Masaichi Kobayashi

Masaichi Kobayashi graduated in 1916 from the Department of Architecture of the Imperial University in Tokyo. Subsequently, he majored in studies regarding reinforced concrete structures under the guidance of Riki Sano. Through the parliamentary building commission, Kobayashi became an engineer of the authority building the Meiji Shrine. When the competition for the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery was won by Seisyou Kobayashi, Masaichi Kobayashi was put in charge to implement the design of the outer garden (Gaien), which also included sports facilities including a baseball field. He was later appointed professor and chairman of the Architectural Institute of the Tokyo Higher Technical School. In 1951, be became dean of the engineering faculty of the Chiba University and later professor and president of the Musashi Institute of Technology in Tokyo.

Gaien’s swimming pool and baseball stadium were his two works submitted in 1932. The Meiji Jingu baseball stadium was opened in October 1926, making it the second oldest in Japan. It was rebuilt several times, but severely damaged in World War II in an air raid. The stadium was also used for the baseball demonstration during the 1964 Olympics. It is now the home of the professional club Tokyo Yakuit Swallows. Initially, it accommodated 31,000 spectators, but was later expanded to 35,000. The nearby Meiji Jingu open-air pool was built in 1930 and had a capacity of 15,000. It consisted of two pools (swimming and jumping) and was constructed according to the state of the art. In 2002, it was closed and converted into a futsal (a kind of indoor football) arena.