Kano is based on a true historical event in 1931 in colonial Taiwan, when a no-name, no-good high school baseball team from Southern Taiwan took the whole society by storm by making it all the way to the 2nd place in the Japanese High School Baseball Tournament. Kano is a baseball story first and foremost. It is also a soul-searching journey. So I think it will be beneficial to offer a little bit of the background in both baseball and in Taiwan history.
Like any sports, there is no shortcut in becoming good at baseball other than a player's hard-work, determination, and of course talent. Baseball training was especially grueling at the time. For example, in order to train his players to field any play without fearing the incoming shot of the ball, coach Kondo made players practice until the blisters on the palms became hardened and thickened, and players no longer feel pain. In another example, a player recalled that during fielding practice the outfielders often had to run at full speed and even dive to catch a flyball, but they only got 5 second to get up and get ready before the next flyball came. Some students withdrew from the baseball team because of Kondo's spartan style training. For those high school boys who persisted, baseball is not just a sports or for fun, it is their creed.
Taiwan was ceded to the Imperial Japan in 1895 after the Ching Dynasty lost the Sino-Japanese war, beginning a 50-year-long Japanese colonial rule. In the early days, the schools were segregated. Many schools were exclusively for Japanese only. In many aspects of the society, Taiwanese ethnic Han people were treated as 2nd class citizens. And then there were those feisty, "uncivilized" Taiwanese tribal aborigines. Therefore it bears a significant meaning for Kano(Kagi Agricultural and Forestry School) to assemble a baseball team that is consisted of Japanese, Han Taiwanese, and Taiwanese aboriginal people. I would like to applaud coach Kondo for valuing ability and performance of a student before anything else.
Another fun fact is about the National High School Baseball Championship, commonly known as "Koshien Tournament". According to Wikipedia, there are over 4000 schools participating every year. After series of elimination from regional tournament, only 56 teams get to represent their own prefecture to compete nationally in the Koshien Stadium. Now remember the games are single elimination, meaning you either win or go home. Koshien is also one of the most important scouting events for the Japanese professional league. Players who shine in the tournament will be locked in and be offered lucrative contract to become professional baseball players as soon as they graduate. While for losers, this may be the end of their dream and to their life as a baseball player. The competition could not be any more fierce, and the stakes any higher. And such, Koshien Stadium is held as the sacred site and a great honor for all Japanese baseball fans.
Next year will be the 90th anniversary since Kano baseball team's historical win in 1931. Its victory and the spirit of never giving up ignited the frantic love of Taiwanese people for baseball, at a time when the island was in search of its identity and recognition. Today, near 90 years later, baseball remains THE national sports in Taiwan. The story of Kano is the pride and joy of Taiwan. And I hope it will continue to inspire and give courage to people around the world in this challenging and uncertain time.
