Kyoto International High School, a Korean-ethnic school that won its first “Summer Koshien” title, was controversial due to the lyrics of the school song “Across East Sea,” but players and fans enjoyed the championship with a sense of enjoying the festival.
Kyoto International High School won 2-1 and achieved its first championship after a fierce battle with Kanto Daiichi High School in the final of the 106th National High School Baseball Championship held at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on the 23rd.
Starting pitcher Rui Nakazaki kept the mound alone until the ninth inning with three hits, two walks and five strikeouts, and played a big role in preventing the last crisis by allowing one strikeout and one run in one inning in the bottom of the 10th inning with Kazuka Nishimura taking the mound leading 2-1.
Kyoto International High School was founded in 1947 by Korean residents in Japan to educate them on the Korean language and culture. It received approval from the Korean government in 1958 and official approval from the Japanese government in 2003, making it the current Kyoto International High School. The baseball team was founded in 1999 and advanced to the semifinals at Koshien in spring 2021, drawing keen attention from the public. This year, it advanced to the final round of Koshien for the first time in its history, and eventually grabbed the title. It is the first time in 68 years that a Kyoto-area high school has won the summer Koshien title since 1956.
There is a tradition of singing the winning team’s school song in the Koshien competition. The Kyoto International High School’s school song has the lyrics “Across the East Sea” and it has already resonated at the Koshien Stadium five times. Players sang the school song after Kyoto International High School won the final match. However, after the final match, some people argued that the lyrics of the school song “Across the East Sea” were inappropriate. Broadcasting companies that broadcast the final match added explanations emphasizing that the lyrics were provided by the school, including Korean and Japanese lyrics of Kyoto International High School’s school song.
Japanese media Daily Sports said, “After the game, the Best Nine sang a Korean school song. It attracted attention that the lyrics containing “Donghae,” which is claimed to be the name of Sea of Japan in Korea, were broadcast on national television.” Captain Haruki Fujimoto confessed, “There are many thoughts in the world. Sometimes I think it’s okay for me to be honest. I don’t think there’s anything we can do about being criticized.” He went on to say, “We came to this high school to play baseball. Honestly, there are times when it’s hard, but I’m always grateful for Coach Comani who has coached me well and those who have supported me so far.” 토토사이트
Although the lyrics of “Across East Sea” were controversial to some people, Japanese baseball fans paid more attention to the confrontation between Kyoto and Tokyo than to the controversy over the lyrics of the school song. This is the first time that a Kyoto-area high school and a Tokyo-area high school will face off in the Koshien final, and regional sentiment in Kyoto and Tokyo, which have long served as Japan’s capital, has also sparked interest in the final.
Despite the controversy on the Internet, when Kyoto International High School’s school song was played at Koshien Stadium, all spectators applauded to the Kyoto International High School players. Japanese media Sponichi Annex said, “The supporters of Kanto Daiichi High School on the first base applauded when Kyoto International High School sang. Kyoto International High School players also greeted the cheering squad and then greeted the audience on the first base,” conveying the atmosphere of the final, which was the venue of the festival.
