Kawanishi Takumi Born on 23rd June 1999 in Hyogo prefecture. Started to play baseball at the Japanese style baseball club of his hometown during his first year of elementary school and during middle school he was part of his school’s Japanese style baseball club. Since fall of his first year of Highschool he was on the bench as center fielder. Hasn’t participated at the Koshien. During Highschool he had 8 home runs all together. 170cm tall. Throws with the right hand and bats left. After graduating High School, he worked as a buggy engineer, in 2019 he was chosen as a member of JO1 and made his major debut last year. His member colour is pink. TN: the difference between “Japanese style” baseball 軟式(野球) and “western” baseball 野球 is that the japanese style is played with a hard rubber ball. Since the original interview distinguishes those two terms, I decided to do the same here. Koshien is the Japanese High School Baseball Championship, taking place in summer and the largest scale amateur sport event in Japan, it takes place in Nishinomiya, Hyogo. Koshien is also the name of the district of Nishinomiya where the stadium (Hanshin Koshien Stadium) is located.
JO1 An 11 member global boys group that was chosen by the “National Producers” as the viewers of the audition program “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN” were called. About 6000 people participated in this program in 2019. The group name contains the meaning that the trainees who were aiming for their dreams became one and aim for the top of the world now. Their debut single “PROTOSTAR” was released in March last year and debuted on the first place of the oricon weekly ranking. In November of the same year their first album “The STAR” was released. On January 27th their first photobook “Progress” was released. On February 20th, starting at 7pm JST an online live concert will take place.
JO1’s Kawanishi Takumi’s white ball history Kawanishi Takumi from the global boys group JO1 has become the first main character in the 44th year since the start of the publication of this magazine. During his time as a student of public high school in Hyogo he was an outfielder of his baseball club This is his first solo cover and it was also decided that he will appear in the following issues. In this first part, we will publish his baseball photo album from elementary school to High School. He will talk about this passionate feelings regarding high school baseball, And sends his encouragement to the 32 schools participating in the Senbatsu and to all children in this country. TN: outfielders are 3 defensive positions that are the farest from the batter Senbatsu is the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, the spring version of the Koshien which is a little less important also takes place in Hyogo
The arrival of the handkerchief prince You are the first main character of this magazine. I’m grateful for this. Thank you very much. Please tell us about the occasion that made you start with baseball. My dad played baseball and when I was about 3 or 4 years old I played catch ball with my two years older brother. In my first year of elementary school I told my parents “I want to join” the Japanese baseball club and asked for their permission which was granted. When did you watch the Koshien? When I was an elementary school student, I went to watch high school baseball with my family in Koshien. I was a really huge fan of the pitcher Saito Yuki from Waseda Jitsugyo (Tokyo) who I saw during my first year of school. Tanaka Masahiro from the Komazawa University Tomakomai High school (Hokkaido) also came to the Hyogo sports meeting and I went to watch him at the Takasago baseball stadium. These two were so cool. At the store they sold the handkerchief and I bought it. There was a period when I put it into the pocket of my uniform -laughs- TN: the handkerchief prince is a nickname for Saito Yuki who always seems to use a handkerchief to wipe sweat from his face. Both schools mentioned are affiliated with famous universities, thus bearing their names in their own name too. Also both players were ace pitchers of their teams, wearing the jersey number 1 and throwing with their right hand. They played against each other at the Koshien in 2006 (which is most likely the year Takumi saw them). That match ended in a tie and for the first time in 37 years the final needed a rematch. Eventually, Waseda won thanks to Saito.
Takumi’s baseball history Elementary school - The japanese baseball club
Baserunning on the cushions What was your position when you started playing baseball in your first year of elementary school? I was a pitcher, shortstop and catcher. It was a small team that wasn’t strong, but I was the captain. What kind of player were you? Back then my legs were fast and I was encouraged by the manager to change from batting with the right hand to batting with the left one when I was in the 3rd or 4th year of elementary school. There was also a time when I was a switch-hitter. At home I layed out cushions (to replace the bases) to practise leading and sliding. TN: shortstop is a quite demanding defence position between the 2nd and 3rd base because a lot of hit balls tend to go in this direction. As you can imagine a switch-hitter is someone who can bat with both sides. In baseball, leading means how the runner runs off from the base.
A fan of Abe and Nioka Which pro baseball players did you like? Because I loved the Giants, I like Abe Shinnosuke and Nioka Tomohiro. Did you watch a match in the stadium? Not from the Giants, but because I’m from Kansai I went to matches from Hanshin and Orix. Both in Koshien and Hotto Motto Field Kobe. (When I went to watch baseball) I was excited. TN: Giants = Yomiuri Giants or formerly known as Yomiuri Kyojingun. A baseball team from Tokyo whose stadium is the Tokyo Dome. Abe also throws with his right and bats with his left one like Takumi. Hanshin = Hanshin Tigers. The team is based in Nishinomiya where the Koshien takes place. Orix = Orix Buffaloes formed by the merger of Orix BlueWave (Kobe) and Kintetsu Buffaloes (Osaka). The Hotto Motto Field Kobe is a baseball stadium in Kobe that occasionally hosts both Hanshin and Orix when their other stadiums (Koshien and Kyocera Dome) are unavailable. Also important: There are two pro baseball series in Japan. The Pacific League and the Central one which have 6 teams each. Hanshin & Giants are in the Central one and Orix is in the Pacific one and only the winners of each league play against each other for the Japan Series.
Middle school - The japanese baseball school club
A 2mm buzz cut entrusted to his dad And in middle school? In the Japanese style baseball club I was shortstop and pitcher. Basically, I was “Number 3 - shortstop” and I used Kyojin’s Sakamoto Hayato who played at the same position as a reference. What were the tournament results? I think there was a victory. There were a lot of tournaments in my hometown, so I can’t remember any names. But it should be like that. I experienced winning -laughs- Was your hair always short? As a middle schooler it was about 2mm and my head was blank. From my 2nd or 3rd year of elementary school until my last year of high school I had a buzz cut the whole time. At home together with my older brother my dad did it (with barber’s clippers). TN: an old japanese measurement for the buzz cut is used “5 rin buzz cut”. 5 rin equals about 2 mm according to Wikipedia. Sakamoto and the earlier mentioned Tanaka are also both from the prefecture Hyogo, but they left eventually to join schools who are famous for their teams.
High school - Public High school “Hyogo”
Brothers in the center Your highschool was a traditional public one that is included in the baseball hall of fame and that is also supported by the Japan Baseball Promotion Association. I got a sports recommendation and I was admitted. How did you end up on the bench? My older brother guarded the center at the same school and he retired and I replaced him (from the fall of my first year). I wanted to be an infielder, but I became center. You inherited the center from your older brother. I also got his glove. We were at the same team during my whole school time, but we only participated in the same match during elementary school. I wanted to appear in more matches with him. In the summer of your 2nd year you had a match against a very strong school team that has Koshien experience. It was impressive and I felt that also the sizes of their bodies were on a pro-level. I was really excited and it was fun. Did you watch the Koshien matches of your generation? It might have been the season I followed the most. I checked both the TV and the news. Kiyomiya Kotaro from Waseda Jitsugyo, Yasuda Hisanori from Riseisha, Murakami Munetaka from Kyushu Gakuin. A golden generation of sluggers that were first round picks in the draft and joined the pros. What, Kinomiya-kun is from the same school year as me? His body is huge, so I thought he was older than me. It’s Valentine’s season, so what was the biggest amount of chocolate you got during your high school years? I didn’t get anything. I think the most was 3 chocolates. That made me really happy. TN: The Japan Baseball Promotion Association is a voluntary organisation that supports the development of baseball in Japan since 1994. Part of that is the exchange between professional players and amateurs/children. Center (fielder) = a defense position between the left and right field. They need to cover large distances, so they need speed, instincts (Takumi’s legendary sense) and quickness. A position with great responsibility and somewhat the captain of the outfield, carrying number 8. Infielder: His previous position as a short stop is an infield position. The Draft: This is done to assign amateur baseball players to the pros. The first round ones are the most wanted ones. The draft that was mentioned took place in 2017. Also, all three that were mentioned play on infielder positions and Kinomiya was wanted by 7 out of 12 teams. Also, Kinomiya is only a month older than Takumi (born on 25th May 1999).
Tears as the last batter What is a lasting memory of your high school baseball time? I really remember striking out as the last batter in my last summer match. Since the latter half of my last year of high school my condition was bad and I became number 9. The manager told me “Don’t be a number 9 who doesn’t hit, become a number 9 who hits”, but I made strikeout. In the moment it was over, I didn’t understand what happened. My head became blank. My generation was told from the people around us “This year you can do it, you are strong”, but we couldn’t advance to the finals. When I left the bench, I returned to reality and cried. Is there something in which you had the confidence that you won’t lose in that thing? The wideness of the area of the field that I could defend. I often made sliding catches, but during a match in my 2nd year, (my glove got stuck in the ground and) my wrist was taken along. On the spot my wrist started to swell, but when the manager wrapped it with tapes he said “You can hit. It doesn’t hurt.” -laughs-. Like that I appeared in 2 or 3 matches. However, it already hurt too much when I just wore the glove. I said “Manager, I can’t anymore.” and in the middle of the match, I went to the hospital. There I got the diagnosis that my wrist was broken. Since then I tend to feel numb from pain there. TN: In the batting order it is said that the last three positions, the outfield ones are lacking offensive power, thus they are placed last. Thus, number 9 is the weakest hitter. In American baseball often the first batter takes that position again.
If you change your heart, your actions will change. What is still alive from the things you fostered during the 3 years of high school baseball? After all, it was the hardest time. I went to school by bicycle even when my body hurt. If I compared it with that time, I feel like I’m blessed right now. A tradition of my high school was that before the practise we all screamed together. We screamed “If you change your heart, your actions will change.”. Those words are still in my heart.
JO1
Encouraged by the activities of his former school What made you interested in the show business? When I played baseball during middle school, I watched that artist and thought they were really cool. That’s when I started to be interested in the show business. You participated in an audition during middle school, but during it you gave up, right? It was during my last year of middle school. It overlapped with a match and still, I liked baseball, so… While playing baseball, I thought I want to, I want to (work as an artist one day). After graduating from high school, you got a job for a short time and worked as a buggy engineer. I didn’t go to the point where I came in touch with myself however. (Since finding a job) I had time for myself, so I felt that I wanted to try ( oining the show business). Right before the start of JO1’s audition program in 2019, your former school showed a steady advance towards Koshien in the Hyogo summer tournament. Secretly, I cheered for them. Were you encouraged by the activities of your two year younger juniors who you played together with? I was really happy and I thought I have to work hard, too. There was a bit of envy, too -laughs- My dad also likes highschool baseball a lot, so we often went to watch matches.
Giant’s Okamoto’s entrance song You made your debut in March last year. The song “Mugendai (INFINITY)” is used as the entrance song of Okamoto Kazuma when it’s his turn at the bat. It’s a miracle. I feel so lucky. I’m grateful. You gave him the CD at the Tokyo Dome. It’s ridiculous, but I signed it. I have watched Okamoto since his time at Chiben Gakuen (Nara), so it was amazing and something big. Talking with him was also great. Okamoto also always uses the JO1 pose. He told me that he would do it when he makes a homerun and he truly did it., At night, after I returned home, I saw it in the news and I was surprised. When you heard that your songs are played at the Tokyo Dome, what did you feel? It became the motivation that I have to work hard in the future. I was a Kyojin fan since I was a child, so I had the dream of wanting to have a match in the Tokyo Dome (as a pro baseball player). But I gave that up and it took a different form. I hope to appear in the Tokyo Dome one day.
Calling himself captain You were a beginner in both singing and dancing, so since the audition you practice by yourself until night. Is that because of your time at the school’s baseball club? I really enjoy pursuing something and I like it. I can feel myself improving gradually through practising, so it’s worth it in every field. The image of aiming to the top through teamwork is also just like high school baseball. I was captain during elementary school and vice captain during middle school, so the action of watching the whole team is something I can naturally do until now I think. I feel that playing baseball was something good. You are JO1’s shadow captain. We have a leader (Yonashiro Sho) already, so I will be captain!
Changing your bitterness into your next dream (Because of the Corona pandemic last year’s spring and summer Koshien were cancelled) I think there are a lot of people who entered high school because of baseball and it’s something that can’t be changed, but it’s not everything. That’s what I think. If you can confront the bitter feeling with something else, it will become an even more amazing dream and you will fulfill it. I want you to look for the next thing and do it. I’m the same. I had the feeling that I wanted to meet everyone who supported me and convey my gratitude to them last year, but it wasn’t possible. Especially this year, I want to perform in front of all JAM. At the Tokyo Dome? If that happens, I will cry. Because I think you understood that being able to have a match isn’t something to expect, make each match and each ball at the senbatsu something important. Be so flexible that you won’t hurt yourself. I want you to have fun so that you won't have any regrets. Will Higashi Harima appear thanks to the 21st century frame? It’s “Higahari”, right? I had a match against them (because they are a public school from Hyogo like my former one). That purple (on their uniform). I’m cheering for you! TN: The 21st century frame is a varying number of schools that are allowed to join the Senbatsu besides not actually qualifying. They must have reached at least the quarter finals of their region and are either chosen because they are role models in a way or faced special hard circumstances. Usually it’s 3 schools, but for this year 4 ones are chosen, including Higashi Harima. Higahari is the nickname for the team.
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