The meaning behind Japan's Akatsuki Five

BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Japan used to be known as Team Hayabusa, but since 2015, they have changed their moniker to the Akatsuki Five.

For the longest time, the Japanese national men's basketball team have been called Team Hayabusa, which roughly translates to "Team Peregrine Falcon." That animal was synonymous with speed in Japanese culture, and that was apt for Japan, which used speed and shooting to compensate for their inherent lack in size especially when going up against opponents on the world level.

Among the foremost Japanese players in those "Hayabusa" days were the likes of Kenichi Sako, Takuya Kita, Takehiko Orimo, Takuya Kawamura and Kosuke Kanamaru - all of whom used their quickness and ability to hit the outside shot to score points in bunches for Japan.

The team's style of play has not really changed significantly. They still heavily rely on their wingmen to score - guys like Makoto Hiejima, Daiki Tanaka and rising star Yudai Baba come to mind. In the pipeline, too, are athletic hybrid players Yuta Watanabe and Rui Hachimura, who will almost definitely redefine Japan's gameplay in the next few years.

As a way of underscoring the "changing of the guard" so to speak, the JBA instituted a big image change a couple of years ago. From the iconic Team Hayabusa, Japan adopted a new moniker - the Akatsuki Five.

Akatsuki directly translates to "dawn," which is a great fit considering how Japan is known as the "Land of the Rising Sun." In doing this, Japan have adopted a label that defines not merely how they play. Instead, Akatsuki Five denotes how the team completely embraces their identity as a nation. It is a manifestation of their pride and a reminder of who they really are.

Perhaps it is just fitting, then, that since they have adopted the Akatsuki Five name, Japan have had much better fortunes. They placed in the top 4 of the FIBA Asia Championship 2015, which enabled them to play in one of the FIBA OQT 2016 jousts. They were also solid in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 and placed 3rd in the WABA Championship 2017. Even at the youth level and women's competitions, Japan have excelled now more than ever.

Nobody can say that their resurgence is just because of their name change, but one also cannot deny the power and meaning behind labels, especially one as profound as the Akatsuki Five.

FIBA