Meiji Jingu Stadium

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.

Not to be confused with Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium.
Meiji Jingu Stadium
LocationShinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35°40′28.3″N 139°43′01.4″E
Public transit
OwnerMeiji Shrine
Capacity37,933[1]
Field sizeLeft Field – 97.5 metres (320 ft)
Left-Center – 112.3 metres (368 ft)
Center Field – 120 metres (394 ft)
Right-Center – 112.3 metres (368 ft)
Right Field – 97.5 metres (320 ft)
Height of outfield fence – 3.5 m (11.5 ft)
SurfaceArtificial turf
Construction
Broke groundDecember 1925
OpenedOctober 23, 1926
Construction cost530,000 Yen
Tenants
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League (1926-current)
Tohto University Baseball League (1932-current)
Tokyo Yakult Swallows (Central League) (1964-current)

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, and Fenway Park in Boston.) 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 called Meiji Jingu Stadium home, replacing Korakuen Stadium, majorly because the Yomiuri Giants and the then named Toei Flyers (now Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters), also called it 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

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]

It is one of the main stadiums in Ace of Diamond, a very popular manga and anime series.

It is the setting for Gurazeni, and the home stadium for Jingu Spiders.

It scores a mention in Chapters 2 and 3 of How Do You Live (1937)by Genzaburo Yoshino. The stadium is featured in the short story The Yakult Swallows Poetry Collection by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, from the short story collection First Person Singular (2020).[5]

Nogizaka46 considers Meiji Jingu as their home field. Since 2014, they have visited it every year during their National Summer Tour, with exception on their 2021 National Summer Tour.

References
  1. "Watching Baseball in Tokyo: How to See a Game at Jingu Stadium | Tokyo Cheapo".
  2. "Matsutaro Shoriki: Japan's Citizen Kane," The Economist (Dec 22, 2012).
  3. "Olympics: Tokyo's iconic baseball, rugby fields set for redevelopment". Kyodo News. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  4. "Officials choose dome for new Prince Chichibu rugby stadium". The Asahi Shimbun. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  5. Cheuk, Leland (12 April 2021). "Haruki Murakami's 'First Person Singular' will satisfy fans with its uncanny scenarios". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 April 2021.


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