Intro[]
SASUKE Koshien 1 (officially, 「SASUKE甲子園2023」), is a series of preliminary trial event for senior high school students. Similar to the formatting of the more recent original SASUKE Trials, it would test the skills a competitor would need in an actual tournament. However, instead of being an individual competition, competitors would compete as a team, each representing a different school. Ultimately, the event narrowed down to the chosen 8 schools, consisting of 24 students. Each school was represented by a team of 3 students, containing a team captain and was designated with a different color. There were 3 rounds in a formation of a tournament bracket system. Each round would cut the teams in half, and the winning team would be officially chosen to compete in SASUKE 41. The broadcast was aired into a single two-hour special on December 3, 2023 on BS-TBS, hosted by Kondo Kako, with Kanechika Daiki and Hioki Masashi as guests. Hioki, along with Urushihara Yuuji, Morimoto Yūsuke and Yamada Katsumi appeared as mentors.
Qualifying First Stage[]
Eight teams would compete in an event known as the SASUKE Relay (SASUKEリレー). There were 4 separate matchups — with 2 teams going head-to-head. Each matchup would have every team attempting to navigate four obstacles while wearing a sash and the competitor who finish a lap would remove the sash they were wearing, then pass it to their partner so they can go next. This process would continue until every team members completed all obstacles and the team that do so faster than their opponent would win the matchup and move onto the Second Stage.
Obstacles[]
① Teoshi Guruma 手押し車 (25m)
② Onbu おんぶ (100m)
③ Untei うんてい (15m)
④ Tire Oshi タイヤ押し (20m)
Results[]
| School (Team Color) | Name (Year) | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matchup 1 | |||
| Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | Nagao Kai (3rd) Hiruma Mikiyo (3rd) Mabuchi Hiromu (3rd) |
Clear | |
| Kisarazu Comprehensive High School (Pink) | Sato Shinsuke (2nd) Hasegawa Yuma (2nd) Obata Haruto (2nd) |
Fail | |
| Matchup 2 | |||
| Oyamadai High School (Orange) | Shinbo Bunshiro (2nd) Koizumi Sho (2nd) Takeo Yuta (2nd) |
Clear | |
| Yamato Higashi High School (Yellow) | Sonehara Takuma (3rd) Hancock Canute (3rd) Miwa Takumu (3rd) |
Fail | |
| Matchup 3 | |||
| Ota High School (Red) | Abe Raido (2nd) Ishizuka Yushin (2nd) Aoyagi Takumi (2nd) |
Clear | |
| Tenryu High School (Blue) | Joao Pedro (2nd) Suzuki Kairu (2nd) Suzuki Ryujin (2nd) |
Fail | |
| Matchup 4 | |||
| Natori High School (Purple) | Suzuki Yukinari (2nd) Oba Rio (2nd) Takahashi Toki (2nd) |
Fail | |
| Kaijo Junior & Senior High School (White) | Hiraki Kou (2nd) Miyata Ryotaro (2nd) Yoshida Hironari (2nd) |
Clear | |
Qualifying Second Stage[]
Four remaining teams would compete in three separate events known as SASUKE Gaman Kurabe (SASUKE我慢比べ). In this stage, there were two matchups where each team would selected a competitor for each one-on-one match for all events. In the end, two teams that won the most event would move on to the Final Stage.
The first event was Taikyū Burasagari Taiketsu (耐久ぶら下がり対決), where both competitors would attempt to held onto a bar as long as possible without falling. If a competitor from a team fell into the water, the opposing team wins.
The second event was Fukkin Taiketsu (腹筋対決), where both competitors would attempt to do as many incline sit-ups as possible following the beat of the taiko drum while lying down on a 30 degree slope. If a competitor from a team is unable to keep up with the beat, the opposing team wins.
The third event, Mugen Jump Taiketsu (無限ジャンプ対決), where both competitors would attempt to jump over a sweeper bar as many times as possible. If a competitor from a team were to hit the sweeper bar, the opposing team wins.
Results[]
| Event | School (Color) | Name (Year) | Winning Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matchup 1 | ||||
| 1st | Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | Mabuchi Hiromu (3rd) | Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | |
| Oyamadai High School (Orange) | Takeo Yuta (2nd) | Fell at 1:52. | ||
| 2nd | Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | Nagao Kai (3rd) | Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | Since Aoyama Gakuin already won the first 2 rounds, they automatically advance. |
| Oyamadai High School (Orange) | Shinbo Bunshiro (2nd) | Couldn't get up at 48 sit-ups. | ||
| Matchup 1 Winner: Aoyama Gakuin High School | ||||
| Matchup 2 | ||||
| 1st | Ota High School (Red) | Aoyagi Takumi (2nd) | Ota High School (Red) | |
| Kaijo Junior & Senior High School (White) | Hiraki Kou (2nd) | Fell at 1:59. | ||
| 2nd | Ota High School (Red) | Ishizuka Yushin (2nd) | Ota High School (Red) | Since Ota already won the first 2 rounds, they automatically advance. |
| Kaijo Junior & Senior High School (White) | Miyata Ryotaro (2nd) | Missed button at 33 sit-ups. | ||
| Matchup 2 Winner: Ota High School | ||||
Qualifying Final Stage[]
In a similar fashion to the recent SASUKE Trials, two remaining teams would go head-to-head as every competitor from both teams would attempt a replica of the First Stage. The only difference was that the height of the Soritatsu Kabe was reduced by 30cm. Whichever team either had a member with the fastest time, or the only team that cleared at all, would win SASUKE Koshien 1 and officially qualify for SASUKE 41.
Obstacles[]
① Quad Steps クワッドステップス
② Rolling Hill ローリングヒル
③ Fish Bone フィッシュボーン
④ Soritatsu Kabe そり立つ壁
Results[]
| School (Color) | Name (Year) | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ota High School (Red) | Abe Raido (2nd) | ② Rolling Hill ローリングヒル | His left foot slipped on the last Quad Step due to rainy conditions, messing up his transition to the Rolling Hill. |
| Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | Nagao Kai (3rd) | ③ Fish Bone フィッシュボーン | |
| Ota High School (Red) | Ishizuka Yushin (2nd) | ② Rolling Hill ローリングヒル | |
| Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | Hiruma Mikiyo (3rd) | ② Rolling Hill ローリングヒル | |
| Ota High School (Red) | Aoyagi Takumi (2nd) | ② Rolling Hill ローリングヒル | |
| Aoyama Gakuin High School (Green) | Mabuchi Hiromu (3rd) | Clear (41.52 seconds) | Since Hiromu was the only one to clear the course, he and his team automatically qualify for SASUKE 41. |
| Qualified for SASUKE 41: Aoyama Gakuin High School |
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