What Remains After One Behind-the-Scenes Figure Has Departed

On October 15, 2023, Kazuo Imanishi, the first general director of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, passed away at the age of 85. Looking at the faces of those who mentioned his name upon hearing the news, one feels a sense of wonder. Hajime Moriyasu, the Japan national team coach, Yahiro Kazama, and Tatsuhiko Kubo — individuals from different angles and eras all speak the name of the same behind-the-scenes figure.

Imanishi was not someone who stood on the pitch. He did not often receive significant media coverage. Nevertheless, the development system he designed became the foundation that led a club in the regional city of Hiroshima to three J-League championships and created a circuit for producing leaders who would go on to coach the national team.

The question is simple — will this system continue to operate after its designer is gone?

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A System That ‘Watched Over’ Players

When discussing Imanishi’s development philosophy, the term “human education” is often used. However, to truly understand its essence, it is better to listen to the words of the players themselves.

Former Japan national team forward Tatsuhiko Kubo reflects on his time joining Hiroshima at the age of 18 from Chikuzen High School:

> “Imanishi-san was always watching over me, even when I was just going through the motions.”

This statement reveals a posture of “observation” rather than mere instruction. Instead of teaching techniques directly, he chose to observe first. By watching, he could pick up on traits that the players themselves were unaware of. Kubo’s extraordinary physical abilities and instinctive sense could have been stifled by rigid coaching. Imanishi chose not to dismiss these as mere “haphazardness” but to support them.

Hajime Moriyasu, the current Japan national team coach, is also someone who received Imanishi’s guidance. In his tribute, Moriyasu stated, “He taught me fundamental human values.” Moriyasu joined Hiroshima from Nagasaki Nihon University and walked the development line as both a player and a coach. At the starting point of his transition from player to coach lies Imanishi’s influence.

It is noteworthy that Imanishi’s act of “watching” did not solely depend on individual qualities. Since the days of Mazda SC (the predecessor of Sanfrecce Hiroshima), he focused on building systems such as youth team development, scouting networks, and player dormitory management. Around 1990, just before the J-League’s inception, when many clubs were still extensions of corporate teams, Imanishi was drafting a blueprint for a “community-rooted development club.” His essential work was to transform individual insight into a systematic approach.

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The Philosophy Embedded in the ‘Mitsuya Dormitory’

When discussing the development system, the existence of player dormitories cannot be overlooked. The “Mitsuya Dormitory,” where Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s youth players live together, symbolized the nurturing environment that Imanishi valued. It is a place where teenage players, separated from their families, learn autonomy in their daily lives and experience competition and coexistence with their peers. Not only technical skills on the pitch but also meals, laundry, and human relationships — the very fabric of daily life was integrated into the development curriculum.

The Mitsuya Dormitory is now entering a new phase. Sanfrecce Hiroshima has begun construction on a new development base, the “New Mitsuya Dormitory,” with a groundbreaking ceremony held. The new dormitory is designed to comprehensively enhance the living and training environments for players, with improvements expected in nutrition management and conditioning functions.

Here, I want to pause and reflect. Simply renewing the “box” of the dormitory is merely a matter of capital investment. What is crucial is the kind of relationships that will emerge within that box. The value of the old Mitsuya Dormitory created by Imanishi lay not in the newness of the building but in the philosophy of “not separating life from growth.” Whether the new dormitory can inherit this philosophy depends not on the blueprint but on daily operations — who watches over the players and what they pick up on.

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Numbers That Speak to the ‘Strength of the System’

To truly measure whether the development system is functioning, one must look at the structure rather than rely on intuition. Let’s examine a few numbers.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s revenue for the 2022 fiscal year was approximately 8.3 billion yen, marking the highest in the club’s history. The opening of the new stadium, “Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima” (with a total construction cost of about 27 billion yen, led by Hiroshima City), has also contributed to an upward trend in attendance. Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima is a soccer-specific stadium built on the site of the former Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, with a capacity of around 30,000. Its central location and accessibility have helped attract a new fan base.

The relationship between this economic growth and the development system is not a simple cause-and-effect but rather a structural connection. Hiroshima is known within the J-League as a “development-oriented club,” maintaining a cycle of sending homegrown players to the top team. Income from transfer fees is also an important financial resource. Players like Hisato Sato, Toshihiro Aoyama, and Takuma Asano — who either came from Hiroshima’s youth or blossomed their talents there — have elevated the club’s brand value, which in turn has been reflected in sponsorship revenue and attendance.

The costs associated with development are not insignificant. Operating expenses for the youth team, maintaining scouting networks, dormitory management, and personnel costs for coaches — these are seen as “expenditures” in the short term. However, when viewed over a time frame of five or ten years, this model is more sustainable for regional clubs than continuously acquiring immediate impact players through high transfer fees. What Imanishi designed was precisely this “system that operates over time.”

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Can the System Surpass Individuals? — The Issue of Structure and Temperature

Reflecting on Imanishi’s achievements leads to a paradox. He was the creator of the “system,” yet at its core lay an extremely personal “ability to see.” The observational skill to notice subtle changes in players, the ability to articulate possibilities that the players themselves might not be aware of, and above all, the patience to trust individuals over a long period — these are abilities that are difficult to standardize.

A system can continue to operate even without its designer. That is the definition of a system. However, maintaining “temperature” within the system cannot be resolved by design alone. No matter how state-of-the-art the new Mitsuya Dormitory is, if the quality of the individuals who “see” the players declines, the dormitory will become just another lodging.

It is a glimmer of hope that Hajime Moriyasu embodies Imanishi’s philosophy as the Japan national team coach. However, at the same time, Moriyasu is not present at the club’s development site. Whether the next generation, who will practice Imanishi’s “culture of observation” daily in Hiroshima’s development scene, exists or not will be the true turning point that influences the sustainability of the system.

Looking across the entire J-League, more clubs are focusing on development. Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F. Marinos, and Kashima Antlers — each has its unique development philosophy and has achieved results. What is the unique strength of Hiroshima’s development? It lies in the idea that “because it is a regional city, we nurture players in every aspect of their lives.” Unable to gather players with abundant funds like urban clubs, they carefully observe the individual in front of them. This constraint has paradoxically deepened the development process.

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The Legacy of the Behind-the-Scenes Figure Will Be Passed to the Next

In summary, what Kazuo Imanishi left behind can be described as a “system for seeing people.” It was not about techniques or tactics but rather about making the act of seeing people a part of the organization’s culture. This is not easily articulated as a glamorous achievement, yet it has supported the backbone of the Hiroshima club for over 30 years.

The cheers from the new stadium, record-high revenue, and the students he coached leading the national team — all of these are flowers that have bloomed on the foundation of the system designed by a behind-the-scenes figure. However, to continue blooming, the next behind-the-scenes figure who will till the soil is necessary.

As time passes since Imanishi’s passing, the memory of “because Imanishi-san was there” will fade. This is inevitable. However, if the system is truly complete as a system, it should continue to operate even without knowing the designer’s name.

The question remains — will the development system continue beyond individuals? The answer lies in whether someone is currently “seeing” young players in Hiroshima’s development scene.