Brief biography of the witness

As a high school baseball coach, he led Koza High School to the Koshien Tournament in the spring of 1965 and Ishikawa High School to the Koshien Tournament in the summer of 1989.

He was in charge of technical improvement in the Okinawa Prefectural High School Baseball Federation and worked with Hiroyoshi Sai to raise the level of high school baseball in Okinawa.

He is a former president of the Okinawa Prefectural High School Baseball Federation.  

Encountering US military base and baseball

Encountering Baseball

At the end of the war (US military bases were built), many US troops came to the area. A unit was placed right behind Ishikawa High School in Higashionna (present-day Uruma City). This was a unit of all African-American soldiers. Two baseball fields were built near the military garrison. That's where we first encountered baseball. 

The American soldiers were always playing baseball, probably because they had free time. We also went to see the situation. The US military's baseball was the same hard ball we use today, and they were very good at it. The reason is that in the United States, all major league players were sent to war. In particular, the catcher was sitting down and throwing wild throws to the second base, first base, and third base. The batting was also amazing with a series of home runs. Even if you hit the ball all the way to the potato field, the players won't pick it up. We ran, stepped on the ball, and hid it in the potato field. The American soldiers were signaling, “Bring me the ball. ''They probably received a lot of baseball gloves, uniforms, bats, balls, and bases from their home country. Using all that baseball equipment, (the American soldiers) played a baseball game. We were in 2nd and 3rd grade of elementary school. (Baseball buddy) Yoshikazu Ishikawa may be more knowledgeable about those days. I used to watch American soldiers play baseball at the baseball field. When I got home from elementary school, I threw my bag and immediately went to watch baseball. The baseball field was built outside the base, on the land of the Okinawan people, using bulldozers and other heavy machinery. The United States took land without permission and created one after another. Something like that happened at that time. For example, if their baseball bat breaks, they immediately throw it away. We immediately picked it up, nailed it, repaired it, and used it. I think I picked up about 20 to 30 bats. But I didn't get any gloves at all. So I got a field tent from inside the base, cut out three pieces of tent fabric to fit the shape of my hand, and sewed them together with thread. I put various things in it, including cotton, and made baseball equipment in place of a glove. Also, the fabric of US military parachutes was soft and strong. I used the fabric to make undershirts and pants. Gloves and catcher's mitts were made from tent fabric. The game was played using a large softball. I picked up a home run baseball used by American soldiers and went to Ishikawa High School to sell it. Ishikawa High School was right next to the baseball field. 

At that time, high school baseball had already started at Ishikawa High School. All-Okinawa games were held at Ishikawa Junior High School, and at that time it was called "Zen-Ryuu”, but Zen-Ryuu junior high and high school baseball games were held at Ishikawa Junior High School. We also learned a lot about baseball from American soldiers. Although we fought in the war, I learned a lot since the war ended. 

In the beginning, we used tools we made ourselves. Before long, baseball equipment came to Okinawa from the mainland. All of those bats, gloves, and more were expensive. I couldn't get it easily. So for a while, everyone was using baseball equipment

Postwar high school baseball and the inauguration of the federation

Inauguration of the Okinawa High School Baseball Federation (1956)

Autograph of Tatsuo Saeki, Third President of the Japan High School Baseball Federation I often came to Okinawa to lobby for the creation of a baseball federation. He believed in ''revitalizing Okinawa through baseball. ''Mr.  Saeki gave me a ball every time I came to Okinawa. All the people involved gathered together, including Mr.  Kouki Kokuba, the former athletic director of the Okinawa Times, and the president of the High School Athletic Federation. This led to a movement to create a high school baseball federation in Okinawa. Thanks to Mr. Saeki. In the beginning, Mr. Saeki came to Okinawa for the purpose of creating a high school baseball federation. Professor Saeki got to know the people of Okinawa, especially the people of Itoman. People from the sports association also joined together to create a high school baseball federation. High school teachers at the time were Choetsu Fukuhara, Kouyu Sashiki, etc. Through the hard work of these people,

The Four High School Baseball Players Sent to Koshien

At that time, there were very few baseball coach in Okinawa. So from the Japan High School Baseball Federation to the Okinawa High School Federation. There was talk of sending four high school baseball players from Okinawa to Koshien, and since the Okinawa High School Baseball Federation didn't have any funds at the time, they would use the Japan High School Baseball Federation's budget to send them. The Okinawa High School Baseball Federation was asked to select four players to be dispatched. So four people including me. Four of us were selected by the Okinawa High School Baseball Federation. All four of us were surprised because it was our first time being invited to Koshien. At that time, I was very happy to receive the invitation from Professor Saeki. I thought, "I can go to Koshien! It's my first time to see it!'' and went to Koshien happily.  

The players selected at that time were pitcher Yoshikazu Ishikawa, a player from Ishikawa High School. He was a great pitcher.  At that time, he was said to be the best pitcher in Okinawa. Ishikawa High School and was a candidate for the championship. Next is the pitcher as well. Shinichi Kuniyoshi, a Naha High School graduate, was tall even back then. I think he was the tallest player at the time, and he was a fastball player (also at Naha High School) and was a championship candidate. Next is Hiroshi Nakasone, who was the captain of Shuri High School and a great shortstop.  There is also a large photo of him taking the oath as a player when Shuri High School became the first Okinawan team to participate (summer 1958). The four players selected at that time all went to different schools. Mr.  Saeki said to me, "In the future, you will be a baseball coach of Okinawa. ''Everyone was touched by Mr.  Saeki's strong wishes. There were no baseball coaches in Okinawa, so I said yes. 

Visiting Koshien

The way the players wore their uniforms was really amazing. I was fascinated by the sight of the mainland players. Also, the baseball field was clean and had a good environment. The way they marched was amazing, their feet were in perfect alignment. While witnessing such a situation. When I was told, "This person is Mr.  Ou,'' everyone let out a cry of surprise. This was around the time when Sadaharu Ou was active at Koshien. We were already amazed, saying, "What a wonderful baseball field and tournament. ''I was very impressed so it's very memorable.

How to play catch before the game, sheet knocks on defensive positions, etc. When I watched the players, I was impressed and thought, “They all move so well. ''I felt like, “I have to go home early and practice hard. ''I was thinking, “I'll practice hard and catch up with them quickly. ''I think that's why Mr.  Saeki sent us, hoping that people would feel that. So I learned a lot from watching the participating teams. When I returned to Okinawa, the whole team studied together, saying, "This is how I hit the ball at Koshien'' (telling them what I had learned there). I learned a lot from being able to watch the selection tournament at that time. 

Shuri High School’s First Appearance at Koshien

Mr. Saeki told us, “Next time, come to Koshien as the winning team, ‘so we competed to see which team would win and go to Koshien. When the prefectural preliminaries actually started, Shuri High School, who played relaxed and without much effort, won. That's why Shuri High School became the first Okinawan team to participate in the Koshien tournament. It was Shuri High School's first Koshien tournament, and I think it was Mr. Saeki's intention, but Nakasone also took the oath of office as a player. However, the result of the game (Shuri High School lost in the first round) was 3-0. Still, the Okinawan people were extremely happy. He was happy and said, “3-0 is amazing. “Everyone expected the difference to be 10-0 or 20-0. I also thought, “I probably won't even score,” or “Maybe 12 or 13 to 0.”Even though we lost 3-0, people all over Okinawa were very happy. I think that was a good start for high school baseball in Okinawa. Not only the four dispatched students were happy, but all the high school baseball players in Okinawa were happy. 

Support by the Japan High School Baseball Federation

Continuous Support by the Japan High School Baseball Federation

Mr. Saeki of the Japan High School Baseball Federation said, “We will rebuild Okinawa through baseball.” For 17 years, we have sent an excellent mainland baseball team to Okinawa. This is also due to the budget of the Japan High School Baseball Federation. For example, the team that was sent was an all-Kyushu team. All the winning teams from the tournament came to Okinawa. All selected teams from Hokkaido and other regions also came. Of course, the Okinawa team still couldn't compete, but the Okinawa side also had an all-Naha area selection team, a southern team selection, and no northern selection team. The level of baseball in the Chubu and Southern regions was high, so we picked a team from there, and myself and Hiroyoshi Sai became the managers, and when the all-Kyushu team came, we often played exchange games. After all, there was a big difference in the match. “The Okinawa team still has a long way to go,” he said while encouraging them. 

The Baseball Environment at the Time

At that time, there was no baseball field, and the match venue was the Naha High School field. It was full of stones and there were many irregular bounces. Of course there are no home runs because there is no official baseball stadium. The outfield was marked with a white line of lime, and when I left there, it was an automatic double. I have also hit an automatic double three times. If the ball rolled and crossed the line, it was a two base hit. There is no such thing as an automatic triple. Of course, if you cross the line, it's a home run. The stadium and rules were also like that. 

At that time, there was nothing such as entertainment in Okinawa. When there was a baseball game, many people gathered at the Naha High School ground. After mainland teams came to Okinawa several times, a baseball field was finally opened in Ounoyama. That's why Ounoyama is called the “sacred place for baseball. ''With the construction of Ounoyama Baseball Stadium, we were finally able to play games at an official baseball field. At the time, the athletic director of the Okinawa Times was Yukiteru Kokuba. Because there weren't many other sports covered in the newspaper, baseball articles were published in newspapers almost every day. Something like this also happened I was defending first base during the match. When I caught a ball that bounced with my glove, it was featured in the newspaper. Articles appeared in newspapers such as, “So-and-so passed the ball from third base to so-and-so at second base,'' "The ball passed from second base to so-and-so at first base, resulting in a successful double play,'' and "Two outs at once. ''It's in the headlines. When we played games at Naha High School, there was no black sand for baseball, so there were a lot of stones, and it was very difficult to hit the player in the face. Under such circumstances, it was natural for irregularities to occur. There is no grass in the outfield as it is the field of Naha High School. Despite all this, Mr. Saeki sent teams to Okinawa to compete against each other for 17 years, and eventually a baseball field was built in Ounoyama. Every time Mr. Saeki comes to Okinawa, he brings about 20 dozen balls. There was a presentation ceremony at the opening ceremony, and I still remember it. Every time a summer tournament was held in Okinawa, Mr. Saeki brought a ball. That continued for a long time. I believe that it is thanks to Mr. Saeki that high school baseball in Okinawa became so strong so quickly after the war. At the time, Mr. Saeki was the president of the Japan High School Federation. The person who actually dispatched the team was Kazuhiro Tanabe from the secretariat. Mr. Tanabe provided all the practical support, such as preparing the budget and sending documents for the mainland team that the Japan High School Baseball Federation dispatched to Okinawa. Thanks to their support over the past 17 years, high school baseball in Okinawa has grown stronger. 

Become a high school baseball coach

Aspiring to Become a baseball coach alongside Hiroyoshi Sai

It was Hiroyoshi Sai and I who went to university on the mainland and learned baseball seriously. Other coaches studied baseball at the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of the Ryukyus. There were two of us who studied seriously on the mainland. I entered Nippon Sport Science University and started wearing the uniform and participating in official games as a regular from my second year. Meanwhile, Mr. Sai went on to Chukyo University. At that time, Chukyo University was a prestigious school and had won many championships. Mr. Sai was told by the Chukyo University coach, "You're not a player, you're a substitute,'' and "I'll write you a letter of introduction, and you should take this with you to visit Chukyo University graduates around the country and study. '' I was sent to study, which was a great privilege for Okinawa. He recorded everything he learned while there in a notebook. That's how Mr.  Sai studied baseball during his student days. In that sense, I think Mr.  Sai was the most blessed. I was a regular at Nippon Sport Science University baseball club, but I was able to study high school baseball at Nihon University Third High School and Nihon University Second High School Meiji University Nakano High School in Tokyo. I also went to schools around Saitama. Since I had many holidays at university, I didn't go home even on holidays, so I went to prestigious schools in various places, such as Nagano Prefecture. I also practice as a player, so I couldn't just get a letter of introduction from the coach and travel around like Mr. Sai. But I thought, “I don't want to lose to him,'' so I went to various schools. So, in a sense, I am a rival to Mr. Sai. But he was also my best friend. 

Leading Koza High School to the National Invitational High School Baseball Tournament

When our Koza High School participated in the National Invitational High School Baseball Tournament (Spring 1965), when I drew the lottery for the first round, it was a match against Okayama Higashi Commercial High School. The opposing pitcher at that time was the best pitcher in Japan. The pitcher allowed only one run in all games from the first round to the final. After that, he played an active role in professional baseball and was called the “Giants Killer”, and even Giants players couldn't hit his pitches. His name was Masatsugu Hiramatsu. At the time, he was the best pitcher in Japan, and his ball was fast and had good control. Koza High School only got three hits from that pitcher. One double by a center player. Not only us, but all the other teams lost in a shutout. Okayama Higashi Commercial High School only lost one point at the end, but won the tournament. I think it was good in a sense because we played against a team like that. It was a good learning experience and I thought the other team was amazing. I learned a lot from playing against such teams. The players also felt motivated to do their best. 

Working to Improve the Practice Environment

When I returned from the tournament, I focused my efforts on making nets for practice. I also had a welding license, and I made it myself, so I didn't even have a butting gauge at the time. I made a ball protection net to prevent the pitcher from getting hit by the ball. I made about 450 pieces by myself. I have created around 450 pieces including my teaching school and surrounding schools, Okinawa International University. If we don't strengthen middle school first, good players won't come to high school. So I worked hard to make them and gave them to each school. At the time, there were no well-equipped practice facilities in Okinawa, so Mr.  Sai did the same thing. The great thing about him was that when he was at Tomishiro High School, he got tires from the baseball field, spun them with a motor, and put the ball between them(he made it into a pitching machine), because ready-made machines were expensive. It cost around 1. 8 million to 2 million yen, so I couldn't afford it on my high school baseball budget. So I got a tire from a car company and attached a motor to it. Mr.  Sai made about five pitching machines. He was the first to make a homemade practice machine put the ball in there and practiced batting. Strength training is also necessary for practice. Okinawan baseball coaches didn't do much. Mr.  Sai filled a 6-loaf can with cement and inserted a pipe into it to make a barbell strength training and incorporated it into his practice. Baseball equipment was expensive, so we made everything ourselves. That's why Okinawan baseball coaches are having such a hard time. 

Efforts by the Okinawa High School Baseball Federation

Unique Efforts by the Okinawa High School Baseball Federation

For example, it's the "First-grade students' tournament". I created the first grade students' tournament. In high school baseball, first-grade students enter school in April. The lottery for the summer tournament will begin in June, so everyone is practicing hard. The second and third grade seniors are aiming for Koshien. First-grade students come in, but they hardly become regulars. So the upper classman batting pitcher Then the ball pick-up and batting catcher. First-grade students were used for this purpose and worked hard. It's not about honing our skills. It was the same situation at every school. 

So I thought, "I feel sorry for the first-grade students. ''We worked to create a "first-grade students' tournament. ''After the summer tournament, we held it. When the first-grade students' tournament begins, all the players are first years, so the upperclassmen help them practice. Batting pitcher or catcher picks up the ball when it flies far away. 2nd and 3rd grade students will help. "When you first-grade students joined the club, you helped us upperclassmen. ''"Next time, you hit and defend, and we'll help you out. ”An atmosphere was created, and teamwork was created. That's why we started the "first-grade students' tournament". Okinawa was the first to start the first-grade students' tournament. 

Another one is the “Baseball Club Competition.” This is also the first in Okinawa. High school baseball has an off-season. In the past, it was quite long, lasting half a year. I can't even practice baseball because I have to figure out how to spend that period. Due to the regulations of the Japan High School Baseball Federation, no matches can be played. So Mr.  Sai and I consulted and came up with the idea of a “baseball club competition.” The competition consisted of 8 events in which each school competed. Initially there were 6 or 7 events. Events include long throw between the bases, the catcher, the first base, second base, and the speed of throwing and turning the ball. And base running The match is decided by the speed of the start, going around all the bases (running between the bases),passing the ball, receiving the ball from the catcher on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bases, and the time it takes to finish throwing all the way to third base. That's why all teams with good skills had good results. Another initiative is the “Home Run Ball.” This may only be in Okinawa. I record it on a ball and give it to the students. When I hit a home run, the assistant official picks it up and brings it to me in the main office. I look at the records to see what number the home run was, write the number and the player's name on the ball, write the word “Congratulations”, the name of the tournament, and the name of the school, and give it to the player as a souvenir. I think this kind of initiative is unique to Okinawa. We were doing this for high school baseball players in Okinawa. 

Memories of Mr. Hiroyoshi Sai, an old friend (baseball friend)

Memories of Sai, an Old Friend

In the past, he (Hiroyoshi Sai) always He said, "I forgot one word at Koshien. ''This is a famous quote, and what it means is that he has been runner-up twice. I wanted to get the word “championship” He had decided that he would retire if he achieved the championship, so even after retiring from Okinawa Fisheries High School, he continued to coach the school's baseball team. He said he was going to retrieve something he had left behind, called "championship. “These words are Mr. Sai's famous words. In the end, even if Mr.  Sai did not achieve the championship, he did many things that gave dreams to Okinawan baseball players and children. As a coach, I won 29 games at Koshien, and all of those games were good, and all the Okinawan elementary and junior high school baseball players were aiming for Mr. Sai. Mr.  Sai was the one who created the foundation for the players to work hard at baseball, thinking, “We're going to win too. ''He gave hope to young people, and in that sense he's great.