
Ohtani shares spotlight with pup in children's book
The Japanese two-way player's dog, Dekopin, known as Decoy among US fans, drew attention after appearing in the first-pitch ceremony for a game at Dodger Stadium last season. Decoy gripped the ball in its mouth and delivered it from the pitcher's mound to Ohtani, serving as catcher behind the plate.
Bobble-head dolls of Ohtani holding Decoy were distributed at the game.
The picture book will be titled "Decoy Saves Opening Day." It tells the story of a dog tasked with the ceremonial first pitch for the opening game. But the animal leaves its favorite ball at home, then must struggle to make it in time for the event.
Ohtani will be among the authors of the book. It will be released in February next year in eight countries including Japan.
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Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a hidden marvel on Teshima
Step off the ferry at Teshima's Ieura port, 25 minutes from the nearest mainland city of Tamano, Okayama Prefecture, and life goes quiet. The odd car passes by; occasionally, a town bus. On the far side of the island, tucked away in a dilapidated house southeast of the port and southwest of the island's titular art museum, Chiharu Shiota's 'Memory of Lines' waits for visitors. The installation opened this spring on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale, and will reopen Aug. 1 for the summer edition. Remote and hard to access, even by the standards of the lesser known far-flung art island in the Seto Inland Sea, the work risks being seen only by scant numbers of people. That doesn't bother the acclaimed Osaka-born, Berlin-based artist Shiota, whose highly photogenic signature red-string sculptures have become globally recognizable. 'I don't think it's so important that many people see the work. Sometimes, when a place is hard to reach, the experience becomes more personal and meaningful for the people that do see it,' writes Shiota by email. 'I believe art doesn't have to be seen by many people to have value. It can live quietly and still touch people in powerful ways.' When creating 'Memory of Lines,' artist Chiharu Shiota asked the local villagers on Teshima which disused old objects hold a lot of memories and a woman suggested a machine for making sōmen noodles. | Photo by Shintaro Miyawaki © JASPAR, Tokyo, 2025 and Chiharu Shiota The work spans several rooms in an abandoned Japanese-style house in the seaside area of Ko. Thick webs of red string burst forth as if spun by a zealous spider, anchored to three old sōmen noodle machines. From beyond the house come the sounds of ocean waves and the swish of overgrown trees. On the day I visit, barn swallows have taken over the entrance to the property and are fastidiously building a nest. Shiota's web is thick and wild, suggesting that, like the trees and roost, it grows even in the absence of humans. Shiota uses white as well as black threads in her work, evoking purity and the universe, respectively — but it's her red strings, symbolizing bodies, familial relationships and connection, that appear most readily in art feeds. When she affixes them to used objects, the energy of the red yarn seems to release from the items like blood spurting. A sense of anxiety pervades the artist's work, and indeed her whole world, as she says. 'When I create, I put all of my energy into the work — my feelings, my fears, everything,' says Shiota. 'Depending on how I feel, you can see it in the thread.' The lines themselves can appear tangled or calm. Shiota uses white as well as black threads in her work, but it's her red strings that appear most readily in art feeds. | Thu-Huong Ha When Shiota conceived of 'Memory of Lines,' she posed a question to local inhabitants: 'What objects do you no longer need, but still hold a lot of memories, something you wouldn't throw away, but also don't use anymore?' A local woman showed her an old machine she used for making the fine white wheat-based sōmen noodles, an object that Shiota says had been well known in the community. 'I believe we are always connected by invisible lines,' says the artist. 'My intention was to link not only the machine and its owner, but also the history of the village and the memories held within this house.' Though Shiota's work is seen by masses all over the world (her large-scale 2019 Mori Art Museum exhibition was shown at Paris' Grand Palais last year and will go to Turin, Italy this fall), that hasn't stopped her from seeking quieter places to tie her knots. In 2009, the artist went to Teshima for the first time to work on a commission for the inaugural Setouchi Triennale. She gathered 400 doors, windows and fusuma (sliding screens) from seven Seto Inland Sea islands and created 'Further Memory.' Though the piece wasn't intended to be permanent, the locals wanted it to stay, and the work became a place of communal gathering on the island for the population of about 900, including a wedding in 2016. "Further Memory" was Chiharu Shiota's first installation on Teshima, part of the inaugural Setouchi Treinnale. It became unstable after a decade and it had to be dismantled. | Sunhi Mang After a decade, the tunnel of interconnected panels became unstable and had to be dismantled. For this year's Setouchi Triennale, Shiota intended to construct something larger and entirely new, but after finding water in the soil, which made it a challenge to build, she decided to repurpose an existing space. (At time of writing, official plans for 'Memory of Lines' after the triennial closes in November have yet to be decided.) 'These site-specific installations allow me to connect directly to the architecture, the light, the history and the feeling of the space,' Shiota says. 'I see my works almost like drawings in air; they stretch, connect and interact with the environment around them. That connection is essential.' The summer session of the Setouchi Triennale runs for the duration of August. The festival will reopen for the fall on Oct. 9. For more information, visit


Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Japan Times
Kotoshoho's shock first Emperor's Cup could reinvigorate his career
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At that stage, no one could have predicted that the Sadogatake stable veteran would go on a 10-bout winning streak for the first time in his career, taking down both the tournament's hottest wrestler (Aonishiki) and sumo's biggest star (yokozuna Onosato) on his way to claiming the Emperor's Cup. Perhaps not since Clark Kent last took off his glasses has someone looked so strikingly similar while performing at a completely different level. In addition to his wins over Onosato and Aonishiki, Kotoshoho also defeated Kusano — the only other man with a shot at the Emperor's Cup — as the tournament headed into its final day. Those victories, as well as wins over former ōzeki pair Kirishima and Takayasu, ought to nullify any complaints about Kotoshoho's title run being devalued due to a much easier schedule over the first 11 days. 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That obviously hasn't been the case since, as the intervening years have been a rollercoaster of demotions to jūryō, occasional double-digit winning records and a lot of tournaments with a 7-7 record heading into the final day. Various reasons for Kotoshoho treading water have been posited over the past four years but none fully explain why it's taken him so long to capitalize on his obvious potential. The hope for Sadogatake stable supporters now will be that this month's victory kickstarts a return to form for Kotoshoho, and possibly even reignites the yokozuna promotion hopes of stablemate Kotozakura. An improved Kotoshoho could indeed help both men get back on track, as having to face a tough, high-level opponent every single morning in practice can only be good for the ozeki. As the American football cliche goes, 'iron sharpens iron.' Kotoshoho (right) seals his Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament championship by defeating Aonishiki by tsukiotoshi on Sunday. | JIJI Kotoshoho's victory in Nagoya came at the expense of fairytale endings for new rising talents Aonishiki and Kusano. The former man's journey to the higher reaches of professional sumo, which includes fleeing his native Ukraine following the Russian invasion, is unlike any other. Given all Aonishiki has been through in his young life to date, and the way in which he has acclimatized to Japanese culture and the language, it's fair to say the 21-year-old would have been most neutral fans' preferred winner last Sunday. Nerves seemed to play a part in the final day showdown against Kotoshoho, though, with Aonishiki not quite as sharp at the initial charge as he had been for most of the previous two weeks. That is more than understandable given his youth, but Aonishiki fans probably needn't worry as the Ajigawa stable man appears to be on an inevitable path to greater heights. All five tournaments after reaching the salaried ranks have ended with double-digit wins for the Vinnytsia Oblast native, and it's been three straight 11-4 finishes since debuting in the top tier in March. Aonishiki is certain to be promoted to the sanyaku slot that he arguably should have been given for this meet, and it may not be long before Kusano joins him there. Kotoshoho's defeat of Aonishiki as Kusano sat ringside dashed the latter's hopes of a playoff for the title. That almost certainly upset his concentration and contributed to the subsequent loss to Takayasu, but double-digit wins and coming so close to glory in his top division debut marked an outstanding effort by the former collegian. Kusano has been on an incredible run of his own since reaching the paid ranks in March and, like Aonishiki, continues to make predictions of him hitting a career wall look foolish with each passing tournament. Kotoshoho may have grabbed glory in Nagoya, but the two men who missed out should be back in contention the next time out.


SoraNews24
a day ago
- SoraNews24
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba comes to Dodger Stadium for fan night, first pitch, and drone show
Crossover caps to be given away in latest team-up between Los Angeles baseball club and hit anime. Earlier this month, Luffy and the rest of the One Piece Straw Hat Pirates sailed across the ocean for a special fan night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Major League Baseball team's summer of anime fun isn't over yet, though, as they're getting ready for a special crossover with another of the biggest names in the anime/manga world, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. 【 #ドジャース 】宿敵との対決『無限城編 第一章 猗窩座再来』が現在上映されている『鬼滅の刃』とのコラボとして、ドジャースは8月15日(日本時間16日)の試合で鬼滅公式限定キャップを来場者に配布します🤩 📷: @Dodgers — MLB Japan (@MLBJapan) July 29, 2025 The event will take place before, during, and after the Dodgers game on August 15 against the San Diego Padres, whose rivalry with the Los Angeles team has been growing more intense in recent years as they've clashed in competition for their division championship and gone head-to-head in the playoffs. In addition to pre-game Demon Slayer festivities, there will also be a Demon Slayer -themed ceremonial first pitch, in-game promotions, and a post-game drone show hyping Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba–The Movie: Infinity Castle, the latest theatrical feature in the anime franchise which started showing in Japanese theaters earlier this month and will make its North American debut in September. The official Japanese-language MLB Twitter account also says that limited-edition caps featuring the Dodgers' LA logo and Demon Slayer protagonist Tanjiro, plus the distinctive checkerboard pattern of his coat across the hat's brim, will be given out to fans at the stadium, though with no details currently available as to quantities and conditions. It wasn't all that long ago that conventional wisdom would have said there wasn't sufficient enough crossover between the anime fan and pro sports fan demographics to do an event like this. With anime continuing to grow more and more popular around the world, though, the Dodgers' chief marketing officer Lon Rosen recognizes that 'Without a doubt, there is an intersection between the two fan bases, and we look forward to celebrating that mutual fandom with what is sure to be an exciting night at Dodger Stadium.' It's worth noting that Los Angeles sports teams have had very good results in games with anime tie-ins. Not only did the Dodgers win their One Piece game at the start of the month (with pitcher Clayton Kershaw reaching the 3,000-strikeout milestone on the night), anime promotions also coincided with wins for the city's Rams and Lakers professional football and basketball teams, and the Dodgers performed well in their games that featured a visit from Pikachu and the Sailor Moon theme song too. Source: MLB, Twitter/@MLBJapan via Anime News Network/Ken Iikura-Gross Top image: Twitter/@MLBJapan ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!