Osaka Stadium (Japanese: 大阪球場), owned by Osaka Stadium Corporation (大阪スダヂアム興業株式会社), was a stadium in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan.[1] It opened in 1950, with a capacity of 32,000 people. It was built over the site of a red-brick tobacco plant which was destroyed during the bombing of Osaka during World War II. The stadium was torn down in 1998 and was replaced by the office and shopping complex of Namba Parks in several stages, with final construction ending in April 2007.[citation needed]

Osaka Stadium
Map
LocationNaniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan
OwnerOsaka Stadium Corporation
Capacity31,379
Field sizeLeft and Right Field – 91.5 m
Left and Right Center – 109.7 m
Center Field – 115.8 m
Backstop – 18.3 m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground9 January 1950; 74 years ago (1950-01-09)
BuiltJanuary 1950; 74 years ago (1950-01)
Opened12 September 1950; 74 years ago (1950-09-12)
ClosedNovember 1998; 26 years ago (1998-11)
Demolished2000; 24 years ago (2000)
ArchitectJunzo Sakakura
Tenants
Nankai Hawks (1950–1988)
Kintetsu Pearls (1950–1957)
Yosho Robbins (1953–1954)

The stadium was primarily used for baseball and was home of the Nankai Hawks until they moved to the Heiwadai Stadium in Fukuoka (subsequently becoming the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, and are now the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) in 1988.[citation needed]

Madonna kicked off her Who's That Girl World Tour at the stadium with two sold-out concerts on June 14 and 15, 1987. They were her first concerts in Japan.[citation needed]

Michael Jackson concluded the first leg of his Bad World Tour at the stadium, with three consecutive sold-out shows on October 10–12, 1987.[citation needed]

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Niehaus, Andreas; Tagsold, Christian, eds. (2013). Sport, Memory and Nationhood in Japan: Remembering the Glory Days. Taylor & Francis. p. 89. ISBN 9781135712167.


See also

edit

34°39′41″N 135°30′06″E / 34.66147°N 135.50180°E / 34.66147; 135.50180