Dokaben Road, commonly known as Dokaben Road, is located in Furumachi, Niigata City. This shopping mall is lined with bronze statues of characters by Shinji Mizushima, famous for his manga such as Dokaben.
Dokaben Road is familiar to both Niigata citizens and visitors from outside the prefecture. Did you know that there are actually only four out of seven bronze statues of characters from Dokaben?
To be precise, it is not Dokaben Road, but the official name "Shinji Mizushima Manga Street". The dynamic statues are impressive.
Kageura, Yasutake (Abu San).
Kageura, Yasutake (Abu San).
A hard-hitting drinker. He loves to use a long bat called a clothesline. He has been a Hawks fan since joining the Nankai Hawks and is the protagonist of Abu-san, which began serialisation in 1973 and is still running as of December 2013. It is the longest-running sports manga series in Japan.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%99%AF%E6%B5%A6%E5%AE%89%E6%AD%A6
Mizuhara Iseki
Mizuhara Iseki
The first female player in the history of Japanese professional baseball. She was often used as a stopper, using the legendary 'Dream Ball' as her weapon of choice. She appeared in several films, including Yakyu Kyou no Uta (Poem of a Baseball Fanatic). This is the moment she throws the Dream Ball!
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E5%8E%9F%E5%8B%87%E6%B0%97
It was only when I took the time to go round this time that I realised it was a woman. Mm. A woman, indeed.
Tetsugoro Iwata
Tetsugoro Iwata
Appears in various works, including 'Poem of a Baseball Fanatic'. His speciality is the 'fly stop', a very slow pitch. Known as the "Ball Saint", he is undoubtedly a man who will be active for the rest of his life. Uu~ cool! The statue has a nice expression on its face.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B2%A9%E7%94%B0%E9%89%84%E4%BA%94%E9%83%8E
One person at the temple.
One person at the temple.
And from the dokaben you've been waiting for. TONMA, a prodigy batter, is synonymous with 'secret hitting' using his musical sense. The 'zura' at the end of the word is a dialect used in Nagano, Shizuoka and Yamanashi. As a native of Nagano Prefecture, I am actually attached to this dialect, and of all the Dokaben characters, Tonoma is my favourite. The statue's haughty expression is also a nice touch.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AE%BF%E9%A6%AC%E4%B8%80%E4%BA%BA
Rizhi (name)
Satoshi Satonaka, Meikun's ace, a small giant! 168 cm underthrower, a hard worker. He was treated as an idol both in the series and among fans, but he married Sachiko, the younger sister of the main character Yamada Taro.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%8C%E4%B8%AD%E6%99%BA
Masami Iwaki
Masami Iwaki
The rock demon, the bold bastard of bad ball-striking! Gwararagowagaki-n! He is actually a good defender and plays at No. 1 and third. He is a well-loved character who talks a lot. His trademark is the leaf he has added. When he is in good form, a flower blooms.
The leaf is also securely attached to the statue. The leaf is actually removable because it has been tampered with or stolen in the past. The person in charge puts them on in the morning and removes them in the evening. If you go at night, you will see the rock demon without the leaf.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B2%A9%E9%AC%BC%E6%AD%A3%E7%BE%8E
Taro Yamada
And this back view...
Taro Yamada
Taro Yamada, the protagonist of Dokaben! The nickname 'Dokaben' is due to the fact that he used to use a large bento box filled only with rice (dokaben = large bento box for dokata). His talent as a catcher and hitter is top-notch. However, he is slow and his hits in front of the lights sometimes turn into light ground balls. In junior high school, he was a member of the judo club. He is synonymous with a gentle spirit and strength.
Born in Asahinakagamachi, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture. Around what is now Niigata University School of Medicine.
And that was the introduction of Dokaben Road, which is a must for Mizushima manga fans. If you were just passing by, you would have just had the impression that there were statues, but if you look at them while researching the episodes of each character, you will have a stronger emotional attachment to them! Even now, I smile when I see young people taking photos with the statues. I wish they would make better use of the statues, but I have high hopes for the future!
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