Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks players join Fukagawa Hachiman Festival

Five players from the rugby team Shimizu Corporation Koto Blue Sharks participated in the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival on August 16. The athletes, including Haruki Matsudo, Ikuse Nakamori, Yong-cheol Kim, Taisei Konishi, and Keito Hayashi, joined the Toyosu neighborhood association to carry portable shrines (mikoshi) during the traditional event.

Despite heavy rain during the two-kilometer procession from Shinkawa 1-chome to Tomioka Hachiman Shrine, the players participated in the festival's signature water-splashing tradition. The event served as a community engagement initiative to strengthen the connection between the professional rugby team and its host town in Koto Ward, Tokyo.