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This time, I would like to tell you about the unforgettable history, "The last Keiso-sen (Send-off student send-off Keiso-sen)". This battle took place under severe conditions during the Pacific War. The history of the Keio-Waseda match cannot be discussed without mentioning this match, which was the result of the efforts and thoughts of many people. First of all, I would like to look back on the background of this match.

 

Since the Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, baseball has become a target of suppression as wartime colors intensify. The size of the six major baseball teams was gradually reduced, and in the autumn of 1942, the league was canceled and the league was dissolved. Each university baseball club is unable to practice, and many return to their parents' homes and others decide to drop out. However, both schools managed to continue practicing.

However, in 1943, the war situation rapidly deteriorated, and the shortage of military forces became a serious problem. In September 1943, the decision was finally made to conscript university students. Subjects were liberal arts students who passed the conscription examination, but about 6,000 students at Waseda University as a whole, including most of the baseball club members, were subject to this decision. meant

 

Shinzo Koizumi, the then president of Keio University, reacted to this situation. With a desire to "give them a chance to leave behind a living proof" and "a final memory," I proposed to Waseda University that a Keio-Waseda game be held at Jingu Stadium before the members depart for the front. Mr. Tobita, who was the manager of the Waseda University baseball club at the time, was also impressed by this enthusiasm and decided to negotiate with the Waseda University authorities.

But this negotiation stalled. Is it appropriate to play baseball, which is the sport of the enemy country America? How do people view sports when there are many people who fight for their country? various problems arise. Hozumi Tanaka, the president of Waseda University, continued to show reluctance, and the situation did not change even as the departure for the front was approaching moment by moment. Pushed by the enthusiasm of the players and those around them, Coach Tobita decides to force the Keio-Waseda game to be held at Waseda University Totsuka Stadium under the responsibility of the baseball club. I told the Keio side that this match would be called the ``Send-off Waseda-Keio Match for the students going to the front'' and that it would be held on the afternoon of October 16th.

On the day of the event, the cheering seats were opened to students from both schools, alumni, and the families of the club members. With the cheering seats packed to capacity, President Koizumi hoped to watch the game together with the students, using newspapers instead of cushions to see the courage of the club members. The result was a comfortable victory for Waseda University with a score of 10-1. It is said that the two schools praised each other for their good fight and called out to each other, "Next time on the battlefield" and "Let's play baseball again at Jingu."

 

Five days after this battle, a send-off ceremony for the students was held in heavy rain at the Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium (now the National Stadium), and many members left for the war. It is also known that there were several casualties. Two years later, in October 1945, the Keio-Waseda game was revived.

 

Why is it called the "last" Keiso-sen match? The club members, their families, the manager, and the school principal, who worked towards the realization of this game, approached October 16 with the thought that they would never be able to play baseball again. At a time when it was difficult to obtain balls and bats, and it was criticized as a sport of an enemy country, the members continued to practice for the Keio-Waseda game while continuing to think about the meaning of playing baseball. rice field. Their strong feelings and determination, and their unbearable conflict, must have left the impression that this Keio-Waseda game was the last in their lives. And we pay tribute to that history and efforts, and I feel that we continue to call it "the last Keio-Waseda game."

 

How was the last Keiso match? It has also been made into a book and a movie. The reason why the Keio-Waseda game is special is hidden here as well.

 

Next time, I will talk about college baseball after the war.

　

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