Baseball is life for the die-hard competitors in Koshien, Japan’s national high school baseball championship, whose alumni include US baseball stars Shohei Ohtani and former Yankee Hideki Matsui. As popular as America’s World Series, the stakes are beyond high in this single-elimination tournament. For Coach Mizutani, however, cleaning the grounds and greeting guests are equally important as honing baseball skills, demonstrating discipline, sacrifice and unwavering dedication. Director Ema Ryan Yamazaki follows Mizutani and his team on their quest to win the 100th annual Koshien, and, in the process, goes beyond baseball to reveal the heart of the Japanese national character.
facebook.com/KoshienDocumentary
ESPN Broadcast June 29 (Mon) 7PM ET!
Directed and Edited by: Ema Ryan Yamazaki
Produced by: Eric Nyari
Executive Produced by: Keisuke Itoh, Shin Yasuda, Keiko Tsuneki
Cinematography by: Michael Crommett
Original Score by: Jason Cummings
Sound Recording by: Ai Miyatake
Sound Design and Re-recording Mix by: Tom Paul
Title Design and Graphics by: Naoko Saito
Post-production Supervisor: Fumiro Sato
NHK and NHK Enterprises present a Cineric Creative Production
©2019