, also named Miyagi Baseball Stadium, is a baseball stadium in Miyaginohara Sports Park in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The 30,508-seat park is owned by the prefecture and operated by Rakuten, which has used it as the home field for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) since 2005. Its symmetrical playing surface is the only all natural grass field in the Pacific League (PL). An amusement park, Smile Glico Park, is integrated into the stadium's left field seating and features a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round.

Miyagi Stadium is the third-oldest NPB stadium and the oldest in the PL. It was built in 1950 to host amateur baseball and countryside NPB games. Lights were added in 1973 for night games and to attract more professional games. The Lotte Orions began using it as a semi-home that same year and played five seasons there until 1977. In 1974, the Orions brought the stadium its first postseason games, however Japan Series games were not held in the stadium due to its relatively low seating capacity. Following Lotte's departure, the park again hosted yearly NPB countryside games, amateur games, and the first of four All-Star games was held there in 1992.

After the 2004 NPB realignment, Rakuten created a new NPB team to be based in Sendai and renovated Miyagi Stadium in several phases. With Major League Baseball stadiums as inspiration, the field was enlarged, the stadium's concourses were expanded, seating was updated, and its capacity was increased. In the outfield, two full-LED video boards were erected and the amusement park was built. The exterior was also significantly updated. The stadium hosted its first Climax Series and Japan Series in 2013, when the Eagles went on to win the championship.

Naming rights for the stadium have been sold in three-year increments several times since 2005. Staffing firm Fullcast and Nippon Paper Industries were the first two companies to buy them. Since 2014, Rakuten has purchased the stadium's naming rights, using it to promote their Kobo eReader, life insurance and mobile carrier. The stadium has been named Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi since 2026.

History

Hyojogawara Stadium in Sendai began hosting , or "countryside", Japanese Baseball League games in 1948, prior to the 1949 Japanese professional baseball reorganization. However, in October 1949, Miyagi Prefecture started redeveloping a nearby former Imperial Japanese Army training ground into Miyaginohara Sports Park, which would include a new baseball stadium and a general athletic stadium. The 28,000-capacity ballpark, dubbed Miyagi Baseball Stadium, opened in 1950, and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) began playing official games there that same year. Its first two official Pacific League (PL) games were a doubleheader played on May 5, three weeks before the facility's completion on May 27. The two games, featuring the Mainichi Orions against the Nankai Hawks and the Daiei Stars, were extremely popular. Spectators began arriving to the stadium the night before and thousands of fans had gathered by morning. In an attempt to quickly disperse the restless crowd, organizers moved the gate opening ahead from 10 am to 8 am.

While Miyagi Stadium was also used to host games for the Japanese High School Baseball Championship's annual Miyagi Prefecture regional tournament, approximately only two professional games per season were played at the ballpark on average in the first two decades of its existence. Six 32-metre-tall light towers were installed along with a partially-electric scoreboard before the start of the 1973 season.

Semi-home of "Gypsy" Lotte

left|thumb|The outfield, lights, and scoreboard in 2004

At the same time lights were being installed at Miyagi Stadium, Tokyo Stadium was getting ready to close following the 1972 season. This closure left the Lotte Orions without a home field next season.

After utilizing Miyagi Stadium as a semi-home in 1973, the Pacific League and Lotte agreed to move the team's protected area from Tokyo to Miyagi for following the season. NPB opened a season in Tōhoku for the first time with a Lotte game in Miyagi Stadium on April 6, 1974. Contrary to local expectations, however, the Lotte Orions only considered Sendai to be a temporary home until a new one could be found. Furthermore, the team's offices remained in Tokyo and the players continued to reside in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

thumb|The all-dirt infield and first base side seating in 2004

Local Sendai fans were disappointed with the team's attitude toward the city. Lotte's attendance, which had been the highest in the Pacific League in 1973, dropped to second place the following season. It would be another 28 years before the stadium had another full-time NPB tenant.

Immediately after relocating to Kawasaki, Lotte continued to hold approximately ten countryside games annually at Miyagi Stadium. An All-Star game was held in Miyagi Stadium for the first time when it hosted the third game in the 1992 All-Star Series. It was the first time the event was held in a countryside stadium. In addition to holding some NPB events, the stadium also continued to host local amateur baseball games. In the wake of the loss, two Internet service companies, Rakuten and Livedoor, applied to start new teams, however NPB representatives maintained that the 2006 season would be the earliest a new team could enter the league. The players wanted any new teams ready for the next season and when no agreement was reached the players staged a two-day strike on September 18–19. With the strike set to continue the following weekend, team representatives eased the rules of entry for new teams into the professional leagues and that one would be allowed to join the following season. Both Rakuten and Livedoor's team plans included basing the team out of Miyagi Stadium in Sendai. On November 2, NPB selected Rakuten over Livedoor to create a new Pacific League team to be based in Sendai. After being chosen, Miyagi Prefecture and Rakuten agreed on lease agreement that would allow the team to play in the prefecture's stadium for a modest ¥50 million per year. Furthermore, the team was allowed to manage the facility, giving them access to all revenue collected from the sale of all advertising, goods, and concessions within Miyagi Stadium. In exchange, Rakuten agreed to pay for the costs of renovating the stadium. Of the 12 major NPB stadiums, Miyagi Stadium is the only prefecture-owned ballpark. All others are either owned by cities or privately owned.

After moving to Sendai, Rakuten renovated Miyagi Stadium in several phases, drastically changing and modernizing the ballpark. In 2007, for the first time in fifteen years and since becoming the permanent home of an NPB team, a game in the All-Star Series was played at the stadium. Two seasons later, it hosted its first Climax Series when the Eagles qualified for the 2009 postseason for the first time. Two weeks before the start of the 2011 season, the Tōhoku region was struck by the largest earthquake in Japan's history. The quake and the subsequent tsunami devastated the region, including the city of Sendai. Following the event, 47 areas of Miyagi Stadium were identified as needing repairs, with its lighting towers sustaining the most damage. While the stadium was being repaired, the Eagles played their home games at Koshien Stadium and Hotto Motto Field. Baseball returned to Sendai on April 29, when the Eagles played their first game at their home field. An opening ceremony attended by the governor of Miyagi Prefecture Yoshihiro Murai and United States Ambassador John Roos was held before the game. After the disaster, NPB decided to move the final game of the 2011 All-Star Series from Tokyo Dome to Kleenex Stadium, the second time the Eagles hosted the event in four years.

The Eagles clinched their first Pacific League title in 2013, making Miyagi Stadium the host of the final stage of the Climax Series for the first time and setting up the possibility of holding its first Japan Series games. In preparation for these games, Rakuten spent ¥100 million adding temporary seating to the park to increase its seating capacity for the events. Rakuten won the 2013 Climax Series, allowing Miyagi Stadium to host its first ever Japan Series, which the Eagles went on to win. The temporary stands were eventually dismantled and replaced with permanent seating options. The 2013 Japan Series was the last time the stadium hosted a postseason game, however it again hosted an All-Star game in 2021, its fourth time.

After Rakuten renovated Miyagi Stadium and the Eagles moved in, high school and other amateur baseball organizations continued to rent out the ballpark. Amateur use of the stadium decreased significantly after the installation of the natural grass field in 2016, Furthermore, stadium usage fees increased. The plan modified the facility into one that more closely resembles a Major League Baseball stadium. The stadium's Smile Glico Park is modeled after Petco Park's Park at the Park and intended to help attract non-baseball fans to Miyagi Stadium. The transformation of Miyagi Stadium away from a traditional Japanese-style park slowly started a trend in NPB, with other ballparks such as Mazda Stadium and Es Con Field following suit in 2009 and 2023, respectively.

Capacity

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From the facility's completion in 1950 until Rakuten began renovating in 2004, Miyagi Stadium accommodated approximately 28,000 people. Rakuten was cautious about rapidly expanding the stands because of the stadium's location in a public park and Sendai's population of approximately 1 million people, a relatively small market for a baseball franchise in Japan.

thumb|left|A temporary seating section in left field in 2015

After the Eagles advanced to the second stage of the 2009 Climax Series, NPB became concerned about Miyagi Stadium's low seating capacity. Compared to the other ballparks in NPB that all held at least 30,000 people, Rakuten's approximate capacity of 22,000 was significantly lower. Though they were eliminated in the second stage, if Rakuten had won and advanced to the Japan Series, NPB claimed that there would have been a ¥100 million profit difference per game held at Miyagi Stadium compared to the Sapporo Dome. This loss of profit would have not only affected Rakuten, but also the Central League team they played and NPB, as proceeds from Japan Series attendance are split among the three parties. NPB's concern led to some speculation that if the Eagles ever advanced to a Japan Series, the games would not be held in Miyagi Stadium. Instead of increasing the ballparks's seating capacity, Rakuten suggested that they could increase ticket prices to make up the difference. Team owners and NPB, however, requested that they increase capacity to at least 28,000, citing Rakuten's original pledge to do so when they were first awarded a team.

Mid-season in 2013, the Eagles were in first place in the Pacific League and selling out games played at Miyagi Stadium. To help meet fan demand, Rakuten erected two temporary seating sections in the ballpark. The resulting 936-seat section along the third-base line and the 1,249-seat section on the left field lawn increased Miyagi's capacity from 23,466 to 25,651. The seats opened to fans that September. However, NPB had been pushing Rakuten to increase the stadium's capacity to at least 28,000, specifically if it needed to host Japan Series games,

Field

thumb|Artificial turf in 2006

From its opening in 1950 until 2004, Miyagi Stadium's playing field featured a natural grass outfield and a dirt infield; and the left- and right-center field walls were extended to . This artificial turf had to be replaced once after the 2007 season. The outfield dimensions changed again during the 2012–13 offseason when two new seating sections were built in left- and right-center fields that protruded from the existing outfield seating. These new sections effectively created a "lucky zones" on the field, a Japanese term that describes moving an outfield wall to make hitting home runs easier. The additions reshaped the field dimensions to to each foul pole, to the outfield walls in left/right-center, 122 metres to dead center.

Miyagi Stadium's artificial turf was eventually removed and natural grass was again introduced prior to the start of the 2016 season. At the time, it was the only natural grass field in the Pacific League. Originally, when arranging for the turf conversion, the ballpark's infield dirt was supposed to feature the red clay used in Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums instead of the black soil used in Koshien Stadium's infield. Ultimately, black dirt was used, and Hanshin Engei, the company in charge of Koshien's ground maintenance, assisted in its upkeep throughout 2016. During the 2024–25 offseason, the grass in foul territory and the outfield's warning track were replaced with Mizuno's MS CRAFT artificial turf. Today, Miyagi Stadium is one of only four NPB primary home ballparks to feature a natural grass field.

Scoreboard and video board

thumb|left|Partially-electric scoreboard in 2004

Miyagi Stadium's first, simple outfield scoreboard only displayed the game's line score. It was demolished and replaced with a larger, partially-electric scoreboard prior to the start of the 1973 season. The stadium's third scoreboard iteration was installed in March 2005, just before the start of the Eagles' inaugural season. The board was created by Toshiba and its layout was similar to its predecessor; the lineups and line score, however, were presented via electric display along with the batter's average and pitching speed. The screen was erected to the right of the scoreboard to block the view of residents of an apartment building located behind the stadium's right-center field bleachers. Rakuten has since added a branding boarder the video board, first featuring its Kobo eReader followed by the current Rakuten Mobile branding, to promote its various subsidiaries. The screen was converted to SMD LEDs manufactured by Iris Ohyama in 2026. At the same time, the static advertising board to the left of the screen was converted to a full LED display. the resulting recreation area accommodates approximately 7,000 people and includes amusement attractions and game seating. The highlight of the park is a 16-gondola, 36-metre-tall Ferris wheel from which fans can watch a baseball game. The wheel was purchased and relocated from the closed Sendai Hi-Land amusement park and refurbished for the total cost of ¥200 million. The lights outfitted along its spokes and the circular screen on its center hub allows the wheel to interact with events occurring during a game. A merry-go-round and a playground were added to the park, as well as other temporary attractions such as a climbing wall and a double-decker bus. Fans have access to the amusement area with purchase of a ticket to an Eagles game, however individual tickets to Smile Glico Park are also sold separately and on non-game days. In 2020, a café building in the park was converted into a small, 4-room, Eagles-themed hotel named Rakuten STAY x EAGLES. It is also open to reservations for both game and non-game days.

Rakuten opened a thrill ride at the top of the stands on the third base side in 2018. The ride, dubbed the "Eagle Bridge", consisted of two beams suspended above the ground, one to walk across and another with a swing affixed to the end. In addition to being available during game days, the attraction was also operated on non-game days when Smile Glico Park was open despite not being located within the Glico Park. Eagle Bridge was dismantled before the 2020 season. During the hearings, the two applicants discussed their plans to renovate the infield seating, add outfield seating, increase capacity, upgrade concessions, replace the scoreboard, and extend the foul lines, among other topics. At this time, general contractors Takenaka Corporation and Kajima had also put together proposals to convert Miyagi Stadium into a domed facility costing ¥23.5 billion and ¥10 billion, respectively.

Upon being selected as the new NPB team in November 2004, Rakuten president Hiroshi Mikitani traveled to Miyagi Stadium to sign a basic agreement with Shiro Asano, governor of Miyagi Prefecture, officially securing the ballpark as the Eagles' home field. There, he revealed the redevelopment details alongside an artist's rendition of the stadium post-renovation. Rakuten initially planned to spend approximately ¥3 billion to modernize the stadium in two phases. The first phase would bring the ballpark's seating capacity to 23,000 by the following spring and phase two would increase the capacity to 28,000 by the spring of 2006. Extra seating would be placed in foul territory to bring fans closer to the field and box and VIP seating would be added. Additionally, the first- and third-base foul lines would be extended from 91.4 meters to 99.7 meters, a video screen would be installed on a new fully-electronic scoreboard, and the field would possibly be replaced with artificial turf. Mikitani compared the stadium's new plan to that of a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium. In addition to replacing all of the infield seats, new seating sections were also constructed. In the infield, two sections that cut into foul territory down the first and third baselines were added. Additionally, an area was dug out behind the backstop and seats were installed to allow for spectators to view the game from a lower perspective. Since the stadium only had lawn seating in the outfield prior to the renovation, new permanent seating needed to be built. On the far left- and right-sides of the outfield, two new sections were constructed, while grass seating was maintained on either side of the new scoreboard. The sloped hill connected the area behind the stadium to the grass seating area in left field.

Implementation of the "ball park concept" (2006–present)

Prior to the 2007 season, the first ribbon display at a baseball stadium in Japan was added to Miyagi Stadium's backstop. Two more ribbons were added the following season to the outfield seating areas and the right field lawn section was converted to a group seating area that provided tables for groups up to five people. Upgrades continued in 2009 and 2010 when the sunken backstop seats were enclosed to help create the new "Prestige" section, and the large video board was installed in right field, respectively. Renovation plans were halted in 2011 when repairing the damage caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake took precedent. Along with the E-Wings, a new outfield wall was also constructed. This wall was shorter than the previous () and featured padding for outfielder players. Additionally, a portion of the right field stands were converted into group box seats and a party deck was created along the third-base line.

The last large-scale renovation of Miyagi Stadium occurred during the 2015–16 offseason. The ¥3 billion project converted the field from artificial turf back to natural grass, updated the scoreboard to a full LED screen, redeveloped the center-left stands into an amusement park, and made minor alterations to several seating sections. Rakuten first began testing the feasibility of maintaining a natural grass field in Sendai's cold climate by collecting data on grass installed on a practice area next to the stadium in 2014. The ballpark also became cashless that season, instead opting to accept only credit cards, IC cards, Rakuten Pay, and other electronic payment methods in an effort to become a "smart stadium". The following year, the third base side infield seats near the field were upgraded to better match the changes made on the first base side. The upper portion seating was also dramatically changed, with the Eagle Bridge attraction dismantled to help create space for a party deck and 36 boxes. The next year, the 594 high-intensity discharge lamp (HID) bulbs installed in the stadium's six light towers were instead replaced with 480 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. The LEDs use 60% less electricity compared to the HID bulbs. Additionally, since LEDs can also be switched on and off instantly, they are also used to produce various lighting effects and patterns not previously possible with HID bulbs. Later that year, Miyagi Prefecture began a crowdfunded hometown tax donation campaign to help renovate the ballpark. With a funding goal of ¥30 million, the donations are planned to be used to renovate the stadium's main entrance and exterior walls, and to install LED lighting in streetlights around the facility.

Naming rights

thumb|left|[[Nippon Paper Industries' Kleenex branding atop the scoreboard in 2010]]

Miyagi Stadium's name had remained unchanged since it opened in 1950. However, before the start of Rakuten's first season in Miyagi Stadium, the team and the prefecture agreed to sell the naming rights to the stadium to help pay for team management costs. The agreement stipulated that the rights would be renegotiated every three years and the money from the each contract would be split between the team and the prefecture at a three-to-one ratio, respectively. Additionally, any new stadium name must include the word "Miyagi". The first contract was awarded to the only bidder, staffing firm Fullcast, and in early 2005, the ballpark's name was changed to "Fullcast Stadium Miyagi" for ¥600 million. However, in August 2007, the Tokyo Labor Bureau ordered Fullcast to suspend operations after it found that the company had violated labor law. After this incident, Fullcast's contract was terminated several months early, and its name was removed from the ballpark.

After Fullcast's contract was cancelled in 2007, Miyagi Prefecture began soliciting applications for a new naming sponsor that same year. Nippon Paper Industries committed to a ¥750 million contract to rename Miyagi Stadium "Nippon Paper Kleenex Stadium Miyagi" beginning on January 1, 2008. However, just before the start of the season, it was revealed that Nippon Paper had misled the public about how much recycled paper was being used in their products. In the wake of the news, the contract wasn't terminated, however, it was agreed that the company's name would be dropped from the stadium leaving "Kleenex Stadium Miyagi". Near the end of the three-year contract period, all parties agreed to renew for another three years, however the price of the naming rights was lowered to ¥600 million. The company's name was also added back into the stadium's official name, making it "Nippon Paper Kleenex Stadium Miyagi".

In 2013, Nippon Paper decided not to renew its contract to purchase Miyagi Stadium's naming rights for a third time. Two companies applied after the prefecture opened applications, and Rakuten, the baseball team's parent company, was awarded the contract for ¥603 million. The ballpark was named "Rakuten Kobo Stadium Miyagi" from 2014 through 2016 to promote the company's ebook and e-reader subsidiary, Kobo Inc. When Rakuten renewed the contract at the end of 2016, the name was shortened to "Kobo Park Miyagi". The word "park" was inserted into the stadium's name to help convey the team's new "ball park concept" that promoted the facility as not only a place to watch baseball, but also as an entertainment destination for people of all ages. One year later and in the middle of the contract, Rakuten again changed the stadium's name, the third time in five years. The new name, "Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi", was chosen to raise the profile of Rakuten's life insurance business. Rakuten renewed their contract a third time at the end of 2019 for the same amount as the previous contracts, ¥603 million. After keeping the name for five years, Rakuten changed the stadium's name again starting in 2023 with their fourth three-year, ¥603 million naming rights contract; the stadium's new name, "Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi", came from the company's mobile carrier subsidiary Rakuten Mobile. In 2025, Rakuten and Miyagi Prefecture renewed same contract agreement for a fifth time, with Rakuten modifying the name to "Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi", the ballpark's current name.

Accessibility and transportation

thumb|[[Miyaginohara Station on the Senseki Line is the ballpark's closest train station.]]

Miyaginohara Station on JR East's Senseki Line is the closest train station to Rakuten Seimei Park. Nicknamed "baseball station", it was repainted crimson red in 2005 to celebrate the founding of the team. Additionally, atop the station's entrance sits a large Eagles helmet and it features images of the team's mascots. From 2010 to 2026, a clip from the team's song "Habatake Rakuten Eagles" was also played as the trains' departure melody. Tsutsujigaoka Station, the next station west of Miyaginohara on the Senseki Line, also brings passengers to within walking distance of the stadium. Sendai Subway's Tōzai Line can also be used to get to Miyagi Stadium, with the line's Yakushido and Rembo Stations both bringing passengers to within a fifteen-minute walk. For fans arriving to Sendai Station via various lines, including the Sendai Subway Namboku Line, the Shinkansen, or the Sendai Airport Line, Rakuten operates a shuttle bus to and from the stadium from the station's east exit bus stop platform 76.

In addition to rail service, several bus options also provide transportation to the stadium. Locally, Rakuten Seimei Park is served by Sendai City Bus routes 230, 233, and 308. Some intercity bus routes operated by JR Bus Tōhoku, Aizu Bus, and Fukushima Transportation throughout the Tōhoku region also provide direct-to-stadium options on game days. For fans not using public transportation, the stadium is accessible by car via the Tōhoku Expressway (E4) on the west and Sendai-Tōbu Road (E6) on the east. The stadium has an on-site and an off-site parking lot as well as on-site parking for bikes and motorcycles.

See also

  • Lists of stadiums
  • List of stadiums in Japan

References

  • Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi seating chart