Reviews by Hideyuki Takano and Yoshinori Kadoi Also a Big Hit! Tanaka Aogu's 'Director Becomes a God: Ikeda High School, Clash of Memories' (Bungeishunju / July 29 Release) Gets a Third Printing!

This book is a new-sensation nonfiction work that, through thorough interviews with relatives and former players, approaches the truth of Tokushima Prefectural Ikeda High School, a prestigious Koshien school, and the mystery of Tsuta Fumiya, a coach who gained national popularity.

Reviews by nonfiction writer Hideyuki Takano and Naoki Prize-winning author Yoshinori Kadoi, who called it 'a masterpiece of mystery nonfiction with superb structure and writing,' are also generating a big buzz. It has been featured in Shukan Bunshun, Monthly Bungeishunju, Kyodo News, Tokushima Shimbun, Nikkei Shimbun, Sports Hochi, Shukan Post, Gendai Business, Shueisha Online, Bunshun Online, and many other media outlets, and its visibility is rapidly rising in various fields.

(Review by Hideyuki Takano: published in Shukan Bunshun)

https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/91985

(Review by Yoshinori Kadoi: published on Bunshun Online)

https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/92137

Tanaka Aogu, 'Director Becomes a God: Ikeda High School, Clash of Memories'

◆Content

Three Koshien championships, two runner-up finishes.

Ikeda High School, which swept Japan in the 1980s as a 'rural public school with few players led by a colorful coach,' was led by Tsuta Fumiya, known as 'Sawayaka Eleven' and 'Yamabiko Batting Line,' and he was the most beloved high school baseball coach in Japan.

However, from the 1990s, Ikeda High School disappeared from Koshien, and Tsuta also stopped appearing in public.

-- Why did Ikeda High School disappear from Koshien?

-- Was Tsuta Fumiya truly a hero?

Now, 25 years after Tsuta's death, interviews at the site reveal that his character changes dramatically depending on the witness: 'a god,' 'a heroic coach who loved alcohol,' 'a man who knew nothing about baseball,' 'a greedy old man obsessed with money.'

《Who on earth was Tsuta Fumiya?》

Through interviews with Tsuta's relatives, including his son, former coaches of the Ikeda baseball team who parted ways with him, and former players who wrote accusations criticizing Tsuta's money-worship, this mystery nonfiction approaches the truth of Ikeda High School and the identity of the 'coach who became a god.'

◆Excerpts from testimonies in the book

'A greedy old man obsessed with money' -- an unpublished letter written by a former student at the time

'Honestly, he had no coaching ability' -- Yoshimasa Kawahara (coach who supported the golden era)

'He donated a lot to the temple' -- Takashi Tsuta (second son)

'He was just an ordinary grandfather who loved baseball' -- Mitsuharu Egami (captain during the consecutive Koshien victories)

'Please don't make Tsuta a villain' -- Shigeo Kajita (pitcher who won the 1986 Spring Koshien)

◆Table of Contents

Prologue: A Pale Face -- Death of a High School Teacher / Rainy Funeral

Chapter 1: The Beginning -- Accusation Letter from a Former Student / The Controversial Serialized Article

Chapter 2: The Young Man in the Photo -- Two Sortie Orders in the Kamikaze Corps / 'What Changed My Father Was the War'

Chapter 3: A Rural Miracle -- Days of Youth Drowned in Alcohol / 'Became a God' Koshien Victory

Chapter 4: Koshien and Money -- 45 Million Yen in Annual Donations / Dormitory Construction Funded with Personal Funds

Chapter 5: The Hero's Change -- The Former Coach Who Parted Ways / The 'Terror of the Loyalty Test' Imposed on Students

Chapter 6: The Fate of the Accusation -- The Former Player Who Wrote the Accusation / 'If I Give a Lecture, It's 500,000 Yen'

Chapter 7: Rebuttal -- Conflicting Testimonies / Construction of Two Condominiums

Chapter 8: One Answer -- The 'Heart Gap' with Students / The Truth Behind the Coach's Retirement

Chapter 9: God -- The Growth of a 'Useless Old Man' / The Bible in the Attic

Final Chapter: Memories of That Day -- Trip to Kumamoto with His Daughter / The Last Meat Udon

◆Author Profile

Tanaka Aogu

Born in 1992, from Chiba Prefecture. After graduating from Sophia University in 2014, he joined Sony Music (SME) but resigned after one month. Later, after working at the editorial production company 'KWC,' he has been a member of Bungeishunju's 'NumberWeb' editorial department since 2021. He has written numerous sports-related reports and nonfiction on high school baseball, NPB, MLB, and more. This is his debut full-length nonfiction work.

◆Bibliographic Information

Publisher: Bungeishunju Ltd.

Title: 'Director Becomes a God: Ikeda High School, Clash of Memories'

Author: Tanaka Aogu

Format: 46-size paperback with cover, 272 pages

Release Date: July 29, 2026

Price: Print edition 2,090 yen (tax incl.) / E-book 2,000 yen (tax incl.)

ISBN: 978-4-16-392129-7