Men's Individual Round 4 Court 1 Section1Match

Encho 1 (extension) — Ishibashi（石橋） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The match for the 4th round of the men's individual event at the 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament went into encho as neither side scored a valid strike within the regulation time. In Encho 1, Ishibashi（石橋） in red scored a kote, which became the winning point. The match time was 4 minutes and 56 seconds, and the winner was Ishibashi.

Matchup

Red Ishibashi Tomoki（石橋智紀） / Kyushu Gakuin（九州学院） / Kumamoto3rd Year 3rd dan
Kyushu Gakuin's Ishibashi（石橋） is a third-year student and 3rd dan. He belongs to a prestigious school that has won the Inter-High boys' team championship a record 11 times, and Ishibashi himself is participating after winning the individual event at the All-Kyushu Tournament.
White Yamamoto Yui（山本悠生） / Hamana（浜名） / Shizuoka3rd Year 2nd dan
Yamamoto（山本） of Hamana is a 3rd-year 2nd dan. Having defeated the previous champion Iwata Higashi in the boys' team final of the Shizuoka Prefecture qualifiers, they competed as a representative of the school that secured a spot in the Inter-High.

Highlights

A steady exchange of offense and defense unfolded, with neither side allowing a valid strike within the regulation time.

The match went into encho, leading to a tense development.

A kokote by Ishibashi（石橋） in Encho 1 was the deciding blow that settled the match.

Live commentary video

Valid strike

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

Conclusion: Encho 1
Match time: 4:56
Winner: Ishibashi（石橋）（Red）
Foul: 石橋智紀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 Championships, Men's Individual 4th Round. Court 1, Match 1.

Explanation
堂島厳

Ishibashi（石橋） of Kyushu Gakuin and Yamamoto（山本） of Hamana. This match featured a very steady exchange of offense and defense.

Commentary
剣持翔

Neither side showed any openings, and the time limit expired without either scoring a valid strike.

Explanation
堂島厳

Both remained steady, and it was a tense match where neither lost their focus.

Commentary
剣持翔

The match remains 0-0 and enters a fateful encho.

Explanation
堂島厳

From here, split-second judgment and the ability to exploit the slightest opening will determine victory or defeat.

Commentary
剣持翔

The match goes into encho, and the deadlock is broken! Ishibashi（石橋） in red, kote!

Explanation
堂島厳

That was a splendid kote. It became the winning point in Encho 1.

Commentary
剣持翔

Ishibashi（石橋） scored a kote, ending the match with an ippon!

Explanation
堂島厳

After a tenacious exchange of offense and defense, Ishibashi（石橋） secured the win.

Commentary
剣持翔

Match time 4 minutes 56 seconds. The winner is red, Kyushu Gakuin Ishibashi（石橋）!

Explanation
堂島厳

Hamana's Yamamoto（山本） fought hard until the end, but Ishibashi（石橋）'s concentration prevailed.

Commentary
剣持翔

Winning a steady fight, Ishibashi（石橋） advances to the next match!

To both players

Congratulations to Ishibashi（石橋）, who secured the victory with a brilliant kote. We commend the fighting spirit of Yamamoto（山本）, who fought tenaciously until the end. We look forward to the further growth of both players.

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↗

Hamana（浜名）

Official name: 静岡県立浜名高等学校
Reading: Hamana
Division/Category of Establishment: Shizuoka Prefectural (Public)
Location: Shizuoka Prefecture, Hamamatsu City Hamana Ward, Nishimizono 2939-1 (3-minute walk from Enshu-Kobayashi Station on the Enshu Railway)
History: Founded in 1913 as Kitahama Sewing Women's Academy. In 1947, Kitahama Higher Girls' School and Kasai Higher Girls' School merged, and in 1948, it became the current Hamana High School. It moved to the present location in 1962, and the new school building was completed in 1996.
School motto/philosophy: Our school motto is “A far-reaching ambition is what makes youth precious – cherish these days.”
Department.: Full-time course, General Studies; Part-time course, General Studies.
Kendo Club: In the boys' team final of the Reiwa 8 Shizuoka Prefecture qualifiers, they defeated Iwata Higashi, the previous (72nd) Inter-High boys' team champion, to win the title and secure a spot in the Inter-High. The boys' individual representative is 山本悠生 (3rd year, 2nd dan). Let's Kendo reports that 野田, who placed second in the Tokai individual competition, supports the team as Taisho. The school's official kendo club achievements page could not be confirmed.
Notes: "Hamanaka." A private school in Shizuoka Prefecture, different from Hamamatsu Gakuen Iwata Higashi.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/静岡県立浜名高等学校↗ https://www.letskendo.com/posts/47192/↗ https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/全国高等学校剣道大会↗ https://app.notion.com/p/4477af8f7ffc4e799e1cd9e25b2fc643↗

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.