As I have reviewed The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame at Tokyo Dome, the next baseball museum I will discuss is the Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium located in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture (near Kobe).
As the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame is located right at Tokyo Stadium (home of the Yomiuri Giants), the Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium is at the stadium which is home to the Hanshin Tigers.
The stadium officially opened in 1924 and heavily influenced by the Polo Grounds in New York City, it became the home of the Osaka Tigers, and the name of the stadium was changed to Koshien Stadium.
In fact, Babe Ruth even played at the stadium for an exhibition game in 1934.
But the history of this museum is revered because it’s the home of the annual National High School Baseball Championship, which is held in August and also the annual National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament in March.
This has been a long tradition, featured on television, featured on manga and anime, Koshien is the dream for many young Japanese baseball players to play at and to win the tournament. So, well-revered that it is given high priority over Hanshin Tigers baseball games.
And many of Japan’s top baseball players showed their true potential while playing at Koshien.
In addition, the stadium is also host to Japan’s American college football national championship, the Koshien Bowl.
So, the Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium honors that legacy of championship teams, memorable moments but also functions as the museum for the Koshien Bowl and also for the Hanshin Tigers.
Once you enter the museum, the first thing that will greet you is a wall of baseballs…
Before you enter the high school baseball zone, you will find a wall of 4,253 balls which represent the greatest number of schools (as of 2005) that have ever been members of the Japan High School Baseball Federation.
The names of schools that have participated in the Koshien Tournament are engraved in each ball, which are then organized according to prefecture and date of first participation.
In addition, the names of Korean, Taiwanes, and Manchurian representative schools that participated in the tournament before World War II are also present.
Pictured above is the 1992 uniform of former New York Yankees, Yomiuri Giants and Seiryo High School baseball player, Matsui “Godzilla” Hideki. Matsui was known for his professional demeanor when the rival team intentionally walked him five times, a strategy that worked to their advantage in defeating Seiryo High.
The 1998 uniform featured is former Boston Red Sox champ, Seibu Lions/Softbank Hawks/Chunichi Dragons and Yokohama High School pitcher Matsuzaka Daisuke. Best known for pitching the no-hitter at the Koshien finale.
Tomorrow, we’ll continue my coverage of the Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium!
