Koshien's ESPN Documentary takes viewers through the traditional baseball culture in Japan

The Koshien documentary has been the talk of the town for baseball fans since its release on Monday night. Koshien Japan's Field of Dreams is directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki and it showcases the journey of the Yokohama Hayato club and their coach, Mizutani on their road to win the historic 100th annual Koshien tournament in 2018. The Koshien documentary sheds light on the dedication instilled by Mizutani on Yokohama to succeed as well as the values of discipline, sacrifice and respect to everything surrounding their baseball lives.

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The annual Koshien tournament is an extremely popular baseball event in Japan that takes place during the summer. The Koshien tournament was first held in 1915. Earlier this year, in May, the Japanese high school baseball championship (Koshien) announced the cancellation of the tournament this season due to the health and safety concerns around the coronavirus pandemic. It was the first time the Japanese high school baseball championship was cancelled since World War II.

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Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams: ESPN Koshien documentary

The ESPN Koshien documentary captures the training and devotion required by the Japanese high school baseball players that participate in the Koshien tournament. In Japan, each baseball pitch is considered as a holy ground and players gather in a straight line before every game and bow down to thank the earth for providing a playing canvas. The ESPN Koshien Japan's Field of Dreams film also highlights the heavy responsibilities for each player.

The film showcases a scene where a catcher ends an inning on the base and three of his teammates rush to the dugout, two of them carrying a shin guard each with the third holding a chest protector, mitt and mask. Everyone has a part to play along with teammates helping each other gear up for the next inning. The high school baseball in Japan is loud and energetic as the players in the dugout also join in with the supporting crowd to cheer their pitcher.

Every year, after a team loses, the emotional players scrap the dirt from foul territory near the dugout to take home as a memento. Each player has a job as they play to serve each other and to uphold a tradition that has been carried out for the past century. 

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ESPN Koshien: How to watch Koshien documentary 

The ESPN Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams premiered on Monday, June 29 at 7 pm ET. Fans can watch the ESPN Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams on ESPN.com. 

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Image Credits - AP