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A Century at Kōshien: Japan’s Iconic Stadium Still Going Strong

  • Members of the baseball team at Hashimoto High School in Wakayama Prefecture tend ivy from Kōshien, in a photo taken on July 6, 2006. (© Kyōdō)

    Members of the baseball team at Hashimoto High School in Wakayama Prefecture tend ivy from Kōshien, in a photo taken on July 6, 2006. (© Kyōdō)

  • Players from Aomori Prefecture’s Hachinohe Gakuin Kōsei High School shed tears as they gather dirt from the infield at Kōshien after a second-round loss to Aichi Prefecture’s Tōhō High at the 2016 summer tournament. (© Jiji)

    Players from Aomori Prefecture’s Hachinohe Gakuin Kōsei High School shed tears as they gather dirt from the infield at Kōshien after a second-round loss to Aichi Prefecture’s Tōhō High at the 2016 summer tournament. (© Jiji)

  • Grounds crew members produce a rainbow as they wet the field before a game on August 9, 2010. (© Jiji)

    Grounds crew members produce a rainbow as they wet the field before a game on August 9, 2010. (© Jiji)

  • A sudden squall brings out Hanshin Engei workers as a player watches on August 17, 2021. (© Jiji)

    A sudden squall brings out Hanshin Engei workers as a player watches on August 17, 2021. (© Jiji)

  • A message printed on the outfield wall after the earthquake reads “recovery, courage, hope.” Photographed on March 19, 1995. (© Jiji)

    A message printed on the outfield wall after the earthquake reads “recovery, courage, hope.” Photographed on March 19, 1995. (© Jiji)

  • Kōshien photographed from above on April 2, 2014, during the spring high school invitational. The roof covering the infield stands now houses solar panels, and runoff from the steel-paneled structure is collected in underground tanks for later use. (© Jiji)

    Kōshien photographed from above on April 2, 2014, during the spring high school invitational. The roof covering the infield stands now houses solar panels, and runoff from the steel-paneled structure is collected in underground tanks for later use. (© Jiji)

  • Aku Yū (1937–2007). (© Jiji)

    Aku Yū (1937–2007). (© Jiji)

  • Players march onto the field during the opening ceremony of the summer high school championship on August 10, 2021. The tournament, cancelled the year before due to the pandemic, was held under special health restrictions. (© Jiji)

    Players march onto the field during the opening ceremony of the summer high school championship on August 10, 2021. The tournament, cancelled the year before due to the pandemic, was held under special health restrictions. (© Jiji)

  • The Hanshin Tigers celebrate winning their first Pacific League pennant in 18 years at Kōshien Stadium on September 14, 2023. (© Jiji)

    The Hanshin Tigers celebrate winning their first Pacific League pennant in 18 years at Kōshien Stadium on September 14, 2023. (© Jiji)

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