The Pearl Bowl (パールボウル) is the championship game of a yearly tournament held in the spring involving the twelve teams from the East and Central Divisions of the
X-League, that are based in the
Kanto region
Kantō (Japanese)
Kanto is a simplified spelling of , a Japanese word, only omitting the diacritics.
In Japan
Kantō may refer to:
*Kantō Plain
* Kantō region
* Kantō-kai, organized crime group
* Kanto (Pokémon), a geographical region in th ...
.
History
The Pearl Bowl was started in 1976, but matched a university team against a corporate or club team. The university teams won eight years in a row up to 1984.
The format was changed from the 10th edition in 1985 as a game between corporate or club teams. The
Renown Rovers won the first of three straight titles that year.
Originally played at
Korakuen Stadium
was a stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1937, it was originally used for baseball, and was home to the Yomiuri Giants for nearly 50 years. For various periods of time, it was also the home stadium of six other professional Japanese baseba ...
, the championship game has been held in
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
since it replaced Korakuen in 1988. The only exception has been 1996, when it was played at
Yokohama Stadium
is a baseball stadium in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and has a capacity of 34,046 people.
It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The stadium features dirt around the bases an ...
. That year, West Division teams were allowed to participate, and the
Matsushita Denko Impulse won the title.
The
Lixil Deers have won the most titles with eight.
See also
*
Green Bowl
References
External links
* (Japanese)
American football in Japan
Annual sporting events in Japan
1976 establishments in Japan
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