Men's Individual Round 2 Court 3 Section17Match

Encho 1 (extension) — Yaezaki（八重﨑） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The second round of the men's individual event at the 73rd National High School Kendo Championships was held. Neither competitor scored a valid strike within the regulation time, leading to a 0-0 tie and encho. In Encho 1, Yaezaki（八重﨑） in white scored a men. The match lasted 4 minutes and 23 seconds, and the winner was Yaezaki.

Matchup

Red Ota Rui（太田琉生） / Nissho Gakuen（日章学園） / Miyazaki3rd Year 3rd dan
Nissho Gakuen is a 3rd-year sandan Ota（太田）. Nissho Gakuen adopts the slogan "Continuity is power" and focuses on a straightforward kendo style as their instructional policy.
White Yaezaki Rento（八重﨑蓮斗） / Toyama Hokubu（富山北部） / Toyama3rd Year 3rd dan
Toyama Hokubu is a 3rd-year student with sandan rank, Yaezaki（八重﨑）. Toyama Hokubu upholds the school mottos of "Faith and Honor," "Courage," and "Self-Governance," and since 2021, has also adopted "Master the Heart and Open the Way."

Highlights

A tense development where no winner was decided within the regulation time, leading to an encho match.

A match characterized by steady offense and defense

A dramatic winning point by Yaezaki（八重﨑） with a men strike in encho.

Live commentary video

Valid strike

#	Situation	Red and White	Players	Technique
1	Encho 1	White	Yaezaki（八重﨑）	Men

Conclusion: Encho 1
Match time: 4:23
Winner: Yaezaki（八重﨑）（White）
Foul: No record

Text Commentary

Commentary
剣持翔

The 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament, Men's Individual second round. Court 3, Match 17.

Explanation
堂島厳

A match between Nissho Gakuen's Ota（太田） and Toyama Hokubu's Yaezaki（八重﨑）. The highlight of this bout is their steady offense and defense.

Commentary
剣持翔

Both are leaving no openings and cautiously measuring the distance between them.

Explanation
堂島厳

Neither side is wavering, and they continue to trade strikes with extremely high focus.

Commentary
剣持翔

Neither side scored a valid strike within the time limit, and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Explanation
堂島厳

For both sides, it is a tense development where a single moment of carelessness could be fatal.

Commentary
剣持翔

The match goes into encho. This is the critical moment.

Explanation
堂島厳

Mental endurance and concentration in the critical moments will determine the outcome.

Commentary
剣持翔

Encho 1, white's Yaezaki（八重﨑） stepped in sharply! Men!

Explanation
堂島厳

That was a splendid men. It was executed perfectly.

Commentary
剣持翔

Decided by an ippon in Encho 1! Match time 4:23.

Explanation
堂島厳

In a tenacious battle of offense and defense, Yaezaki（八重﨑） eventually secured the win.

Commentary
剣持翔

The winner is white, Toyama Hokubu Yaezaki（八重﨑）!

Explanation
堂島厳

Wonderful concentration. Splendid.

To both players

Congratulations to Yaezaki（八重﨑） for a splendid victory. Applause also goes to Ota（太田） for fighting tenaciously until the end. I look forward to the further growth of both players.

Nissho Gakuen（日章学園）

Official name: 日章学園高等学校
Reading: Nissho Gakuen
Division/Category of Establishment: Private (Educational Corporation Nissho Gakuen)
Location: 836 Hirohara, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture
History: Established in May 1950 as Miyazaki Higher Accounting College. The educational corporation Nissho Gakuen was founded in 1953, and the name was changed to Nissho Gakuen High School in April 1987. In April 2004, Nissho Gakuen Junior High School opened, making it a combined junior and senior high school.
School motto/philosophy: "Adhere to morality, seek practical benefit, and love diligent labor."
Department.: Special Advancement/Athlete Course, General Course, and others (Total Aesthetics Course, Culinary Arts Course, Electrical Course, Computer Course, Hair Design Course, Patissier Course, Welfare Course, Automotive Course)
Kendo Club: The boys' kendo club won their first championship at the 35th All Japan High School Kendo Selected Tournament in March 2026. They placed 3rd in the team event at the All Japan High School Championships in August 2025, 3rd nationwide at the Gyokuryu-ki High School Kendo Tournament in July 2025, and were team runners-up at the 40th Kyushu High School Selected Kendo Tournament in February 2026. In the Miyazaki Prefectural Tournament in June 2026, they won the team championship for the 10th time and for the 3rd consecutive year.
Notes: This tournament featured participation in the men’s team and men’s individual events. We were unable to confirm participation in the women’s events.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/日章学園中学校・高等学校↗ https://nissho.ed.jp/category/all-topic/bukatu/kendou/↗ (学校公式・剣道部)

Toyama Hokubu（富山北部）

Official name: 富山県立富山北部高等学校
Reading: Toyama Hokubu
Division/Category of Establishment: Toyama Prefectural (Co-educational)
Location: Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture.
History: Founded in 1916 as Higashi岩瀬 Town Higashi岩瀬 Vocational Supplementary School, it became a high school during the educational system reforms of 1948. In 2020, it merged with Toyama Prefectural Mizuhashi High School to become the current Toyama Hokubu High School.
School motto/philosophy: The school motto is "Integrity," "Boldness," and "Self-Governance." Since 2021, it also upholds "Polish your spirit and forge a new path," inherited from the merged Mizuhashi High School.
Department.: General studies (including the sports course), pharmaceutical and biological sciences, and information design.
Kendo Club: In the fiscal year 2026, having won the Toyama Prefecture qualifiers, they will participate in Inter-High in all four categories: men's team, women's team, men's individual, and women's individual. The women's individual representatives are 奥村望乃果 (3rd year, 3rd dan) and 太田わかば (3rd year, 2nd dan), and the men's individual representatives are 佐藤太陽 (3rd year, 3rd dan) and 八重﨑蓮斗 (3rd year, 3rd dan). No past national tournament results could be confirmed from publicly available information.
Notes: Reading is "Toyama Hokubu".

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/富山県立富山北部高等学校↗ https://app.notion.com/p/ca79419e71f742e4835f7f1a3231ff02↗

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.