Men's Individual Round 1 Court 4 Section28Match

Encho 3 (extension) — Tamura（田村） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The first round of the men's individual event at the 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament took place, resulting in a long match lasting 11 minutes and 1 second. With no valid strikes from either side during the regulation time or the first and Encho 2s, the match entered Encho 3 at 0-0. In Encho 3, Tamura（田村） in white scored a do for the winning point, and Tamura emerged victorious.

Matchup

Red Shingaki Shoji（新垣匠司） / Naradai Fuzoku（奈良大附属） / Nara3rd Year 3rd dan
Shingaki（新垣）, a 3rd-year sandan Naradai Fuzoku. Representing a powerhouse school with a record of appearing in the Inter-High for 49 consecutive years and whose founding spirit is to "live correctly and strongly."
White Tamura（田村悠然） / Kyushu Gakuin（九州学院） / Kumamoto3rd Year 3rd dan
Kyushu Gakuin is a 3rd-year sandan Tamura（田村）. They competed as a representative of a prestigious school that has won the Inter-High boys' team title a record 11 times and upholds the school motto "Keiten Aijin."

Highlights

A tense development where no valid strike occurred from the regulation time through Encho 2.

A war of attrition that became an extremely long match, lasting 11 minutes and 1 second.

Tamura（田村）'s winning do scoring blow after the match was pushed to Encho 3.

Live commentary video

Valid strike

#	Situation	Red and White	Players	Technique
1	Encho 3	White	Tamura（田村）	Do

Conclusion: Encho 3
Match time: 11:01
Winner: Tamura（田村）（White）
Foul: No record

Text Commentary

Commentary
剣持翔

The 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Championships, Men's Individual first round. Court 4, Match 28.

Explanation
堂島厳

What stands out is that it became an extremely intense war of attrition, lasting for a long duration of 11 minutes and 1 second.

Commentary
剣持翔

Red is Naradai Fuzoku's Shingaki（新垣）, white is Kyushu Gakuin's Tamura（田村）. A relentless offensive and defensive struggle continues, with neither side giving an inch.

Explanation
堂島厳

Neither side scored a valid strike within the regulation time, and the match entered encho with the score remaining 0-0.

Commentary
剣持翔

Encho 1, then second. Still, no winner is decided as both sides clash with stubborn determination.

Explanation
堂島厳

As mental fatigue accumulates, it is a matter of who will break first. It is truly a state of extreme tension.

Commentary
剣持翔

And then came Encho 3. We have reached a fateful moment where a single strike will determine the outcome.

Explanation
堂島厳

Can they seize the momentary opening when concentration slips?

Commentary
剣持翔

Whoops, he moved! White's Tamura（田村） delivered a sharp strike!

Explanation
堂島厳

That was a magnificent do!

Commentary
剣持翔

Do! Tamura（田村） in white scores! It is the winning point in Encho 3!

Explanation
堂島厳

They fought tenaciously until the end, and in the final moment, Tamura（田村） firmly landed a do strike.

Commentary
剣持翔

Match time 11 minutes and 1 second. A fierce battle that dragged on until Encho 3 has finally come to an end.

Explanation
堂島厳

I respect the mental strength of Tamura（田村）, who won a very tough battle from the regulation time through Encho 3.

Commentary
剣持翔

The winner is white, Kyushu Gakuin Tamura（田村）! Having won a fierce battle, they advance to the next match!

To both players

Congratulations to Tamura（田村） for the victory seized after a tenacious fight. I also commend Shingaki（新垣） for a gallant effort, fighting on equal terms until Encho 3. I look forward to the further growth of both players.

Naradai Fuzoku（奈良大附属）

Official name: 奈良大学附属高等学校
Reading: Naradai Fuzoku
Division/Category of Establishment: Private (coeducational). It is an affiliated school of 奈良大学 and has a system for internal advancement to the same university.
Location: Nara City, Akishino-cho, Nara Prefecture.
History: In June 1925 (Taisho 14), the history began with the establishment of Nantou Seikyo Middle School within the grounds of Yakushiji Temple in Tsujizato Village, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture, as a night school for working youth. Following the 1948 educational reform, it became Nara Prefectural Seikyo High School, and co-education was introduced in 1957.
School motto/philosophy: Founded on the spirit of "Living Correctly and Strongly" (Seikyo Spirit). School motto: "Effort is genius."
Department.: General Studies (Special Advancement Course, Liberal Arts Course, Standard Course)
Kendo Club: Inter-High for 49 consecutive years (total of 44 appearances), and the All-Japan High School Kendo Tournament in the spring for 22 consecutive years (total of 29 appearances). They have won the prefectural Inter-High qualifier 44 times in a row for 16 consecutive years. They have been runners-up twice, placed third four times, and reached the top 8 eleven times in national tournaments. They placed third in the All-Japan High School Kendo Tournament in March 2025. The women’s team has won the prefectural tournament 47 times in a row and the overall championship 96 times, and have reached the top 8 at Inter-High four times.
Notes: The participating schools from Nara Prefecture, the host location of this tournament.

Source: https://www.nara-u-h.ed.jp/life/club_detail.html?id=271↗ https://www.nara-u-h.ed.jp/life/club_detail.html?id=270↗ https://yell.nara-np.co.jp/detail349.html↗ https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/奈良大学附属高等学校↗ https://app.notion.com/p/0fc36b4072824188b0c00127a434d62d↗

Kyushu Gakuin（九州学院）

Official name: 九州学院高等学校
Reading: Kyushu Gakuin
Division/Category of Establishment: Private (coeducational). School corporation Kyushu Gakuin. A Christian school with the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church as its background.
Location: 5-2-1 Ooe, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture.
History: Opened in Kumamoto City in 1909 (Meiji 42) as Luther Theological School. In 1911 (Meiji 44), it was authorized as Kyushu Gakuin, and Toshiyoshi Toyama became the first principal. It was renamed Kyushu Middle School in 1943, Kyushu Gakuin Middle School in 1946, and Kyushu Gakuin High School opened in 1948. It transitioned from an all-boys school to coeducation in 1991 (Heisei 3).
School motto/philosophy: School motto: "Respect Heaven and Love People (revere God and love humanity)." The educational philosophy is to cultivate "good people who are useful to society" through intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual education.
Department.: General studies (Progress Class, Advanced Class, Athlete Class)
Kendo Club: Having won the National High School General Sports Tournament (Inter-High) men's team event a record 11 times. Winning years: 1966 (13th time), 1998 (45th time), 2013 (60th time), 2014 (61st time), 2015 (62nd time), 2016 (63rd time), 2018 (65th time), 2019 (66th time), 2021 (68th time), 2023 (70th time), 2024 (71st time). Also won the Tamaryu Flag High School Kendo Tournament a men's record 11 times (1998, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023). Also won the National High School Kendo Selection Tournament 11 times. In this tournament, they qualified from third place in the All-Kyushu Tournament, and the men's individual player 石橋智紀 won the All-Kyushu Tournament individual event.
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/九州学院中学校・高等学校↗ https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/全国高等学校総合体育大会剣道競技大会↗ https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/玉竜旗高校剣道大会↗ https://www.letskendo.com/posts/47192/↗ https://app.notion.com/p/a2cbbb60134b465b98113c881b9c2e7e↗

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.