Yusei Kikuchi, a starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, is not only known for his skills on the baseball field but also for his impressive karaoke performances. He takes pride in his spirited rendition of the fight song of his former team in Japan, the Seibu Lions. During an off day between starts, he was asked if he knew the words to a more popular song called “Eikan ha Kimi ni Kagayaku” or “The Crown Will Shine on You.” Being the competitor that he is, Kikuchi gladly took on the challenge.
Standing in full uniform at the visitor’s dugout in Minnesota, he smiled widely and began singing in Japanese (loosely translated):
As the clouds disperse, the sunlight fills the sky
On this special day, the pure white ball soars high
Respond to the joy around you, oh our youth
With your sportsmanship smiles
The crown will shine on you
Just like cherry blossoms symbolize spring, “The Crown Will Shine on You” represents the melody of summer in Japan. It was composed by Yuji Koseki in 1948 for the immensely popular National High School Baseball Championship. Every year, for the past 75 years, players from the 49 prefectural champions gather at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya to kick off the single-elimination summer tournament. They march into the stadium, lifting their knees high, to the tune of Koseki’s song.
Kikuchi expressed, “It’s the sound of summer. It’s definitely the sound of summer baseball. You don’t just hear it if you’re lucky enough to advance to Koshien Stadium for the national tournament, it’s played throughout the prefectural rounds as a way to motivate you to give your best performance.”
Kikuchi himself marched into Koshien Stadium as a sophomore and senior. Kenta Maeda, a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, also experienced the same as a sophomore.
Maeda shared, “It’s a melody that sticks with you. I think every Japanese person associates it with the summer baseball tournament. For me, it reminds me of my high school years and that one summer when I made it there, for sure.”
Koseki, born in 1909 in Fukushima, a small city 180 miles north of Tokyo, joined Nippon Columbia, the licensee for the American label Columbia Records, as a composer in 1930. Despite having little interest in sports, he dabbled in creating team fight songs because he was drawn to the marching element.
He probably never imagined that his career would become intertwined with Japan’s most popular sporting event.
The annual event, originally known as the National Middle School Championship Baseball Tournament since its inception in 1915, was suspended for four years during World War II. Play resumed in 1946, and with the Allied occupation and various social and economic reforms in Japan, a new three-year high school curriculum was introduced.
To commemorate the change, the tournament was officially renamed the National High School Baseball Championship starting from its 30th edition in 1948. As part of the celebration, organizers held a national competition…
2023-08-04 15:17:18
Original from www.nytimes.com
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