Japan high school baseball team banned from smiling, waving in tourney entrance march

The Mainichi

20-07-2025

HIROSAKI, Aomori -- A high school baseball team that smiled and waved as they marched during the summer 2024 Aomori Prefecture tournament's opening ceremony had to abandon doing the same this year as the prefectural baseball federation asked the players to follow tradition.
High school baseball regional tournaments are underway across Japan, vying for a spot in the National High School Baseball Championship, commonly known as "Koshien." Typically, players march in orderly fashion during the opening ceremony. Last summer, however, one team walked with their caps off and smiled and waved in a regional tourney, drawing attention for its unconventional approach. This summer, this marching style was scrapped, reflecting a struggle between maintaining tradition and adapting to modern times.
'Military-style march doesn't suit us'
Ahead of the Aomori Prefecture tournament's opening ceremony on July 11, the Aomori High School Baseball Federation asked member schools this spring to refrain from waving and other such actions during the march.
This decision was influenced by Hirosaki Gakuin Seiai High School's free-style march in last summer's Aomori Prefecture tournament opening ceremony like in the Olympic Games.
Manager Kazunori Harada of the school expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "I don't agree with some aspects, but as we've been told no, we have to comply."
Last summer, the team's uniforms, emblazoned with "Seiai" on the chest, drew spectators' attention. As their school name was announced at the stadium, players smiled, waved and held their caps aloft. They were the only team among 48 participants to do so.
Traditionally, high school baseball entrance marches feature synchronized arm and leg movements with a crisp "one-two" cadence. Harada, who has led the team since 2001, said that he had felt uneasy about this custom.
"It's strange to march with furrowed brows and loud voices only in high school baseball. This is an era of diversity, and we as a Christian school have promoted peace education. A military-style march doesn't suit us, and the style in the Olympics, a symbol of peace, seems appropriate," Harada commented.
When the manager proposed the idea to the students before the 2023 summer Aomori Prefecture tournament, many agreed. Although bad weather canceled the entrance march that year, it was realized for the first time in 2024.
Reflecting on the experience, former captain Kosuke Kida, now playing for Chuo Gakuin University's baseball team in Chiba Prefecture, said, "I was worried about how it would be perceived, but Seiai's baseball club is about trying new things. We felt we were the only ones who could bring a fresh breeze."
The closing ceremony march was similar. Despite narrowly losing to Aomori Yamada High School in the final decided by one run and missing out on a spot at Koshien, the members smiled and waved in the march, aiming to be "good losers," according to Kida. They apparently intended to refrain from waving if they had won, considering it might upset their opponents.
Hirosaki Gakuin Seiai's free-spirited march gained attention on social media and in the media. Manager Harada said, "I later learned from an article that the players had no intention of waving if they won. We lost the game, but I was proud of those players (who had such thoughts)."
March began with a military band's tune
The entrance march at the summer National High School Baseball Championship began during the third edition in 1917, held at Naruo Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. According to tournament history, the march was inspired by the Olympics and the third Far Eastern Championship Games' opening ceremony in Tokyo in May 1917. Records show that high school players "marched to the music played by the 4th Division's military band and lined up."
Over more than a century since then, the orderly style has become established. During this time, some changes have been made by the tournament organizers to reflect the times. Since the 31st tournament in 1949, only female students from Nishinomiya Municipal Nishinomiya High School had served as "ceremonial guides" leading players with placards at the summer Koshien opening ceremony. Starting from the 105th commemorative tournament in 2023, this role has been open to both genders.
In other sports, unique entrance marches rich in local color have emerged, such as teams carrying apples or performing Awa Odori dances at the opening ceremony of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, which is held between late December and mid-January.
'Preserving traditional marches is also necessary'
Following last summer's regional tournament, the Aomori High School Baseball Federation sought opinions from member schools on entrance march behavior.
Kosei Tamakuma, chairperson of the prefectural federation, decided this spring to prioritize tradition. He commented, "Most opinions from member schools were that they should follow the usual way or emulate the Koshien tournament. Considering these opinions, I asked member schools not to march (in an unconventional manner) this summer."
He added, "There is no definitive answer (to how entrance marches should be), but as things change with the times, preserving (traditional marches) is also necessary."
At the spring 2024 "Senbatsu" invitational high school baseball tournament, Hachinohe Gakuin Kosei High School from Aomori Prefecture played in the opening game, and Tamakuma, who accompanied the team, witnessed the opening ceremony and entrance march up close.
He said that he was moved by the solemn scene, saying, "Even as times change, this has been passed down for decades. I never had this awareness before, but standing on the same level, I felt it for the first time. Personally, I think there are people working hard to preserve this, and it's not something that should be easily terminated."
Following the prefectural federation's policy for this summer's entrance march, Harada commented, "I don't intend to disrespect past marches, and I believe it's OK to have many ways to do it. Personally, given the decline in baseball participation, I think we should evolve to preserve what we inherited from our predecessors. I want to continue building a team that tries new things."