The National Middle School Baseball Tournament in 1910 Japan

The champion of 1931 national game (Photo by Mr. Hsieh Shih Yuan)

　　In the early 1910’s, baseball was already quite popular among the students in Japan. In 1915, Asahi News organized the first “National Middle School Baseball Tournament”. As the number of attending audiences grew, the site of the game changed from place to place, until it finally settled in Koshien in 1924. Thereafter, the tournament was known as “Summer Koshien Tournament”.
　　In 1920, Japanese colonies (Hokkaido, Manchuria, and Korea, etc.) also sent their teams to the tournament. Taiwan held its first preliminary in 1923, and Taipei First High School was the winner that year. Though Taipei First High School did not win the Japanese tournament, the Taiwanese press still paid a lot of attention to the event.

The Jiayi Agriculture and Forestry Institute marched to Koshien

Boarding for Japan in 1931 (Photo by Mr. Hsieh Shih Yuan)

　　In 1931, one of the most famed Taiwanese baseball teams came from Jiayi Agriculture and Forestry Institute won the Taiwan championship. They earned the right to play in the hallowed Koshien High School Baseball Tournament in Japan, and won the second place in Koshien. This team was formed by native Taiwanese, Han and Japanese players on its roster.
　　It was the best performance for Taiwan baseball teams in Koshien during Japanese colonial days. Defeating Japanese local players made Taiwanese felt curious and proud of themselves.