Home Ground of Hirabayashi Metal Softball Team: 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium'
Mizuno has completed a major renovation of the 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium', adopting an eco-friendly artificial turf designed for baseball to reduce microplastic runoff.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: March 30, 2026 at 22:56
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Mizuno Corporation has carried out the first major renovation in about 11 years at 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium', the home ground of the softball team of Hirabayashi Metal Corporation, a company primarily engaged in the recycling of ferrous/non-ferrous metals and used home appliances and automobiles. With this renovation, Mizuno has completed its first-ever design and construction of a dedicated softball stadium. Since its opening in 2001, 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium' has been used as a community-rooted venue, such as hosting elementary school softball tournaments. Now, it has been reborn as the first dedicated softball stadium in Okayama Prefecture.
▼ Baseball-specific artificial turf "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V"
https://sports-facilities.mizuno.jp/service/grass/productlist/baseballturf-v/
'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium' is located next to the Asahi River, a Class A river flowing through the center of Okayama Prefecture. In recent years, a growing issue has emerged where artificial turf blades deteriorate due to long-term use or improper maintenance, causing the blades and infill materials to flow out of the facility and generate fine marine plastic waste known as "microplastics."
To address these issues, this renovation adopted "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V," an eco-friendly artificial turf specifically designed for baseball, which has been sold for outfield use since 2022. This artificial turf features a blade strength approximately 1.7 times higher than conventional products (*1), reducing the tearing and scattering of blades associated with long-term use and contributing to the reduction of environmental impact. It is the same artificial turf adopted domestically at 'Belluna Dome', the home stadium of the Saitama Seibu Lions. Furthermore, equipment has been installed to suppress the runoff of artificial turf and infill materials. While being a full-fledged dedicated softball stadium, the goal was to create a space that is considerate of the ecosystem of the neighboring areas.
*1 Our company's straight-pile artificial turf
Taking 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium' as an opportunity, we will promote the development of dedicated softball stadiums and the creation of environmentally friendly sports facilities.
Features of 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium'
'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium' is the home ground of the Hirabayashi Metal Corporation softball team, a dedicated softball stadium surrounded by rich nature such as mountains and rivers. By adopting the 'MS CRAFT series' artificial turf for the outfield—which is used in professional baseball stadiums both domestically and internationally and has been selected for demonstration in the 'Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Project' promoted by the Ministry of the Environment to popularize excellent environmental technologies—we aimed to design a facility that achieves both authentic stadium specifications and consideration for the natural environment.
■ "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V" with improved durability, shape recovery, and shock absorption
The baseball-specific artificial turf "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V" features an increased pile thickness from 280㎛ in conventional products to 400㎛, improving durability, long-term stability, shock absorption, and landscape aesthetics.
▼ Baseball-specific artificial turf "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V"
https://sports-facilities.mizuno.jp/service/grass/productlist/baseballturf-v/
'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium' is located next to the Asahi River, a Class A river flowing through the center of Okayama Prefecture. In recent years, a growing issue has emerged where artificial turf blades deteriorate due to long-term use or improper maintenance, causing the blades and infill materials to flow out of the facility and generate fine marine plastic waste known as "microplastics."
To address these issues, this renovation adopted "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V," an eco-friendly artificial turf specifically designed for baseball, which has been sold for outfield use since 2022. This artificial turf features a blade strength approximately 1.7 times higher than conventional products (*1), reducing the tearing and scattering of blades associated with long-term use and contributing to the reduction of environmental impact. It is the same artificial turf adopted domestically at 'Belluna Dome', the home stadium of the Saitama Seibu Lions. Furthermore, equipment has been installed to suppress the runoff of artificial turf and infill materials. While being a full-fledged dedicated softball stadium, the goal was to create a space that is considerate of the ecosystem of the neighboring areas.
*1 Our company's straight-pile artificial turf
Taking 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium' as an opportunity, we will promote the development of dedicated softball stadiums and the creation of environmentally friendly sports facilities.
Features of 'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium'
'HIRAKIN Rise Stadium' is the home ground of the Hirabayashi Metal Corporation softball team, a dedicated softball stadium surrounded by rich nature such as mountains and rivers. By adopting the 'MS CRAFT series' artificial turf for the outfield—which is used in professional baseball stadiums both domestically and internationally and has been selected for demonstration in the 'Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Project' promoted by the Ministry of the Environment to popularize excellent environmental technologies—we aimed to design a facility that achieves both authentic stadium specifications and consideration for the natural environment.
■ "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V" with improved durability, shape recovery, and shock absorption
The baseball-specific artificial turf "MS CRAFT BASEBALL TURF-V" features an increased pile thickness from 280㎛ in conventional products to 400㎛, improving durability, long-term stability, shock absorption, and landscape aesthetics.