Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話 ニュースディスカッション教材
Only a minute's walk from Jinbocho Station in Tokyo is a monument of a catcher's hand, commemorating the start of baseball in Japan.
I was walking in front of Gakushikaikan in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward when I noticed someone's right hand
poised to throw a ball at me. Instinctively, I braced myself. However, upon closer inspection, I discovered
that this "hand" was made of bronze, stood about 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, and held an enormous baseball.
The monument was erected in 2003 to commemorate Horace Wilson's induction into
the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Wilson was an American teacher who introduced baseball to Japan in 1872.
Because the sculpture represents the "birthplace" of Japanese baseball, many baseball players come here to take photos.
I also found out that the statue depicts the moment of catching, not pitching.
It signifies that Japan has indeed received the sport of baseball
from the United States. As if to reiterate this point, the ball is also a globe, with a seam connecting the two countries.
学士会館（東京都千代田区）前を歩いていると、ボールを投げつけられそうになり身構えた。よくよく見ると、巨大な野球ボールを握った右手のブロンズ像だ。高さは約２メートルもある。
明治５年に日本に野球を伝えた米国人教師、ホーレス・ウィルソン氏の野球殿堂入りを記念し、平成１５年に作られた。「日本野球発祥の地」として、野球選手が記念撮影に訪れることもあるという。
彫像は投球ではなく捕球の瞬間で、米国の「ベースボール」を確かに受け取ったという意味。球には世界地図が描かれ、米国と日本が縫い目で結ばれている。