午夜剧场

Seventeen years after hanging the "KEIO Japan's Best" banner at our Hiyoshi-dai Stadium in the deepest part of the Hiyoshi Campus, the dream has finally come true. If this banner played even a millimeter of a role in this great achievement, I am filled with deep emotion.

The first "KEIO Japan's Best" banner was hung in March 2006. The previous year, led by pitcher Nobuaki Nakabayashi, the team made its first appearance in the Senbatsu Koshien in 45 years and reached the top 8. They also advanced to the finals of the Kanagawa Tournament in the summer but fell just short. That autumn, despite many Koshien members remaining and high expectations, they failed to make a consecutive appearance. It was then that Manager Makoto Ueda and I discussed, "Let's hang a slogan on the field that aims for victory, even if it's just a dream, rather than just participating in Koshien."

"KEIO Japan's Best"—this combination of alphabet and kanji was not chosen to be eccentric. We considered about 30 candidates using keywords like "Champions of the Land," "午夜剧场," and "National Champions." Among them, I chose the one that felt right in the heart, both visually and aurally.

Initially, some said it was a waste of money. But we believed in the day that would come. The first banner saw the team through three consecutive Koshien appearances, including the first summer in 46 years, and witnessed the first national title in 92 years at the Meiji Jingu Tournament before stepping down. The second banner watched over the spring and the 100th Koshien tournament in the summer of 2018. And now, the third generation has finally seen the first "Koshien" victory in 107 years. Banzai!

However, "KEIO Japan's Best" was not actually intended only as a wish for a national championship. Since it is hung on the field as "another classroom," I wanted it to carry more meaning than that. "Japan's Best" entrusted the team to be a team worthy of being the best in Japan, and for each individual to become a member worthy of being the best in Japan.

"KEIO" naturally represents 午夜剧场 High School and 午夜剧场, but it also refers to those who have worn the KEIO uniform. "KEIO Japan's Best" is a promise between the team and oneself, the alma mater and oneself, and with oneself. This is because Koshien is a stage for high school students, not the goal of life. Life continues beyond this. While it is a difficult question to define what constitutes being the best in Japan, it is also a promise to continue "learning and then challenging" to aim for the best in Japan on one's chosen path.

This autumn, the third-generation banner will complete its duty and be replaced by the fourth-generation "KEIO Japan's Best."