Photo/Illutration Hanamaki Higashi High School’s baseball team, which Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani once played for, abolished its shaved head requirement in 2018. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

I am me, but how far does my personhood extend? Are my glasses an extension of myself? What about the clothes I wear? And most importantly, doesn’t my hair help make me who I am?

I remember agonizing over such “existential” questions years ago, when I was a teenager who deeply resented the coach of the school baseball club to which I belonged forcing me to shave my head.

Back then, having a clean-shaven cut was de rigueur for all high school baseball club members. But times have apparently changed and schools that still require it today have drastically shrunk in number.

According to a joint nationwide survey by the Japan High School Baseball Federation and The Asahi Shimbun, the numbers plummeted from 76.8 percent of schools in 2018 to 26.4 percent this year.

True, in watching high school baseball games at Hanshin Koshien Stadium, I have become aware of some teams whose players had longer hair. Still, I was frankly surprised that a major change was already taking place.

What could have happened in the past five years?

“Forcing a (student) to shave his head could be construed as a human rights violation and schools probably became more aware of the possibility of getting into trouble,” explained Satoshi Shimizu, a professor of sports sociology at the University of Tsukuba.

This probably means waves of change are coming, prompted by society’s growing disapproval of excessive discipline among school sports clubs.

However, though overt pressure may be gone, there still are people who just won’t stop projecting their misguided idealistic expectations on high school baseball. Peer pressure also dies hard and if someone insists on having a shaved head, it won’t be easy for the rest of the players to refuse.

“The important thing is for the students to think for themselves,” said Shimizu. “What is sports? Which hair style is best? Those are the questions to which they should find their own answers.”

This year’s summer high school baseball season is warming up. High school baseball is a sport for players and supporters alike to enjoy.

The length of players’ hair couldn’t matter less. I strongly feel this as I stroke the visibly thinner hair on my head.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 22

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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