| Meiji Jingu Stadium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Broke ground | December 1925 |
| Opened | October 23, 1926 |
| Owner | Meiji Shrine |
| Surface | Artificial turf |
| Construction cost | 530,000 Yen |
| Tenants | |
| Tokyo Big6 Baseball League (1926-current) Tohto University Baseball League (1932-current) Tokyo Yakult Swallows (Central League) (1964-current) | |
| Capacity | |
| 37,933[1] | |
| Dimensions | |
| Left Field – 97.5 meters (320 ft) Left-Center – 112.3 meters (368 ft) Center Field – 120 meters (394 ft) Right-Center – 112.3 meters (368 ft) Right Field – 97.5 meters (320 ft) Height of outfield fence – 3.5 m (11.5 ft) | |
The Meiji Jingu Stadium (明治神宮野球場 Meiji Jingū Yakyūjō?) is a baseball stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It opened in 1926 and holds 37,933 spectators. Property of the Meiji Shrine, it is the home field of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball team. It also hosts college baseball, including the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League and the Tohto University Baseball League.
Redevelopment plans call for the stadium and the adjacent Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium to be demolished and replaced with new facilities.
History[]
Tokyo Yakult Swallows fans at the right field bleachers
As the second oldest baseball stadium in Japan, Meiji Jingu Stadium is one of the few professional stadiums still in existence where Babe Ruth played (the only other ones are Wrigley Field in Chicago, Fenway Park in Boston, and Koshien Stadium in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan). In 1934, Ruth joined several other famous baseball players from the U.S., such as Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx, in a 22-game tour of Japan. Matsutarō Shōriki, popularly known as the father of Japanese professional baseball, organized the American tour; he survived an assassination attempt for allowing foreigners to play baseball in Jingu Stadium.[2] He received a 16-inch-long wound from a broadsword during the assassination attempt.
In 1964, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows moved into Meiji Jingu Stadium, replacing Korakuen Stadium, majorly because the Yomiuri Giants and the then named Toei Flyers (now Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters), also called Korakuen home, which made it quite overcrowded with teams. They have stayed there since.
The stadium was also used for an exhibition of baseball when Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics. The United States team of college baseball players, including eight future major league players, defeated a Japanese amateur all-star team, 6–2.
- Main article: Baseball at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Future plans[]
In 2019, the Meiji Jingu Gaien, the Japan Sports Council, Mitsui Fudosan and Itochu Corp. groups agreed to redevelop both Meiji Jingu Stadium and the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Under the plans, Meiji Jingu Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt on the site of the rugby ground.[3] The replacement rugby stadium will be built on the current site of the Meiji Jingu Stadium Number 2 field. Officials have announced that the new stadium will have a roof over the field and stands.[4]
As of 2023, an organized opposition group is attempting to block these plans and preserve much of the adjacent parkland.[5]
In popular culture[]
Meiji Jingu Stadium makes frequent appearances in baseball-themed manga and anime, including the series Ace of Diamond and Gurazeni. The latter features the stadium's fictional home team, the "Jingu Spiders".
Meiji Jingu Stadium is mentioned in the 1937 novel How Do You Live by Genzaburo Yoshino. The stadium is also featured in the short story The Yakult Swallows Poetry Collection by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, from the 2020 short story collection First Person Singular.[6]
Nogizaka46 considers Meiji Jingu Stadium their home field. Since 2014, they have visited it every year during their National Summer Tour, with the exception of 2021.[7]
Meiji Jingu Stadium appears in Season 2 Episode 8 of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime. It is briefly considered for Liella!'s performance; however, their attempt to use the space is denied. Neighboring Japan National Stadium appears in Season 2 Episode 11 under the similar but fictional name "Jingu Stadium".
References[]
- ↑ Watching Baseball in Tokyo: How to See a Game at Jingu Stadium | Tokyo Cheapo.
- ↑ "Matsutaro Shoriki: Japan's Citizen Kane," The Economist (Dec 22, 2012).
- ↑ "Olympics: Tokyo's iconic baseball, rugby fields set for redevelopment", Kyodo News, 28 February 2019.
- ↑ "Officials choose dome for new Prince Chichibu rugby stadium", The Asahi Shimbun, 25 December 2020.
- ↑ "Battles erupt over Japan's plan to demolish Meiji Jingu Stadium", New York Times, 1 May 2023.
- ↑ Cheuk, Leland. "Haruki Murakami's 'First Person Singular' will satisfy fans with its uncanny scenarios", The Washington Post, 12 April 2021.
- ↑ 「真夏の全国ツアー2022」開催決定！ラストは明治神宮野球場！. Sony Music Entertainment Japan (15 May 2022).
External links[]
- Meiji Jingu Stadium(Japanese)
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| Preceded by: Komazawa Stadium |
Home of the Toei Flyers 1962 – 1963 |
Succeeded by: Korakuen Stadium |
| Preceded by: Korakuen Stadium |
Home of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 1964 – |
Succeeded by: N/A |