The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament (é¸æÂÂé«ÂçÂÂå¦校éÂÂçÂÂ大传senbatsu kà Âtà  gakkà  yakyà « taikai) of Japan, commonly known as "Spring Kà Âshien" (æÂ¥ã®ç²åÂÂå haru no kà Âshien) or "Senbatsu" (ãÂȋ³ãÂÂãÂÂ), is an annual high school baseball tournament.
The tournament, organized by the Japan High School Baseball Federation and Mainichi Shimbun, takes place each year in March at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in the Koshien district of Nishinomiya, Hyà Âgo, Japan.
Teams are chosen for the tournament by a committee from the Japan High School Baseball Federation based on a set of criteria. While it is not a guaranteed path, teams winning a regional tournament held annually in the fall are usually invited. For instance, in the 2008 Fall Tournament in the TÃ Âhoku region, Ichinoseki Gakuin was the runner-up. However, they were passed over for 3rd place Hanamaki Higashi for the 2009 invitation tournament.
Of the 32 bids, 29 are awarded on a regional basis:
The region of the winning team in the Meiji Jingu Fall Tournament (which consists of all fall regional champions) receives an additional bid.
The final two slots are awarded to "21st Century Teams" which are a way to give teams a chance to compete who have not gotten close to qualifying but who have served as a model school by engaging in the community or having overcome adverse circumstances such as having few players, lacking a baseball field to train on, or having been impacted by a natural disaster.