“Truth and Brightness.” That is the motto of Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School.
Let me tell you a story about this school. It stands as a testament to Osaka’s commitment to education. Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School is located in Suita City. Specifically, it is in Yamada Higashi.
This high school was established in 1984. It was the 151st prefectural high school in Osaka. The school was built during a period of rapid student population growth.
Interestingly, Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School sits near the EXPO’70 Commemorative Park. The park is home to the iconic Tower of the Sun. In fact, the school proudly claims to be the closest high school to the Tower of the Sun.
Today, Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School is one of the largest schools in the prefecture. It has a student body of around 1,160.
Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School has a general education course. In 2003, it partnered with Ritsumeikan University. Together with four other high schools, they formed an educational collaboration. Ritsumeikan students served as interns at the high schools. University faculty members also held mock lectures.
The school’s emblem incorporates the Osaka Expo’s symbol mark. It represents the educational ideals of Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School.
The baseball club is quite active here. In 2020, the team advanced to the prefectural tournament. It was the first time in 26 years that a public high school in Osaka had reached the autumn Kinki tournament. This led to consideration for the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament in 2021. Although they fought valiantly, they were defeated in the first round.
The current school building was built to meet new earthquake resistance standards. It remains largely unchanged since the school’s opening about 40 years ago.
Several notable figures have graduated from Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School. These include artists and athletes.
Among them are Kodama Inoue. He is the vocalist and keyboardist for the piano rock band SHE’S. Akihiro Goto is a comedian. He performs as the straight man in the comedy duo Football Hour. Takayoshi Kakuda is an actor. He is also the art director for the theater group Europa Kikaku.
Yurin Hanaka is a former Takarazuka Revue Company actress. Keiko Yoshida is a composer. She has written songs for AKB48 and NMB48. Yuto Sano is a member of the male idol group INI.
Additionally, Shota Imano is a professional basketball player. He plays for the Nishinomiya Storks. Rui Akagami is a professional boxer.
Osaka Prefectural Yamada High School continues to foster students. The school encourages them to embrace truth and strive for a bright future.