LOTUS :

LOTUS ROOTS

CATEGORY :

PRINT & OUTDOOR CRAFT LOTUS

COMPANY ENTERING :

DENTSU INC., TOKYO

TITLE :

THE SACRED DIRT

BRAND :

THE COMMEMORATIVE 105TH NATIONAL HIGH BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP / NETTOH KOSHIEN 2023

ADVERTISER :

ASAHI TELEVISION BROADCASTING CORPORATION

AGENCY :

DENTSU INC., TOKYO

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

SAYAKA ARIMOTO

ART DIRECTOR :

KAZUNORI KAWAGOSHI

COPYWRITER :

SHIMPEI MIZUMOTO

CREATIVE PRODUCER :

HINAKO KAYAMA (DENTSU CREATIVE FORCE INC.)

ILLUSTRATOR :

NATSUMI URANO

MEDIA AGENCY :

DENTSU INC. , TOKYO

PR AGENCY :

DENTSU INC. , TOKYO

PRINT PRODUCTION COMPANY :

WOIL INC., TOKYO

PHOTOGRAPHER :

MAKOTO HORIUCHI (FREELANCE)

ART DESIGNER :

SHU NAKAMA

DESIGNER :

WATARU MORISHITA/ITTA KOJIMA/JUN TSUCHIYA/
SHUNSUKE KOYAMA

PRODUCER :

HAYATO SATOMI/DAICHI HAMAGUCHI

CULTURAL CONTEXT EXPLANATION :

In Japan, there is one high school baseball championship considered even more exciting than professional baseball. It involves 49 winning teams from 49 districts—the result of competitions among 3,486 teams nationwide. Excitement and escalate annually as they represent their hometown from baseball if their team loses. The challenge was to create an atmosphere of friendly support, at the stadium during the championship, allowing the players to do their best within these intensely sensitive circumstances.
We created posters using the “sacred dirt” from the stadium where the championship takes place. The posters were placed at the stadium’s closest station used by athletes and spectators on their way to the games. It is customary for athletes to take home a bit of tear- and sweat-soaked dirt as proof of their effort, explaining why posters created from that soil pull the heartstrings of both players and fans. Posters incorporating the dirt embody 105 years of history—tears of defeat and the sweat of hard work. They cheer on the athletes and remind the 600,000+ spectators of their supporting role.

ENGLISH CONTEXT EXPLANATION :

In Japan, content on X (formerly twitter) is followed quite intensely, making it the ultimate forum for lively discussions on all hot topics. Since the championship is a major focus in japan, sensational online debates begin to mount as soon as regional playoffs get underway. This year, in particular, there was a flurry of posts featuring accusations of bad calls and intimidating comments. Since the athletes are often privy to this content, efforts had to be made to alter the mood. We knew that those who make aggressive statements on social media generally back off in live situations. To lighten the mood on game days, we put up posters at the stadium’s closest station, reminding fans and spectators of the stadium’s “sacred dirt,” the very symbol of this high school baseball championship, spinning the atmosphere to generate positive support.