Meteoroscape photography expressed the “Baseball and Sakura-Hallucination”.
■ Description
Just as Americans prefer American Football and Brazilians prefer soccer, many Japanese prefer baseball. And they win world championships sometimes. I guess the reason for such a remarkable phenomenon must be due to the tendency of an average values in a nation.
In other words, behind every notable phenomenon, there is a unique background.
Behind the WBC, there is usually a professional baseball league in each country, and in the case of Japan, there are sponsor companys behind it, high school baseball teams that produces players, and Koshien (the Japanese high school baseball tournament). Some even believe that there is a conspiracy behind this, that baseball is a culture of glorification of the U.S., created by the CIA after the war during the U.S. occupation of Japan.
However, I believe that I was able to catch a glimpse of the “truth” behind by photographing the area around Koshien this time. That is the reason why I categorized this work as “Photographic”.
However, even if this is obvious to foreigners, it may be difficult for Japanese people to aware of it. So I dare to point out one thing: there are many empty grounds around Koshien. That is where the cherry blossoms are blooming. Of course, it would not be possible to hold a tournament in which many high schools gather together if there were not enough space for such a tournament.
But how “man-made” these “grounds” are! There is not a single blade of grass on it, and it is level. It drains well. Such an environment does not occur in nature. Moreover, such a unique facility is open to the public free of charge. What is this? They even have nets for baseball! To people from other countries, it is a bizarre sight.
During my walk around the area this time, I was able to uncover an even more interesting fact. It is the original “Naruo Baseball Stadium,” the source of “Koshien”.
“The National Junior High School Championship Baseball Tournament, the predecessor of the National High School Baseball Championship Tournament, was born in 1915 at Toyonaka Stadium in Osaka, and the venue was moved to Naruo Stadium from the third tournament in 1917.” One kilometer south of Koshien.
According to the plaque on the bronze statue at the site of Naruo Stadium, the number of participating schools had grown since the initial tournament, and the tournament was held at Naruo Stadium until the 9th tournament in 1923.
It was here that the incident occurred. During the semifinal game between Koyo Junior High School and Ritsumeikan Junior High School, the crowd poured into the stadium, making it temporarily difficult to continue the game. The cheering crowd was so enthusiastic. It is said that this was what prompted the sponsor, Hanshin Electric Railway, to decide to build the Koshien Stadium.
By the way, how were they able to build this Naruo Stadium “ground” at a time when there was no large-scale heavy machinery? In fact, the answer is also explained on the plaque. It is the “Naruo Racecourse” (established in 1907), the original Naruo Baseball Stadium. In short, the answer was racehorses that whirled round and round and plowed the ground. I doubt horse bones may still be buried under the cherry trees.
But it is an extraordinary coincidence that horse race was followed by baseball, isn’t it? This is why it is so interesting to walk “around”.
PREVIOUS：Photographic Works
■ Identification
| Series | 白球を追って |
| Photographer | 九条いつき |
| Captured Date | 2023.3.29 |
| Location | 甲子園周辺 |
| Titles | 白球を追って_01-12 |
| Reproduction Limit | 2 |
| ID History | hakkyu, |
| Notice | – |
There are no comments