"Thank You for a Wonderful Summer Vacation" Leadership of Kyoto International High School Coach Who Led to Koshien Victory [Japanese Side]

Kyoto International High School Baseball Coach Noritsugu Komaki
Leading the Team for 20 Years Starting as a Weekend Volunteer
Called 'Mr. Komaki' Instead of Coach... Notable Horizontal Leadership

On the previous day, Kyoto International High School, a Korean-heritage school, won the All-Japan High School Baseball Championship, also known as the Summer Koshien. It was an exhilarating piece of news. Kyoto International High School had participated in Koshien in 2021 and 2022 consecutively, but last year they were eliminated in the regional qualifiers and did not advance to the main tournament. However, this year they made it to the finals and won immediately, which is truly an inspiring story.

An interview with the coach and team captain is a must after winning. In the Japanese media, the coach’s comment, "Thank you for giving this old man a wonderful summer vacation," became a hot topic. Today, we share the story of Noritsugu Komaki, the baseball coach of Kyoto International High School, who has led the baseball team for 20 years and finally achieved the championship.

Coach Komaki Noritsugu (far right) of the Kyoto International High School baseball team and the players are entering Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, on the morning of the 23rd, when the final match will be held. (Photo by Yonhap News)

At 10 a.m. on the 23rd, the final match between Kyoto International High School and Kanto Daiichi High School was held at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Kyoto International High School defeated Kanto Daiichi High School 2-1 in an extended tiebreaker to claim the championship. Before the tournament, Coach Komaki reportedly told the players, "I want to play baseball even one more day." In the post-victory interview, he said, "I was given a wonderful summer vacation by these kids. I am truly grateful to them," which attracted much attention.

Coach Komaki referred to himself as an "old man." He even used the Kansai dialect term "ossan (おっさん)" instead of the standard Japanese "ojisan (おじさん)" for "old man," adding a warm and familiar tone. In fact, Coach Komaki is well-known for his informal leadership style. This is thanks to a unique connection he has with Kyoto Daiichi High School.

Director Gomaki is watching the Koshien game. (Photo by Bacharu High School Baseball Official Channel YouTube)

Originally, Coach Komaki entered Kyoto Seisho High School’s baseball team as an infielder. Like many Japanese baseball players, he aimed to reach Koshien but failed to advance to the main tournament. He then aspired to become a professional baseball player but realized it was impossible due to frequent injuries. Instead, he thought, "If I ever get the chance, I want to work in high school baseball," and obtained a teaching license during his university years.

After graduating from university, he did not become a teacher immediately but worked as an ordinary office worker at a bank. He had a friend who had attended Kyoto Chosen Middle School, the predecessor of Kyoto International High School. That friend suggested, "Why don’t you teach baseball at Kyoto International High School on your days off?" So, he started volunteering on weekends to coach the kids. Since it was awkward to call him coach or manager, he asked them to just call him "Komaki-san."

The Kyoto International High School players who won the championship are greeting the audience in the stands. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Later, he left the bank and utilized his teaching license to become a social studies teacher at Kyoto International High School. In 2008, he officially became the baseball team’s head coach. After becoming the official coach, the players were supposed to call him "Coach," but since it didn’t stick, many still called him "Komaki-san." When a coach scolded the players for this, Komaki laughed heartily and said, "It doesn’t matter what they call me."

Coach Komaki explained, "As long as there is basic respect, I want the rest to focus on baseball. The opponent, not the coach, is who the players must beat. Therefore, I don’t like unnecessary hierarchical relationships." That is why he has been called "Komaki-san" for the past 20 years. While sports teams usually have strict hierarchies and top-down orders, Komaki maintains a horizontal leadership style.

Coach Komaki lives with his family in the baseball team dormitory on the school grounds. He is the father of four children, ranging from a third grader in elementary school to a five-year-old. Living in the dormitory, he plays many roles for the players: father, older brother, head of the household, and more.

Players of Kyoto International High School, who achieved victory, are rushing onto the mound and cheering. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Kyoto International High School first broke through the Kyoto regional qualifiers and advanced to the main tournament in 2021. To enter the Koshien stadium as a regional representative, a team must defeat other schools in one of the 49 regional qualifiers held nationwide. Since Kyoto International High School’s school song is in Korean, the Korean school song was played when they entered Koshien in 2021. They also advanced to Koshien in 2022, establishing themselves as a strong team. Last year, Japanese media were interested in whether Kyoto International High School could make it to Koshien for the third consecutive time, but they narrowly lost in the regional qualifiers and did not advance. This year, however, they made it in.

This year, after losing in the first round of the regional qualifiers, they changed their strategy. The idea was that even if they throw just one pitch, it must be a good one. Coach Komaki said, "We are not a team that can hit long balls from the start," and made the players start over with catch ball to throw properly. Thanks to this, Japanese media analyzing Kyoto International High School’s games said, "Rui Nagasaki, who specializes in a breaking slider, and Ikki Nishimura, who throws a changeup with a big drop, are considered the aces."

Before the final, Coach Komaki said, "Originally, the players were weak, but I feel they grow every time they play in front of the crowd at Koshien," and "The weak appearance from a year ago is gone. I hope they bravely confront their opponents." I can hardly imagine the emotion brought by the first championship created together with the baseball team over 20 years.

On the 23rd, students of Kyoto International High School are singing the school anthem starting with "Across the East Sea" in the stands at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. (Photo by Yonhap News)

In fact, this victory likely gave great strength to the Korean-Japanese community as well. Kyoto International High School is a small school with about 160 students, originally founded as Kyoto Chosen Middle School, established by Korean residents in Japan who invested directly for ethnic education. After receiving approval from both the Korean and Japanese governments, it became the official Kyoto International High School. Nowadays, many Japanese students interested in Korean culture or those who enroll solely for baseball attend. It was very impressive to see everyone united singing the Korean school song during the final match.

In Korea, there have been many reports about anti-Korean sentiments from Japanese right-wing groups and controversies over song translations, but on Japanese social media, there are many posts praising Kyoto International High School’s skills, the games, the coach, and the players. I even checked the comments on Yahoo Japan articles, and comments praising the players’ composure despite conceding runs were highly recommended and ranked at the top. Seeing this makes one reconsider the power of sports that transcend borders.

Coach Komaki said, "The greatest charm of being a coach is being able to support players chasing their dreams up close," and "I like kids who work hard. The Koshien coach’s bench is the closest place to see players who are trying their best." The Mainichi Shimbun described this by saying, "Coach Komaki is enjoying the longest summer from the best seat possible." Once again, congratulations to Kyoto International High School for reaching the top of Koshien, and we look forward to their continued success.

▶More about Koshien is here

[Terms in the News] Korean School Song Echoes at Koshien (甲子園)