If you have visited Hiroshima as a tourist, what do you think the unique
features that Hiroshima has to offer?
One of the answers should be
" Red are seen a lot."
That "Red" comes from the team color of the local professional baseball
team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
The team is so loved by the locals that many people who come to Hiroshima
for work from other parts of Japan express that the people in Hiroshima
spend a large percentage of their lives with the Carp. In fact, the day
after a game, the next words come after "Good morning" is often "The Carp
played well last night, didn't they?".
Why is the team so loved?
The Hiroshima Carp was established as a municipal baseball team without a
parent company in 1949, only four years after the A-bomb was dropped in
1945.
*It became the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1967.
As the newly established team, Hiroshima Carp, was weak and had little
incentive money, it sometimes ran into financial difficulties.
In 1952, there were discussions of disbanding the team and merging it with
another team.
But then, the team manager organized a supporters' association to raise
money, and the citizens started to donate to it.
In the meantime, barrels were placed in front of the stadium, and many
citizens put donations into the barrels one after another, which kept the
team surviving.
Since the Hiroshima Carp was a symbol of the reconstruction of the city that
was ruined by the atomic bombing, the citizens never wanted to give up the
team.
The baseball team, united with the citizens, finally won its first league
championship in 1975.
It was the year when the team color was changed to red.
It is probably because of this history that the people of Hiroshima
subconsciously love the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
Of course, the players themselves and the fact that the team is putting more
weight on raising young players rather than getting good built-up players
should be another reason they are beloved.
Wearing red is a way to feel the Carp.
On days when a game is played in Hiroshima, the colors of the city may look
even more different.
You, too, can be like the Hiroshima locals and dress in red and cheer for
the team at the stadium or in front of the TV.
We are enjoying conversations while watching the Carp game broadcast at
restaurants here and there, looking forward to your joining us!
Note: In recent years, game tickets have become quite difficult to get, so
please check carefully to see if they are available for purchase.
Ticket Information:
https://www.carp.co.jp/en/index.html
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