Kobunsha Co., Ltd.
WBC world number one! Director Kuriyama’s book “Kuriyama Note”, plus 22,000 additional copies! A total of 50,000 copies have been sold!!
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Director Hideki Kuriyama, who led SAMURAI JAPAN to the world’s No. 1 in the world, “Kuriyama’s Note,” is still going strong! Furthermore, 22,000 copies of 4 additional reprints have been decided!
At WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 2023, Samurai Japan’s Hideki Kuriyama, who won the first-ever Japan-US decisive battle, had a habit of keeping a “baseball notebook” since he was in elementary school. It is said that he wrote down the practice menu of the day and the plays that caught his attention. A “baseball notebook” that has become a habit even after becoming a professional. During my time as manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, I always opened my notebook, wrote down points to reflect on, and organized my brain. He said, “While repeating the work of thinking, struggling, constructing ideas, destroying them, and reconstructing them again, a different self emerges in my heart.”
In addition, director Hideki Kuriyama, who is also a reader, said that by rereading, chewing on, and soaking up classics such as “The Analects,” “Books,” and “I Ching” many times, “It is possible to face suffering head-on.” I made it,” he says.
Finally, the world’s best WBC, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, won the league twice, won the league once, and wrote the secret “Kuriyama Notebook”, 4 prints, 22,000 copies, total of 50,000 copies!
“Kuriyama notebook” digest
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● From “Introduction”
In my job as a director, I am conscious of how my work will be evaluated in 50 years, not at this moment, not in 5 or 10 years. Even historical figures were not necessarily appreciated during their lifetime. Even so, in order to enrich the small world in which I live, the country in which I live, or even the world, I sweat unrefined, summon my courage and wisdom, and continue to burn the fire of my life. Turning setbacks into strength, gaining power from defeat. I will also open the book to move forward and write this book. I let each letter sink into my head and imbue it with my own enthusiasm. With the belief that it is not for me to judge whether this book will be of any use to you.
●From the introduction
Why am I writing notes anyway?
In the Analects of Confucius, there is a teaching that “sex is close, but if you learn it, it is far away.” It means that there is not much difference in the nature of people when they are born, but the difference gradually increases due to later habits and education. There is no end to learning, and if you don’t keep learning, you won’t grow. I think that growth is not about satisfying one’s material desires or wanting to control oneself, but about making the people around one smile even a little more.
What did you feel and what actions did you take from the match and contact with people that day? Does it follow the words of our predecessors who guide us? I want to grow myself by reflecting on my actions not just for one day, but for the second, third, and tenth day.
i am a weak person When I was a child, I was the second son and a selfish boy, and my father told me that I started playing baseball “to teach me patience”.
Even now, as an adult, just remembering, “I couldn’t do this today, so I’ll do this tomorrow,” doesn’t make it a reality. We indulge ourselves by using excuses such as being busy or not having time. To prevent this from happening, I write in a notebook, look back on the day, read it again, and reflect on it.
The act of writing your thoughts in a notebook is an objective view of how you interacted with the people around you.
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●From the text 1.
What I care about is listening to other people’s stories.
To listen is to touch the feelings of the other person. I try to listen to the players as much as possible. If you don’t become a listener, you can’t get close to the troubles and suffering of the other person.
Just because you told me about your troubles doesn’t mean that the players’ hearts are clear. Aside from baseball, there are limits to what you can do when it comes to family, home, and friends. I may not be able to do anything. Still, being listened to can help you feel calmer and take some of the burden off your mind. I myself have had the experience of being saved by talking, and I feel that I can take a new step by spitting out my chest.
Even if you spend a lot of time listening to the other person, sometimes you can’t get to the heart of the matter. If you are a fighters player, it’s hard to say to the manager. None other than myself, when I was active, I used to feel reluctant to reveal my true feelings to the director.
Sometimes it is different depending on the listener. For example, a player who tells me, “I’m not injured,” complains to the coach, “I’m in a little pain,” and then reveals to the trainer, “It hurts a lot.” I can understand the psychology of the players. I don’t want to miss the game. But I want someone to know that I am in pain. I can’t just say, “Why aren’t you telling me the truth?”
There are more and more players who are as far apart in age as their parents and children, but I don’t feel that it makes it difficult to talk.
It’s hard to find common topics, and it’s hard to get excited about your favorite celebrities or TV shows. However, there are people who are easy to talk to regardless of age. I want to have that kind of atmosphere. The title of coach intimidates the players in the first place, so it is difficult, but I am prepared to talk to anyone at any time.
After a game in the 2015 season, a player came to my room. You can imagine that coming to the director’s room is quite mentally exhausting.
From the next day onwards, I decided to refrain from drinking alcohol on match nights. If the manager opens the door to the room with a red face, the player will say, “Excuse me, I’ll come again next time.” We must not trample on the feelings of athletes who must have mustered up their courage. Whether it’s a day game or a night game, I decided to stay in my room without drinking alcohol or going out on the day of the game.
When you are in a position to speak, be conscious of using fewer words. If you try to convey your thoughts with all your words, it will be difficult to convey them in the end. The more words there are, the more misunderstandings may occur, and the words may slip on top of each other.
Ultimately, if you live with conviction, players will understand you even if you don’t have words. No extra words should be needed. ●2.
There are also sudden accidents such as muscle injuries, but there are some things that can be prevented if we, the coaching staff, are careful. In many cases, there are “predictions” for injuries that would not have occurred if the training method and tension were different. If you think so, it is the responsibility of the director to get injured.
It’s easy to say that the players themselves are underprepared. However, there is no such thing as a player who wants to get hurt. In order to be active in the 1st army, they are working hard every day. If something goes wrong, point the arrow at yourself and find out why. It makes me feel better than forcing it on others. If the cause is clarified, the energy will spring up to say, “Let’s try harder from tomorrow.”
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●3.
At the moment when selfishness enters, people can no longer be sincere. If you give priority to the reason why you want to make things easier for yourself, you will end up putting aside the other person’s feelings and circumstances. I am not sincere.
When you are sincere, your intuition works. You could say that they are sensitive to change.
●4.
Even when communicating with young players, I do not use words that are condescending. When receiving contact, the reply is not
“understood” but “understood” or “understood”. I try to use phrases that I want others to use first.
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●5.
Each coach has their own way of thinking, and I was the one who appointed them. If so, you should trust them. What I should do is not to say anything, but to listen to what the coach has to say and decide whether it is okay.
I always tell my coaches, “He knows baseball better than I do, so he’s working here.” I’m not belittling myself, I’m not trying to lift them up, but I think it’s an objective fact. I have no hesitation in asking my coach for his opinion.
That doesn’t mean you should just leave it up to the coach. Make the final decision and study it to back it up. However, instead of making the knowledge you have taken in as it is, keep it at the level of “There is also such a way of thinking”.
[Author profile]
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Hideki Kuriyama
Born in 1961. Born in Tokyo. After Soka High School and Tokyo Gakugei University, joined the Yakult Swallows in 1984 as an infielder out of the draft. He made his first army debut in the first year. A fast-footed outfielder, he won the Golden Glove Award in 1989. After the 1990 season, he retired due to injuries and illness. After retiring, he worked as a commentator and sports journalist to spread the appeal of not only baseball but sports in general, while also teaching as a professor at Hakuoh University. In November 2011, he became manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. In the same year, he won the Pacific League in his first year as a manager. In 2016, he won the league title for the second time, became the best in Japan, and received the Matsutaro Shoriki Award. As of 2019, he has been in his 8th year as a director, and in May of the same year, he achieved a total of 527 wins, the second highest in the history of the team as a manager. In 2021, he retired as manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. In 2022, he became the manager of Samurai Japan.
[“Kuriyama Notebook” bibliographic information]
Title: Kuriyama Note
Author: Hideki Kuriyama
Release date: October 17, 2019
List price: 1,430 yen (tax included)
Publisher: Kobunsha
First edition 15,000 copies 4 printings total 50,000 copies (4 printings 22,000 copies scheduled to be completed on 4/6)
Details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000001532.000021468.html
MAIL:cr@prtimes.co.jp