Each year the National High School Baseball Tournament at Koshien Stadium has traditionally been the most important event on the Japanese baseball calendar. This striking poster, produced by the Osaka Asahi newspaper, contains a team photo of each winner of the first 24 Koshien championships dating back to 1915 (with the exception of the winners of the 1918 tournament). The poster asks the question, "Who will win the 1939 title?" The answer is the Kaizo team, which beat Shimonoseki by a score of 5-0, featuring a no hitter by pitcher and future Hall of Famer, Seiichi Shima. It was the first no hitter in the history of the Koshien final game. Incredibly, Shima had pitched a no hitter in his semi-final game as well! Beginning in 1940, Shima would become a star at Meiji University of the Tokyo Big Six University League. He never played Japan Pro Baseball, as unfortunately, he was killed in 1945 off the coast of Indochina during World War II. This is the first time we have ever seen this poster. It is truly a rare memento of prewar Koshien.

Size: 42 1/2" x 31". Shipped folded at 11" x 15 1/2".

Condition: Near Mint