Why empathy?

"Youth is Dense" Sendai Ikuei Director's Words September 5, 16:42

High school baseball Miyagi's Sendai Ikuei High School won its first championship in the summer Koshien.

Many people have said that they were moved by the winning interview with Manager Wataru Sue, who led the team.

Why did director Sue's words, "Youth is dense, resounded so much"

and "I was moved to tears by the message that I thought about my students,"

sympathized?

Dive into his interview with expert analysis.

(Weekly Maruwaki News Reporter Teru Urushibara / Reporter Hiromi Okano / Director Takeshi Nakagawa)

Words from the interview with the winner

Sendai Ikuei won the championship for the first time as a Tohoku team.

The majestic figure that the players showed on the ground impressed many people.

Even more impressive was the winning interview with Manager Wataru Sue.

Sendai Ikuei Director Wataru Sue

“‘Youth is very dense’, but I was told ‘It’s no good, it’s no good’. In the midst of the pain that always seemed to stop, you really didn't give up."

Thoughts on Tohoku

Why did director Sue's interview stick in people's hearts?

We asked Mr. Takashi Saito, a professor at Meiji University who is the author of "Japanese that you want to read aloud" and who is a big fan of baseball.

First of all, Mr. Saito paid attention to the words at the beginning of the interview.

Coach Sue, who was congratulated on winning the championship, responded in this way.

Director Sue

: "Congratulations to everyone in Miyagi and Tohoku. The doors that haven't been opened for 100 years have opened, so many people's faces came to mind."

A word of congratulations, "Congratulations," addressed to the people of Tohoku.

From this, he points out that it is possible to see that each game is not the leading role, but that each game belongs to the whole region.

Mr. Takashi Saito

: “I think it is normal to say 'Thank you' at the beginning. 'Congratulations to everyone in Miyagi and Tohoku.' I felt that my perspective was different from what I normally see.I feel like I'm allowed to play baseball with Tohoku on my back, and I want to give back to everyone, all the people who support me, and the people of Tohoku. It is a point of view that I was able to fulfill the wishes of people.”

2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

And the new coronavirus continues to spread.

Many people have had hard times.

Furthermore, winning the summer Koshien championship was a long-cherished wish of the people of Tohoku.

In the history of more than 100 years, Tohoku teams such as Misawa High School in Aomori and Tohoku High School with Darvish pitcher have faced the final nine times.

However, none of them reached the championship.

Director Sue's words were based on this background.

“Youth is very dense”

The one that got a particularly big response was the line that was introduced at the beginning of the article, "Youth is very dense."

Due to the corona misfortune, we have been asked to avoid secretly in various places for the past two years.

For this reason, school trips and sports festivals that were supposed to color school life were canceled one after another.

Ms. Saito thinks it reminded her that many young people are deprived of precious opportunities to share experiences with their peers.

Takashi Saito

``The moment I heard that youth is dense, people all over Japan thought, ``Oh, that's right.'' One thing is that when I look back on my youth, I think, ``Oh, it was so close. I think it was.

In fact, when I asked people in the city, they said, "There were many things I could only do when I was in high school, and I remembered the secret feelings I had at that time." I thought," he said.

In addition, Mr. Saito believes that by associating the word dense with youth, even the image of the word has changed, leading to a greater response.

Mr. Takashi Saito

``The word ``dense'' has been used as a negative and to be avoided, but rather positively, ``youth is dense,'' and the meaning of the word ``dense.'' It's a phrase with that kind of power."

Open-mindedness and Consideration

Furthermore, from this interview, it is said that the appearance of the director as a leader also emerged.

Here are the words.

Coach Sue

: “Ryo Saito threw really well today, but we weren’t able to pitch at the prefectural tournament. I think that the three pitchers who didn't pitch, and the backup pitchers in the stands, are all connected pitchers."

Sendai Ikuei has won the relay with five pitchers, but it is said that the broad perspective of the manager, who has paid attention to each player and has commanded them, can be seen.

Mr. Takashi Saito

``It is a way of thinking that the leading role is not one person, and if everyone plays that role, it will lead to victory. I can feel the size of it.

Consideration was given not only to the Sendai Ikuei players, but also to high school baseball players across the country.

It is the words at the end of the interview that make us feel that.

Director Sue

: “The high school students all over the country did really well. For example, today’s Shimonoseki Kokusai-san, but also Osaka Toin-san, there was a team with such a goal, so don’t give up at any time, even in the dark. We were able to run, so the hard work of all the high school students is really the result of us standing here at the end.

We praised the play and efforts of high school baseball players from all over the world who have chased the white ball in various environments.

By focusing on all high school students, Mr. Saito said, "It was a splendid interview from the viewpoint of the leading role," making everyone the leading role.

[Full text] Sendai Ikuei Coach Sue Wataru's winning interview

Congratulations to everyone in Miyagi and Tohoku!

A door that had not been opened for 100 years opened, and many people's faces appeared.

When I won the semi-finals, I received a lot of messages from everyone in Tohoku and Miyagi, and I felt their passion, so I'm happy that I was able to respond to them.

In the first half, Koga-kun (opponent Shimonoseki International) was also pitching really well, so I wasn't in a hurry, but I felt like I was really at the mercy of him.

However, I think that the players themselves have done a good job by returning to what they can do and what they have been doing since the first round of the Miyagi tournament.

Today, Saito (Ryo) really threw well, but at the prefectural tournament, we weren't able to throw, but we really managed to pull together, pull together, and Takahashi, who threw at the end, and the three who didn't throw today. I think that the pitcher of the pitcher and the backup pitcher in the stands are all connected pitchers.

Let alone entering the school, I probably couldn't do the graduation ceremony of junior high school properly, so high school life is completely different from the high school life that we adults have spent.

Youth is very dense, but all of those things are said to be ``no, no, no'', and even if I'm active, I'm stuck somewhere, and I'm in a painful situation where I always stop somewhere. So, but you really didn't give up and did it.

But it wasn't just us who let us do it, high school students all over the country did a really good job. Because of that, I was able to run even in the dark without giving up at any time, so the hard work of all the high school students is just the fact that we are standing here at the end. I wish I could have it.

Weekly Maruwaki News Reporter

Akira Urushibara

Joined in 2011.

He spent 5 years at the Morioka station, and he was in charge of coverage and commentary on high school baseball in Iwate Prefecture.

News Production Department Reporter

Hiromi OkanoJoined the station

in 2011.

He covers sports at the Takamatsu and Sapporo stations.

He loves high school baseball.

Takeshi Nakagawa

, Director, News Production Department

I was in charge of interviewing pearls at the Matsuyama station where I was previously working.