any other sports, I have never seen any student players cry when they lose at the first heat in a regional tournament.
It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart. Back in time, Suishu Tobita wrote: "Players that cannot even cry when they lose are not serious enough." So what players who cannot cry would do, is pretend to cry. And it became a habit. I think it's just the way it is. At high school soccer tournaments, the players may not cry when they lose. I don't think it means they have a different mentality than the baseball players do. It's just the habit that's different. And people like watching them cry. I think that's all.
Interview with Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
High school baseball is important to the Japanese because it's the last bastion of amateurism: kids playing for the pure love of the game, for the glory of their school, for the honor of their home district. I think the people here in Japan really like that amateur side of the game. There's no money involved, there [are] no huge rights fees for broadcast, there's not a lot of licensing of product or anything: It's really for the pure love of the game.
I think the high school playing in Koshien [started in] 1924. So, it's got a long history, and it's got this history of these kids giving their all for the glory and honor of the school. [They dive] into first base even when it's not called for, because that's expected of them — there's honor and pride involved here. The Japanese people all love this aspect of the game.
When Japanese people look at Koshien, they look at more than just baseball. It's a coming of age, a rite of passage from boyhood to adulthood. It's almost a religion in the way that people look at it. It's pure: The uniforms are still all white, the heads are still all cropped, there's no back-talking to umpires, kids take off their caps and bow to the umpire, even if the umpire's made bad calls. The coach is God. What he says, it's the rule. So it's not just a game. It's almost a religious rite, in some respects, for these kids to go to Koshien. It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country [who are high school age or younger] to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out. They [also] have this ritual of taking a bit of the dirt from the infield of Koshien and putting it in a bag, and you better believe that they are going to treasure that their entire life. Because getting there is very hard to do, since it's so competitive; out of almost four thousand-some high schools, the chances of going to Koshien are not that great for the average school. Some of the powerhouses may get to go again and again, but [for most players] it's a lifetime dream. If they get there, every win is cherished, and if they lose, they'll never forget the fact that they got there, and treasure that dirt from even a losing game.
POV: What can students learn from playing baseball?
Hideki Matsui: I think you can learn many things from baseball. [One of them] is establishing a relationship of trust between teammates. My high school teammates are still my close friends. Especially in Japan, there's a lot of emphasis on proper conduct and salutations in sports. There's also the system of seniors and juniors; the spirit of perseverance — not giving up until the very end; the joy of winning and the bitterness of losing. I think you can learn a number of things through baseball. I think that's what it means when people say baseball is a part of the educational system.
POV: So what was it like for you the first time that you stepped onto the field at Koshien for the tournament?
Matsui: I'd been dreaming of it since childhood, so I was extremely nervous on one hand, and overjoyed on the other. There was the emotional aspect that I'd held since childhood, and the nervousness of standing there for the first time.
POV: A lot of high school teams in Japan practice 11 months a year, 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. What do you think is the reason for so much practice?
Matsui: For us, that was normal, so it wasn't that painful. It's not that long. I mean it's from after class around 3 p.m. until the sun sets. We accepted it as normal, so it wasn't a problem for us. And it was by repeating lots of different kinds of training that I was able to advance technically and mentally. I think that's how you improve both technically and emotionally.
POV: Can you compare what it was like to play in the Koshien tournament and what it is like to play for the Yankees?
Matsui: There was excitement and nervousness involved in both, but the biggest difference is my age. When I went to Koshien for the first time, I was 16. I didn't have much experience, and I was very nervous. When I came [to New York], I was 28. By then, I'd experienced many things since childhood and played professionally in Japan for 10 years. I was definitely excited and nervous, but I was also able to move at my own pace and keep calm. That's a difference that comes with age.
POV: What did it feel like when you were at Koshien — did you feel a lot of pressure, and how did you deal with that?
Matsui: Yes, I'm not sure about pressure, but I did feel very nervous. It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate. You can't control the environment, so it just comes down to concentrating and doing the things you can control well. That's what I tried to keep in mind.
POV: When you were younger you were very good in sumo and judo as well. What made you choose to play baseball?
Matsui: That's easy. My junior high school didn't have a judo or sumo club. There was no choice. There was only baseball.
The history of Japanese baseball is a little bit different from the history of American baseball. In America it developed from a children's game. In Japan, it began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo which is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math.
It was very important that it began inside a school. It didn't develop from games played by children. The fact that it started on the campus of Japan's most prestigious school, and that it was taught by a teacher, determined the fate of Japanese baseball.
The students of the time tended to stay in the classroom and study or debate constantly. But they didn't play any sports, and they were physically weak. They were unhealthy.
That was a problem. So [Horace Wilson] said, look, if you are going to lead Japan in the future, you have to be strong. You have to study, but you also have to be healthy. And baseball was his way of bringing the students outside and into the sun.
He just happened to know baseball, which he learned in the Civil War. That was very fortuitous for Japan. It could have been any sport. But the students loved baseball. They were fascinated.
People watch [Koshien] as much for the pageantry of the thing as for the baseball. And even people who don't like baseball in Japan will stop and watch high school baseball. That includes my wife, who can't stand baseball, but there's just something about Koshien that you've got to watch it. It's like going to the shrine on New Year's, it's become a part of the fabric of Japanese society.
Many Americans think the whole point of going to high school is to have fun, that when you get into college, that's when you have to knuckle down a little bit, get serious about life, and decide what you are going to do. [Americans think that] when you're young, you enjoy yourself -- but the Japanese think just the opposite. [For the Japanese,] junior high school and high school is when you mold the personality, and so you can't mold character, you can't build character, without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment. They're actually doing them a favor. So you see, an upperclassman will whack some freshman over the head for some minor infraction, and then the underclassman will say, "Thank you very much. Thank you for teaching me." That's what it's all about. I know that it seems too much to Americans who see it, but there is a purpose to it all, it's not just sadism. There is a philosophy behind this.
The idea that sports could be played for fun is something that was introduced by the West, for release of tension and for relaxation. The idea of sport was so alien that there was no word to describe it in Japanese, so they wound up using the word "sportsu." The Japanese like baseball because it was their first group game in a country that was noted for its "groupist" proclivities. It gave them a chance to express group dynamics on a baseball field. Also, in the battle between the pitcher and the batter they could also see elements of an encounter between two kendo swordsmen, where it took a certain combination of concentration and lightning-fast movements to defeat your opponent.
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Jim Allen, Columnist, The Daily Yomiuri
"Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow ... This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has." | Watch and Read »
Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
"It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country ... to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out." | Watch and Read »
Hideki Matsui, Outfielder, New York Yankees
"It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate." | Watch and Read »
Kazuo Sayama, Baseball Historian
"In Japan, [baseball] began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo that is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math." | Watch and Read »
Masayuki Tamaki, Baseball Historian
"It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart." | Watch and Read »
Robert Whiting, Baseball Historian
"... You can't build character without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment." | Watch and Read »
Interview with Jim Allen, columnist for The Daily Omiuri.
The sad thing is, and this is part of the charm of high school baseball, is that [at Koshien,] everybody knows today is the last day for half the teams in the tournament. Half the teams playing today will not be here tomorrow, and if they're seniors, they'll never make it to the top. This is their last moment to shine, we know they're going to give everything they've got, and I think that is really the allure that Koshien has. These kids aren't holding back.
People refer to pro baseball players as "salarymen" players. They're corporate guys — they make big salaries, they drive fancy cars. [For the kids,] the attitude is that because they could lose this game today and never be heard from again, they're going to give it their all. For a pro team, if they lose 40 or 50 games, it's a successful season. For a team at Koshien, if you lose the first game, you finish the tournament 0-1, and you're forgotten. It's a disaster. The kids will be sobbing and watering the infield with their tears as they scoop up the dirt to take home with them. It's kind of pathetic, but the fans eat it up. That spirit — give it all you got, and then cry when you lose, and cry when you win, so much emotion — that's [Koshien's] real drawing power.
In many ways, it's fitting that the national tournament is in August. Japan lost the war in August. Koshien is as much about defeat as it is about winning, as baseball is in America as well. [It's about] epic losses. Japan is very big on epic failure. The Second World War was an epic failure, but the fallen veterans are not forgotten.
POV: Why do the players cry so much, and why do the fans cry so much?
Masayuki Tamaki: I can't help but doubt [the trueness of their] emotion. Every player cries when they lose [at Koshien], even at the first heat. I used to play sports too, so I know how great it feels to win, or how sad it feels to lose. But nobody cries that much. In any other sports, I have never seen any student players cry when they lose at the first heat in a regional tournament.
It is sort of like a group hysteria. They think they have to cry because it's become a tradition. I do not think they are crying from the bottom of their heart. Back in time, Suishu Tobita wrote: "Players that cannot even cry when they lose are not serious enough." So what players who cannot cry would do, is pretend to cry. And it became a habit. I think it's just the way it is. At high school soccer tournaments, the players may not cry when they lose. I don't think it means they have a different mentality than the baseball players do. It's just the habit that's different. And people like watching them cry. I think that's all.
Interview with Marty Kuehnert, Columnist, The Japan Times
High school baseball is important to the Japanese because it's the last bastion of amateurism: kids playing for the pure love of the game, for the glory of their school, for the honor of their home district. I think the people here in Japan really like that amateur side of the game. There's no money involved, there [are] no huge rights fees for broadcast, there's not a lot of licensing of product or anything: It's really for the pure love of the game.
I think the high school playing in Koshien [started in] 1924. So, it's got a long history, and it's got this history of these kids giving their all for the glory and honor of the school. [They dive] into first base even when it's not called for, because that's expected of them — there's honor and pride involved here. The Japanese people all love this aspect of the game.
When Japanese people look at Koshien, they look at more than just baseball. It's a coming of age, a rite of passage from boyhood to adulthood. It's almost a religion in the way that people look at it. It's pure: The uniforms are still all white, the heads are still all cropped, there's no back-talking to umpires, kids take off their caps and bow to the umpire, even if the umpire's made bad calls. The coach is God. What he says, it's the rule. So it's not just a game. It's almost a religious rite, in some respects, for these kids to go to Koshien. It's the dream of any amateur baseball player in the country [who are high school age or younger] to go to Koshien. And if they win, it's the greatest glory there ever could possibly be. If they lose, you rarely see a kid that doesn't cry his heart out. They [also] have this ritual of taking a bit of the dirt from the infield of Koshien and putting it in a bag, and you better believe that they are going to treasure that their entire life. Because getting there is very hard to do, since it's so competitive; out of almost four thousand-some high schools, the chances of going to Koshien are not that great for the average school. Some of the powerhouses may get to go again and again, but [for most players] it's a lifetime dream. If they get there, every win is cherished, and if they lose, they'll never forget the fact that they got there, and treasure that dirt from even a losing game.
POV: What can students learn from playing baseball?
Hideki Matsui: I think you can learn many things from baseball. [One of them] is establishing a relationship of trust between teammates. My high school teammates are still my close friends. Especially in Japan, there's a lot of emphasis on proper conduct and salutations in sports. There's also the system of seniors and juniors; the spirit of perseverance — not giving up until the very end; the joy of winning and the bitterness of losing. I think you can learn a number of things through baseball. I think that's what it means when people say baseball is a part of the educational system.
POV: So what was it like for you the first time that you stepped onto the field at Koshien for the tournament?
Matsui: I'd been dreaming of it since childhood, so I was extremely nervous on one hand, and overjoyed on the other. There was the emotional aspect that I'd held since childhood, and the nervousness of standing there for the first time.
POV: A lot of high school teams in Japan practice 11 months a year, 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. What do you think is the reason for so much practice?
Matsui: For us, that was normal, so it wasn't that painful. It's not that long. I mean it's from after class around 3 p.m. until the sun sets. We accepted it as normal, so it wasn't a problem for us. And it was by repeating lots of different kinds of training that I was able to advance technically and mentally. I think that's how you improve both technically and emotionally.
POV: Can you compare what it was like to play in the Koshien tournament and what it is like to play for the Yankees?
Matsui: There was excitement and nervousness involved in both, but the biggest difference is my age. When I went to Koshien for the first time, I was 16. I didn't have much experience, and I was very nervous. When I came [to New York], I was 28. By then, I'd experienced many things since childhood and played professionally in Japan for 10 years. I was definitely excited and nervous, but I was also able to move at my own pace and keep calm. That's a difference that comes with age.
POV: What did it feel like when you were at Koshien — did you feel a lot of pressure, and how did you deal with that?
Matsui: Yes, I'm not sure about pressure, but I did feel very nervous. It's high school students playing in the best stadium in Japan, so I think everyone feels a little nervous. You can't conquer it, you just have to play your best and concentrate. You can't control the environment, so it just comes down to concentrating and doing the things you can control well. That's what I tried to keep in mind.
POV: When you were younger you were very good in sumo and judo as well. What made you choose to play baseball?
Matsui: That's easy. My junior high school didn't have a judo or sumo club. There was no choice. There was only baseball.
The history of Japanese baseball is a little bit different from the history of American baseball. In America it developed from a children's game. In Japan, it began at a junior high school right in the middle of Tokyo which is now Tokyo University. It was in 1872, and there was an American teacher named Horace Wilson who taught English and math.
It was very important that it began inside a school. It didn't develop from games played by children. The fact that it started on the campus of Japan's most prestigious school, and that it was taught by a teacher, determined the fate of Japanese baseball.
The students of the time tended to stay in the classroom and study or debate constantly. But they didn't play any sports, and they were physically weak. They were unhealthy.
That was a problem. So [Horace Wilson] said, look, if you are going to lead Japan in the future, you have to be strong. You have to study, but you also have to be healthy. And baseball was his way of bringing the students outside and into the sun.
He just happened to know baseball, which he learned in the Civil War. That was very fortuitous for Japan. It could have been any sport. But the students loved baseball. They were fascinated.
People watch [Koshien] as much for the pageantry of the thing as for the baseball. And even people who don't like baseball in Japan will stop and watch high school baseball. That includes my wife, who can't stand baseball, but there's just something about Koshien that you've got to watch it. It's like going to the shrine on New Year's, it's become a part of the fabric of Japanese society.
Many Americans think the whole point of going to high school is to have fun, that when you get into college, that's when you have to knuckle down a little bit, get serious about life, and decide what you are going to do. [Americans think that] when you're young, you enjoy yourself -- but the Japanese think just the opposite. [For the Japanese,] junior high school and high school is when you mold the personality, and so you can't mold character, you can't build character, without suffering, and that's what the upperclassmen are trying to do to the lowerclassmen, either with physical punishment or verbal harassment. They're actually doing them a favor. So you see, an upperclassman will whack some freshman over the head for some minor infraction, and then the underclassman will say, "Thank you very much. Thank you for teaching me." That's what it's all about. I know that it seems too much to Americans who see it, but there is a purpose to it all, it's not just sadism. There is a philosophy behind this.
The idea that sports could be played for fun is something that was introduced by the West, for release of tension and for relaxation. The idea of sport was so alien that there was no word to describe it in Japanese, so they wound up using the word "sportsu." The Japanese like baseball because it was their first group game in a country that was noted for its "groupist" proclivities. It gave them a chance to express group dynamics on a baseball field. Also, in the battle between the pitcher and the batter they could also see elements of an encounter between two kendo swordsmen, where it took a certain combination of concentration and lightning-fast movements to defeat your opponent.
