recipients of the nations highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Koshien offers an annual reminder of how sports can represent the best in players.all to show their dedication and hustle.

players weep openly and inconsolably.Tohoku manager Masahiro Wako consoles Yu Darvish after the team was defeated in the 2003 final.I stayed up late to witness a terrific matchup between Gifu Shogyo and perennial contender Yokohama High School.

one trend that persists is head coaches using a single pitcher for an entire game – even if it goes into extra innings – or sending the same kid to the mound on successive days.given the discipline and rigor that are hallmarks of elite high school sports training in Japan.

a lifelong reminder of their rare chance to play on that hallowed ground.

Matsuzaka threw more than 400 pitches over three days.Im emotional standing here with all of you because I think of all the stories and the memories and histories that each of you holds.

children … This was the place.The reopening of the museum next year means more space to tell the story.

a cultural and historical and spiritual anchor.like so many others here today.