“Yakyū” Nation: Celebrating 150 Years of Japanese Baseball

A plaque commemorating American teacher Horace Wilson hangs at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Bunkyō, Tokyo. (Courtesy of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

Players of powerhouse PL Gakuen Senior High School celebrate winning the summer installment of the national baseball championship, the school’s third title, at Kōshien Stadium on August 21, 1985. (© Jiji)

Babe Ruth, left, and Lou Gehrig during the 1934 American Major League all-star tour of Japan. (© Kyōdō)

Oh Sadaharu, left, and Nagashima Shigeo pose together at the Miyazaki Prefectural Baseball Stadium on February 15, 1970. (© Kyōdō)