Korean high school turns to Japan's Koshien champion to seek lessons in winning

Gyeongju High School’s baseball team traveled to Wakayama Prefecture on Sept. 9 to train with Japan’s Chiben Wakayama and study how a similar-sized school wins national titles. Gyeongju has gone more than two decades without a national tournament victory, while Chiben Wakayama has built a strong Koshien record. The exchange also grew out of long-standing ties between the schools and is expected to expand into broader student visits in 2027.

Gyeongju High was founded in 1982 and has not won a national title, with its last major national result being runner-up in the 2003 President’s Cup.

Chiben Wakayama opened in 1978 and has won the spring Koshien once and the summer tournament four times.

Chiben Wakayama defeated Kendai Takasaki this summer to claim its first summer title since 2021, from a field of more than 3,000 teams nationwide.

Published Sep 15, 2026 12:00 am KST

Players from Gyeongju High School and Chiben Wakayama High School pose during a joint training session. Korea Times photo by Park Sang-eun

Gyeongju High School’s baseball team is turning to one of Japan’s high school baseball powerhouses, Chiben Wakayama, to learn what it takes to win a national title.

The team traveled to Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture on Sept. 9 for joint training with Chiben Wakayama’s players. The visit went beyond a friendly exchange, offering a firsthand look at the training methods, player development and team management behind the Japanese school’s success.

The two schools face similar circumstances. Chiben Wakayama is about 70 kilometers from Osaka, Japan’s fiercely competitive high school baseball hub. Gyeongju High is about 66 kilometers from Daegu, home to several baseball powerhouses. Neither has a separate budget for scholarships or scouting to recruit top players. Their rosters are also similar in size, with about 12 players per grade at Gyeongju and around 13 at Chiben Wakayama.

Chiben Wakayama High School baseball coach Jin Nakatani, left, and Gyeongju High School baseball coach Lim Won-su / Korea Times photo by Park Sang-eun

Their national records, however, tell different stories. Founded in 1982, Gyeongju’s baseball team has become a leading force in North Gyeongsang Province but has yet to win a national title. Since finishing runner-up in the 2003 President’s Cup, it has gone more than two decades without winning a national tournament.

Chiben Wakayama, which opened in 1978, has won the spring Koshien tournament once and the summer tournament four times. This summer, it defeated Kendai Takasaki to claim its first summer title since 2021, emerging from a field of more than 3,000 teams nationwide.

That record explains why Gyeongju chose Chiben Wakayama for the exchange. It wants to learn how a school with similar recruiting challenges and regional circumstances became one of Japan’s best.

Nobuyuki Kojima, principal of Chiben Wakayama High School / Korea Times photo by Park Sang-eun

Determined to find a way rather than make excuses

Gyeongju High began overhauling its baseball program last year by appointing Lim Won-su, a graduate of both Gyeongju Middle and High schools, as head coach. Having led Gyeongju Middle School’s baseball team since 1996, Lim brings a deep understanding of the region and the conditions in which its young players develop.

Lim made clear that he would not settle for success at the regional level.

“Being No. 1 in North Gyeongsang Province alone means nothing. I know how much local residents and alumni want us to win a national tournament,” he said. “As someone who is part of the local baseball community, I’m deeply sorry we haven’t yet lived up to those expectations.”

“I won’t use the loss of talented middle school players to Daegu or the number of established baseball schools nearby as excuses,” he added. “A coach’s job is to find a way to get results with the resources available.”

Player development was therefore Lim’s main focus during the exchange. He hopes to adopt the training methods, coaching philosophy and team management practices that have allowed Chiben Wakayama to remain a powerhouse with a roster similar in size to Gyeongju’s.

A Chiben Wakayama High School official welcomes Gyeongju High School’s baseball team. Korea Times photo by Park Sang-eun

Ties that predate the baseball exchange

The exchange grew out of a meeting between Rep. Kim Seok-ki, a Gyeongju High alum, and Kiyoshi Fujita, chairman of the Chiben Gakuen educational foundation.

The foundation operates three high schools: Chiben Gakuen and Chiben Gakuen Nara College in Nara Prefecture, and Chiben Wakayama in Wakayama Prefecture. Chiben Gakuen finished runner-up at this year’s spring Koshien tournament, while Chiben Wakayama won the summer title.

The schools’ ties to Gyeongju long predate the baseball exchange. Chiben Gakuen began taking students there on school trips in 1967, and Chiben Wakayama followed in 1979, a year after it opened. Since 2017, the corporation has also offered a study program in Gyeongju for interested students from all three schools.

“When those school trips first began, relations between Korea and Japan were sensitive, but the warmth with which Gyeongju residents welcomed our students remains a vivid memory,” said Nobuyuki Kojima, principal of Chiben Wakayama.

“Visiting Gyeongju is an opportunity to explore the roots of Japanese culture and bring together students who will shape the future of both countries,” he said. “Social media makes it easy to communicate these days, but meeting in person and learning to understand one another across differences in language, culture and daily customs is immensely valuable.”

Players from Gyeongju High School and Chiben Wakayama High School train together. Korea Times photo by Park Sang-eun

From baseball to broader student exchanges

The two schools plan to build on the baseball visit with broader educational and cultural exchanges. Students from all three schools run by the Chiben Gakuen foundation will visit Gyeongju High during a study trip to the city in May 2027.

“This won’t be just a one-off meeting between two sports teams,” Kojima said. “I hope students from both schools will continue to meet and build a relationship that helps them understand each other’s history and culture.”

Chiben Wakayama had planned a welcome ceremony for the Gyeongju team’s visit on Sept. 9, involving its 1,030 students, school band, cheering squad, cheerleaders and staff. A heavy rain warning in Wakayama forced the school to close for the day, canceling the ceremony, but the visit still marked a meaningful first step in the relationship.

Gyeongju head coach Lim Won-su and his Chiben Wakayama counterpart, Jin Nakatani, also spoke candidly about their baseball philosophies, approaches to player development and differences between Korean and Japanese high school baseball.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

9月9日，庆州高中棒球队前往日本和歌山县，与日本千边和歌山高中进行联合训练，并学习规模相近的学校如何赢得全国冠军。庆州高中棒球队已经超过二十年未尝全国冠军的滋味，而千边和歌山高中则在甲子园赛中战绩斐然。此次交流活动也源于两校之间长期的友好关系，预计将于2027年扩展为更广泛的学生互访项目。

庆州高中成立于 1982 年，从未获得过全国冠军，其最近一次在全国比赛中取得的重大成绩是 2003 年总统杯亚军。

知弁和歌山成立于1978年，曾获得一次春季甲子园冠军和四次夏季甲子园冠军。

今年夏天，和歌山知弼击败高崎剑弼，从全国3000多支队伍中脱颖而出，夺得了自2021年以来的第一个夏季冠军。

发布于2026年9月15日凌晨12:00（韩国标准时间）

庆州高中和知本和歌山高中的队员们在联合训练期间合影。韩国时报朴相恩摄。

庆州高中棒球队正在向日本高中棒球强队之一——智弁和歌山高中学习，以了解赢得全国冠军需要具备哪些条件。

9月9日，球队前往日本和歌山县，与千边和歌山的球员进行联合训练。此次访问不仅限于友好交流，更让队员们有机会亲身了解这所日本学校成功的训练方法、球员培养和团队管理理念。

这两所学校面临着相似的境况。千本和歌山高中距离日本高中棒球竞争激烈的中心大阪约70公里。庆州高中距离拥有多支棒球强队的大邱约66公里。两所学校都没有专门的奖学金或球探预算来招募顶尖球员。两校的球队规模也相近，庆州高中每个年级约有12名球员，千本和歌山高中则约有13名。

左为智弼和歌山高中棒球队教练中谷镇，右为庆州高中棒球队教练林元洙 / 《韩国时报》朴相恩摄

然而，他们的全国战绩却截然不同。庆州棒球队成立于1982年，已成为庆尚北道的一支劲旅，但至今尚未赢得过全国冠军。自2003年获得总统杯亚军以来，他们已经超过二十年没有染指过全国冠军。

成立于1978年的千边和歌山队曾获得一次春季甲子园冠军和四次夏季甲子园冠军。今年夏天，他们击败了高崎剑大队，从全国3000多支队伍中脱颖而出，夺得了自2021年以来的首个夏季甲子园冠军。

这份记录解释了庆州大学为何选择智塾和歌山作为交换对象。庆州大学希望了解一所招生挑战和地域条件相似的学校是如何成为日本顶尖学府之一的。

小岛伸之，知本和歌山高中校长 / 《韩国时报》 摄影：Park Sang-eun

决心找到解决办法，而不是找借口

庆州高中去年开始对其棒球项目进行全面改革，任命毕业于庆州中学和庆州高中的林元洙担任主教练。林元洙自1996年起便执教庆州中学棒球队，对当地情况以及年轻球员的成长环境有着深刻的了解。

林明确表示，他不会满足于地区级的成功。

“仅仅在庆尚北道排名第一毫无意义。我知道当地居民和校友们多么希望我们能赢得全国冠军，”他说。“作为当地棒球界的一员，我深感遗憾，我们至今未能达到他们的期望。”

“我不会以优秀初中球员流失到大邱或者附近有很多成熟的棒球学校为借口，”他补充道。“教练的职责就是利用现有资源找到取得成绩的方法。”

因此，球员培养是林在交流期间的主要关注点。他希望借鉴和歌山知边队在阵容规模与庆州队相近的情况下，依然保持强队地位的训练方法、执教理念和团队管理实践。

千本和歌山高中一名官员迎接庆州高中棒球队。韩国时报朴相恩摄

早于棒球交流的联系

这次交流源于庆州高中校友、国会议员金石基与智弼学园教育基金会理事长藤田清志的一次会面。

该基金会运营三所高中：奈良县的知弁学园和知弁学园奈良大学，以及和歌山县的知弁和歌山高中。知弁学园在今年春季甲子园锦标赛中获得亚军，而知弁和歌山高中则赢得了夏季锦标赛的冠军。

这些学校与庆州的渊源远早于棒球交流项目。智塾学园早在1967年就开始组织学生前往庆州进行校外交流，智塾和歌山则在建校一年后的1979年也加入了这一行列。自2017年起，智塾学园还为这三所学校中感兴趣的学生开设了庆州游学项目。

“当这些学校旅行刚开始时，韩国和日本之间的关系还很敏感，但庆州居民热情欢迎我们学生的情景至今仍历历在目，”知弁和歌山中学校长小岛信之说道。

他说：“访问庆州是一个探索日本文化根源、汇聚两国未来栋梁学生的良机。如今社交媒体让沟通变得便捷，但面对面交流，跨越语言、文化和日常习俗的差异，学习彼此理解，其价值无可估量。”

庆州高中和知本和歌山高中的球员们一起训练。韩国时报朴相恩摄。

从棒球到更广泛的学生交流

两校计划在棒球交流的基础上，开展更广泛的教育和文化交流。2027年5月，智本学园基金会旗下三所学校的学生将前往庆州进行学习考察，期间他们将访问庆州高中。

“这不仅仅是两支运动队之间的一次性会面，”小岛说。“我希望两校学生能够继续交流，建立联系，帮助他们了解彼此的历史和文化。”

和歌山智塾原计划于9月9日为庆州队举行欢迎仪式，届时将有全校1030名学生、校乐队、啦啦队和教职工参加。然而，由于和歌山地区发布了暴雨预警，学校被迫停课，欢迎仪式也随之取消。尽管如此，此次访问仍然标志着双方关系迈出了意义深远的第一步。

庆州高中棒球队主教练林元洙和智弼和歌山高中棒球队主教练中谷镇也坦诚地谈到了他们的棒球理念、球员培养方法以及韩国和日本高中棒球之间的差异。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。