Hiryū High School

Hiryū High School is a private junior and senior high school located in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture. The school is operated by the educational coproration Numazu Gakuen.

Hiryū High School
飛龍高等学校
Hiryū High School in 2012
Address
491 Higashikumando, Numazu, Shizuoka 410-0013, Japan

Shizuoka Prefecture

Numazu
,
Japan
Information
Former nameNumazu Gakuen High School
School typePrivate, Coeducational
Motto工夫しつゝ、悦び生活する
(Define and enjoy life)
Established1942
FounderMiya Koremura
School number048-624-6488
School code22506B
DirectorHiroyuki Saitō
PrincipalHideo Sakane
Enrollmentapprox. 3000 students
Color(s)sea green, dark slate blue
   
Mascotchrysanthemum-tailed dragon
WebsiteIn Japanaese
https://hiryu.ed.jp/

The school is particularly well known for its men's basketball and baseball clubs.[1][2] The school's sumo club also has a long tradition, having been founded in the 70s, and has achieved numerous successes on the national scene.[3]

History

The school was founded in March 1942 as Numazu Gakuen High School for Girls and officially opened its doors on April 1 of that year. In April 1946, the school gave up teaching exclusively to girls and became coeducational. In the 1960s, the school opened several new departments, all of which focused on professional and economic activities. In 1958, a Commerce course was created, followed by a Food Industry course. Finally, in 1969, a course on the automotive industry was created. During the same period, commerce and home economics were withdrawn from the women's courses, which now focus solely on the food and clothing industries. In 1982, specialized and gendered courses were abolished and all courses were open to students of all genders. In 1990, a training center was built and in 1992, the now popular Ihigiri Festival was established. In 2003, the school adopted its current name, and in 2005, the various courses adopted new programs and names. In 2018 a scandal erupted as it was discovered that two of the school's teachers were teaching without a license. In the midst of the controversy, Principal Hiroyuki Ide resigns from his position and was replaced the following month by the current principal.

The school's name, Hiryū (飛龍), lit. 'leaping dragon', was inspired by Han Feizi's parable which shows that, like a dragon who relies on the clouds to fly, heroes and sages demonstrate their talent over time, building on their experiences to reach new heights.[4][5] The school uses a chrysanthemum leaf as its emblem because Shinji Aoki, the school's founder, wanted an inspiring symbol to reflect the spirit of responsibility and hard work - noble values - that he wanted to instill in his school. As the chrysanthemum is a symbol of Japanese nobility, it was decided to use it as the emblem.[4]

Features and characteristics

Courses

Hiryū High School has four main courses:

General Course Comprehensive Sports course

A course particularly geared towards the pursuit of a sporting career. The course is presented in such a way as to enable students to go on to universities known for their sports programs (such as Waseda University or Nihon University), vocational schools or to enter the professional field directly (particularly in sumo, where the school has good links with Isegahama stable).[6]

General Course Future Quest course

A course specially designed for learning technical sciences and preparing for competitive exams at major universities. The course itself is divided into four options. The first of these is "Enter school", an option to prepare for university or vocational school entrance exams. The second option redirects students more towards youth care professions. The third redirects students towards IT design professions. Finally, the last option is a more generalist course designed to complement the knowledge of students wishing to remain in general fields of study.[7]

General Course Food Creator course

This course is designed for students wishing to continue their studies in the catering field. The course itself is divided into two options, one specializing in restaurant cuisine and the other in pastry-making.[8]

Automobile industry course

This is the only course taught by the school that is not qualified as a general course. This purely technical course provides students with technical training in electricity, electronics, and AI. The course also prepares students for Takachiho University entrance exams.[9]

Clubs

Sports

Hiryū High School has a strong focus on sports courses. As a result, the high school has many clubs such as:

  • Baseball
  • Swimming
  • Judo
  • Kendo
  • Boxing
  • Wrestling
  • Volleyball
  • Associative football
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Fencing

Sumo

The high school sumo team is currently led by a young woman, Hina Takei. The younger sister of professional sumo wrestler Atamifuji, she is also the first female captain to lead a high school sumo team that has been in existence for more than 50 years.[3][10] The Hiryū sumo club is also highly ranked in team competitions, winning multiple tournaments, lastly the 2022 National Junior High School Tournament championship.[11] Hiryū High School was also the first school to produce a high school-yokozuna in the Reiwa era.[12]

Basketball

The school is well known for its men's basketball club. Yusaku Harada, a former professional coach who worked in the USA, is credited with helping the basketball club gain momentum.[13] Between 2010 and 2023, the club won the national championships six times and the Winter Cup three times. The team also regularly ranks in the top 8 in national high school competitions.[1]

Baseball
See also: Kōshien baseball tournament

The baseball club is managed by Yuichi Katsuyoshi, a veteran coach recruited from Kato Gakuen High School, where he coached the team when it won the Shizuoka Prefecture high school ekiden championship three years running.[14]

Cultural activities
  • Auto mechanics
  • Patisserie
  • Horticulture
  • Music bands
  • Models
  • Illustration and drawing
  • Japanese arts
  • Press
  • Go/Shogi
  • Drama
  • Science

e-Sports

Surprisingly, the club also has an e-sports club. This club, born in 2021, aims to establish Japan on the e-Sport scene. However, between 2021 and 2022, the number of club members dropped from 30 students to just 7 because of the study rules and steady practice. Club members have also had to impose their choice on their parents because of the negative perception that this type of teaching has.[15]

Taiko

The school has a renowned taiko club, which won the prestigious Excellence Award at the 42nd National High School Comprehensive Culture Festival (2018 Shinshu So-bun Festival). The club is reputed to be one of the best in the country, with over 120 concerts a year.[16] The club's performance is also credited with revitalizing Numazu's summer festivals and port attractions.[17]

Alumni

Sumo

Baseball

Association football

Basketball
  • Junpei Takahara
  • Shin Aoshima
  • Shinnosuke Oishi
  • Kosuke Taneichi

Other

Baseball club scandals

The school has faced multiple scandals of violence between students. In May 2020, the baseball team manager and two vice-principals of the school were removed from the baseball coaching team for making inappropriate comments and physically punishing students.[18] The violence scandal didn't stop there, however, as during the same period an embezzlement scandal involved the same club, with a teacher being found guilty of embezzling 15 million yen in club funds collected from the baseball team members and was dismissed on disciplinary grounds as of February 2.[2]

See also

References
  1. "High School Men's Basketball Team Strongman, Hiryu's Director Yusaku Harada, to Retire...Last Leadership at Tokai High School Newcomer's Tournament". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 9 February 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. "1.5 million yen diverted from club funds to "Pachislot" by Shizuoka Hiryu High School baseball team; corporal punishment by three coaches also revealed". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). 20 May 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  3. "Hina Takei, sister of Atamifuji, the first female captain of the Shizuoka Hiryu High School Sumo Club, "is a role model for other club members". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 22 November 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  4. "Hiryu School's name and school emblem". Hiryu High School website (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  5. "The meaning of Hiryo-Joun". Yoji Jitenom idiom dictionary (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  6. "General Course Comprehensive Sports Course". Hiryu High School website (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  7. "General Course Future Quest Course". Hiryu High School website (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  8. "General Course Food Creator Course". Hiryu High School website (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  9. "Automobile industry Course". Hiryu High School website (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  10. "First Female Captain of Prestigious Sumo Club Heads for the Big Game, Aiming for World Junior Championships". Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 3 April 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  11. "Akihiro Nagamura, from Hiryu High School in Numazu, Japan, to join Kise stable". NHK (in Japanese). 8 December 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  12. "Know Yourself, There Are Ten Different Physiques... Daisuke Kurihara, Director of Hiryu High School Sumo Club, Nurtured Eight Current Professionnal, Including Midorifuji". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 29 March 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  13. "Coach Yusaku Harada, the creator of the "Gyakuten no Hiryū"," is returning to his alma mater, Fukuoka Daiichi, in a position to support his former teacher: "I want to make sure I convey Mr. Ideguchi's thoughts"". Basket Count magazine (in Japanese). 19 May 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  14. "Aoyama Gakuin University Coach Katsuyoshi to Direct Ekiden at Hiryu High School, V3 in Shizuoka Prefecture with Kato Gakuen High School". Shizuoka Shimbun (in Japanese). 2 December 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  15. "Club activities are both fun and hard. e-sports to win" is the goal of Hiryu Senior High School". BCN tech magazine (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  16. "[Shinshu Sohbun Festival] Hiryu High School Taiko Drumming Club Wins Excellence Award in Local Performing Arts Category, Improves its Level through Discussions". The Daily High School News (in Japanese). 12 October 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  17. "Numazu Gakuen Hiryu High School Japanese Drum Club [Recommended by Shizuoka Prefecture]". Shizuoka Prefecture website (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  18. "First-year baseball team members of Hiryu High School were violently attacked by second-year players". NHK (in Japanese). 17 December 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.

Hiryū High School e-Sports team website in Japanese

35.1164°N 138.8677°E / 35.1164; 138.8677

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