Koshien Tournament

A Koshien Tournament is one of two Japanese high school baseball tournaments held at Koshien Stadium. The two tournaments are:

• the National High School Baseball Championship, or "summer Koshien," which has been held since 1915.
• the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, or "spring Koshien," which has been held since 1924.

Summer Koshien is a nationwide tournament to determine the top high-school team in Japan, while Spring Koshien pits the best high school teams against each other. Both tournaments predate Japan's pro leagues by over a decade and attracts more attention than any Nippon Pro Baseball event other than the Japan Series. Many players have first achieved their fame nationally in these tournaments. Among the more recent players are former Yomiuri Giant Hideki Matsui and Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Main source: "The Meaning of Ichiro" by Robert Whiting

Related Sites

• PBS Page on the film Kokoyakyu (High School Baseball)
• Short excerpts from the documentary Kokoyakyu for use in the K-12 classroom