Men's Individual Round 2 Court 1 Section2Match

Encho 4 (extension) — Ishibashi（石橋） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The second round of the men's individual event at the 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament became a long match lasting 14 minutes and 46 seconds. Neither side scored a valid strike within the regulation time or during the first three extensions, and the match entered Encho 4 at 0-0. In Encho 4, Ishibashi（石橋） in white scored a kote, and Ishibashi won.

Matchup

Red Okano Hinata（岡野陽太） / Koriyama（郡山） / Nara2nd year 3rd dan
Koriyama's Okano（岡野） is a second-year 3rd dan. Having won the Nara prefecture qualifiers, they entered the tournament from a prefectural school in the host city of Nara.
White Ishibashi Tomoki（石橋智紀） / Kyushu Gakuin（九州学院） / Kumamoto3rd Year 3rd dan
Kyushu Gakuin's Ishibashi（石橋） is a 3rd-year sandan. He is competing in this tournament after winning the individual event at the All Kyushu Tournament.

Highlights

A tense development where neither side scored an ippon from the regulation time through Encho 3.

A war of attrition that became an extremely long match, lasting 14 minutes and 46 seconds.

The winning point was decided in Encho 4 when Ishibashi（石橋） in white scored a kote.

Live commentary video

Valid strike

#	Situation	Red and White	Players	Technique
1	Encho 4	White	Ishibashi（石橋）	Kote

Conclusion: Encho 4
Match time: 14:46
Winner: Ishibashi（石橋）（White）
Foul: No record

Text Commentary

Commentary
剣持翔

73rd National High School Kendo Championship, Men's Individual second round. Court 1, Match 2.

Commentary
剣持翔

Okano（岡野） of Koriyama and Ishibashi（石橋） of Kyushu Gakuin. This match became a war of attrition that dragged on until Encho 4.

Explanation
堂島厳

It turned into a very long match, lasting 14 minutes and 46 seconds.

Commentary
剣持翔

Neither side scored a valid strike within the regulation time, and the match enters encho at 0-0.

Explanation
堂島厳

Neither side shows an opening, leading to a tense development as they slowly wear down the clock.

Commentary
剣持翔

encho one, encho two, and encho three. Still, there is no winner.

Explanation
堂島厳

The situation is grueling both mentally and physically, but no valid strikes have been landed yet.

Commentary
剣持翔

And now we've reached Encho 4. This is where the match shifts!

Commentary
剣持翔

White's Ishibashi（石橋）, kote! It landed!

Explanation
堂島厳

After enduring until this point, Ishibashi（石橋） struck the kote.

Commentary
剣持翔

The winning point was scored in Encho 4. Ishibashi（石橋） scored an ippon, and the match ended.

Commentary
剣持翔

The winner of the fierce battle lasting 14 minutes and 46 seconds was Ishibashi（石橋） of Kyushu Gakuin.

Explanation
堂島厳

In a tenacious battle, Ishibashi（石橋）'s concentration shone through as he delivered the final strike.

Commentary
剣持翔

Koriyama's Okano（岡野） fought until the end without giving up, but white's Ishibashi（石橋） wins and advances.

Commentary
剣持翔

I would like to praise Ishibashi（石橋） for winning a hard-fought battle of attrition and brilliantly securing the victory.

To both players

We praise Ishibashi（石橋） for the victory seized through a tenacious fight, following the conquest of all Kyushu. Okano（岡野）'s brave effort, fighting on equal terms until Encho 4, was also splendid. We look forward to the further growth of both players.

Koriyama（郡山）

Official name: 奈良県立郡山高等学校
Reading: Koriyama
Division/Category of Establishment: Nara Prefectural (Co-educational)
Location: 1-26 Jounai-cho, 大和Koriyama City, Nara Prefecture (Koriyama Castle Ruins Ninomaru)
History: The origin is the Koriyama Normal Preparatory School in 1876. In 1881, it was reorganized into the Prefectural Koriyama Middle School, and on October 1, 1893, it was established as Nara Prefectural Normal Middle School. It became the current school name with the 1948 school system reform and merged with Nara Prefectural Jonai High School in 2004. It celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2023.
School motto/philosophy: School motto: "Sincerity," "Integrity," and "Grandeur" (established in 1913)
Department.: Full-time course, general academic program (splits into humanities and science courses from the second year).
Kendo Club: After winning the 2026 (Reiwa 8) Nara Prefecture qualifiers, 岡野陽太 (2nd year, 3rd dan) competed in the Inter-High in the men's individual event. It is a prefectural school located in the host city, Nara. The kendo club's national tournament results could not be confirmed from public information. It is not a school in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, but a school in 大和Koriyama City, Nara Prefecture.
Notes: This tournament featured only male individual competitors. We have no record of female participation.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/奈良県立郡山高等学校↗ https://app.notion.com/p/b238ae0f21be4f77b31a65e18c054187↗

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.