Men's Individual Round 1 Court 1 Section1Match

Win by one ippon — Taketsu（竹津） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The first round of the men's individual event at the 73rd National High School Kendo Championship was held. The match lasted the full regulation time of 4 minutes and 0 seconds, and was decided by a one-ippon difference. Within the regulation time, the red player Taketsu（竹津） scored a men strike, and the winner was Taketsu.

Matchup

Red Taketsu Yuma（竹津裕真） / Kanazawa Sakuragaoka（金沢桜丘） / Ishikawa2nd year 2nd dan
Kanazawa Sakuragaoka's Taketsu（竹津） is a second-year 2nd dan. Kanazawa Sakuragaoka, considered a powerhouse in Hokushinetsu, upholds "shitsujitsu goken" (simplicity and fortitude) as its school motto.
White Shimazu（嶋津蓮） / Yonezawa Chuo（米沢中央） / Yamagata3rd Year 3rd dan
Yonezawa Chuo's Shimazu（嶋津） is a 3rd-year student with a 3rd dan rank. He is competing as a representative of Yamagata Prefecture, and Yonezawa Chuo's founding spirit is "Actions stemming from intellect are superficial; actions stemming from the heart are sincere."

Highlights

Taketsu（竹津） scored a men strike within the time limit to take the lead.

The tense situation continued as they fought to protect a single ippon.

The point of fighting through until the end of the regulation time of 4 minutes and 0 seconds

Live commentary video

Valid strike

#	Situation	Red and White	Players	Technique
1	Within the time limit	Red	Taketsu（竹津）	Men

Conclusion: Win by one ippon
Match time: 4:00
Winner: Taketsu（竹津）（Red）
Foul: 竹津裕真Posted on the board (it is not clear from the flash report when the foul occurred)

Text Commentary

Commentary
剣持翔

The 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Championship, Men's Individual first round. Court 1, Match 1.

Explanation
堂島厳

It became a very tense situation, with the lead of one ippon being defended until the very end of the time limit.

Commentary
剣持翔

Red, Taketsu（竹津） of Kanazawa Sakuragaoka. White, Shimazu（嶋津） of Yonezawa Chuo. Both begin the match with sharp kiai.

Explanation
堂島厳

Both are gauging each other's distance, and a fierce exchange of attacks and defenses continues.

Commentary
剣持翔

Whoa, they moved! Red's Taketsu（竹津）, Men! A Men point has been scored!

Explanation
堂島厳

That was a sharp strike. With this, Taketsu（竹津） takes a one-ippon lead.

Commentary
剣持翔

Whether it's Taketsu（竹津） wanting to protect the ippon, or Shimazu（嶋津） wanting to take it back. The match will only get more intense from here.

Explanation
堂島厳

Shimazu（嶋津） is attacking boldly, but Taketsu（竹津） is calmly weathering the opponent's attacks.

Commentary
剣持翔

Only a little time remains. Shimazu（嶋津） continues a fierce attack, but Taketsu（竹津） withstands it!

Explanation
堂島厳

They maintained their focus until the very end and fought desperately to protect their ippon.

Commentary
剣持翔

That's the signal for the end of the match! After fighting through the regulation time of 4 minutes and 0 seconds, Taketsu（竹津） in red won by a 1-ippon difference.

Explanation
堂島厳

It was a brilliant match, winning decisively without allowing the opponent to mount a comeback.

Commentary
剣持翔

The winner is Kanazawa Sakuragaoka's Taketsu（竹津）. Having won a fierce battle, they advance to the next match!

To both players

Applause for Taketsu（竹津）, who achieved a brilliant victory. I would also like to praise the fighting spirit of Shimazu（嶋津）, who fought until the end without giving up. I look forward to the future success of both players.

Kanazawa Sakuragaoka（金沢桜丘）

Official name: 石川県立金沢桜丘高等学校
Reading: Kanazawa Sakuragaoka
Division/Category of Establishment: 石川 Prefectural (Co-ed)
Location: 16-1 Ohi-cho, Kanazawa City, 石川 Prefecture
History: Established in March 1921 (Taisho 10) as 石川 Prefectural Kanazawa Third Middle School. In 1923, it moved to its current location in Ohi-cho, Kanazawa City. Following the school system reform of 1948, it was converted into a high school, and in April 1949, it merged with 石川 Prefectural Kanazawa Third High School and was renamed 石川 Prefectural Kanazawa Sakuragaoka High School. A new school building was completed in 2015.
School motto/philosophy: School motto: "Quality and Robustness"
Department.: General studies (from the second year, students divide into four courses: humanities, natural sciences, science, and arts).
Kendo Club: Won the 石川 prefectural qualifiers in 2026 (Reiwa 8) to qualify for the Inter-High in the boys' team event. In the Let's Kendo bracket articles, they are introduced as "the powerhouse of Hokushinetsu, Kanazawa Sakuragaoka (石川)". 竹津裕真 (2nd year, 2nd dan) competed in the boys' individual event. No public information could be found regarding the history or national tournament results of the kendo club alone.
Notes: This tournament featured participation in both the men’s team and men’s individual events. We have no record of female participation.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/石川県立金沢桜丘高等学校↗ https://www.letskendo.com/posts/47192/↗ https://app.notion.com/p/cc31bd1a9eaf48d287500622a358c370↗

Yonezawa Chuo（米沢中央）

Official name: 米沢中央高等学校
Reading: Yonezawa Chuo
Division/Category of Establishment: Private (Shino Gakuen Educational Foundation)
Location: 7-5-70-4, Chuo, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture.
History: Founded on April 13, 1922 (Taisho 11). Renamed to Mizawa Higher Domestic Science School for Women in 1927, and to Yonezawa Chuo High School in 1962, beginning coeducation in 1963. The new school building was completed and relocated in 1990.
School motto/philosophy: The founding spirit of our school is “Actions born of intellect are frivolous, actions born of sincerity are earnest.”
Department.: General studies (Business and General Education class, University Preparatory class), Special University Preparatory Course.
Kendo Club: In the 2026 men's individual competition, 嶋津蓮 (3rd year, Sandan) will participate as the Yamagata Prefecture representative. Participation in the team competition has not been confirmed in this tournament, and past national tournament results were not found in publicly available information.
Notes: This tournament featured only male individual competitors. We have no record of female participation.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/米沢中央高等学校↗ https://app.notion.com/p/39f5d037ce594bb9b2407214f62673a1↗

Source: 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament Official Website "Tournament Bulletin" (Match Results / Tournament Bracket)
https://inhigh.kendotaikai.jp/大会速報↗
Only facts recorded in the logs (matches, valid strikes and their order, outcomes, match duration, and presence of fouls) are listed. The play-by-play and commentary are AI-generated content.