Men's Individual Round 4 Court 2 Section3Match

Encho 1 (extension) — Mitsui（三井） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The 4th round of the men's individual event at the 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament took place, where Mitsui（三井） and Hashizume（橋爪） engaged in a steady offensive and defensive battle. With no valid strikes within the regulation time, the match entered encho at 0-0, and Mitsui scored a men strike in Encho 1. With a match time of 5 minutes and 15 seconds, the winner was Mitsui.

Matchup

Red Hashizume Masato（橋爪真人） / Kisarazu Sogo（木更津総合） / Chiba2nd year 2nd dan
Hashizume（橋爪） is a 2nd-year 2nd-dan from Kisarazu Sogo. They are competing from Chiba Prefecture.
White Mitsui Sota（三井湊太） / Tokaidai Sapporo（東海大札幌） / Hokkaido3rd Year 3rd dan
Mitsui（三井） is a third-year sandan from Tokaidai Sapporo. The school's kendo club has set the goal: "Always victorious with 'Seiken Fumetsu'! Aiming for national conquest!!"

Highlights

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

The match unfolded with steady offense and defense.

Mitsui（三井） scored a men in Encho 1, and the match was decided at 5 minutes and 15 seconds.

Live commentary video

Valid strike

#	Situation	Red and White	Players	Technique
1	Encho 1	White	Mitsui（三井）	Men

Conclusion: Encho 1
Match time: 5:15
Winner: Mitsui（三井）（White）
Foul: 三井湊太Posted on the board (it is not clear from the flash report when the foul occurred)

Text Commentary

Commentary
剣持翔

73rd All Japan High School Kendo Championship, Men's Individual 4th Round. Match 3 at Court 2.

Explanation
堂島厳

Hashizume（橋爪） from Kisarazu Sogo and Mitsui（三井） from Tokaidai Sapporo. Their steady offense and defense are the highlights.

Commentary
剣持翔

Both are watching for an opening and cautiously gauging the distance.

Explanation
堂島厳

Neither side is breaking. With extremely high focus, a steady exchange of strikes continues.

Commentary
剣持翔

A fierce exchange of attacks takes place within the time limit, but no valid strike is scored.

Explanation
堂島厳

Both sides spent time sizing each other up. It looks like there will be no resolution at this rate.

Commentary
剣持翔

0-0. The match goes into encho.

Explanation
堂島厳

From here on, it is a battle of mental strength. A single moment of weakness will determine the outcome.

Commentary
剣持翔

Encho 1, the match has shifted! White's Mitsui（三井）, Men!

Explanation
堂島厳

That was a splendid men. A sharp strike was landed.

Commentary
剣持翔

Mitsui（三井） scored a men, and this ippon became the winning point.

Explanation
堂島厳

The match was decided immediately after entering encho. Mitsui（三井）'s concentration prevailed.

Commentary
剣持翔

Match time 5 minutes 15 seconds. The winner is white, Tokaidai Sapporo Mitsui（三井）!

Explanation
堂島厳

Hashizume（橋爪） fought bravely until the end, but Mitsui（三井） advances.

Commentary
剣持翔

After a steady exchange of offense and defense, Mitsui（三井） won with a brilliant men!

To both players

Let's give a round of applause to Mitsui（三井）, who achieved a brilliant victory. Although Hashizume（橋爪） unfortunately lost, their spirited fight to take the match into encho was impressive. I look forward to the further growth of both players.

Kisarazu Sogo（木更津総合）

Official name: 千葉県立木更津総合高等学校
Reading: Kisarazu Sogo
Division/Category of Establishment: Private (Kimitsu Gakuen Educational Corporation)
Location: 3-4-1 Higashi 太田, Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture
History: Established in April 1963 as Kisarazu Chuo High School. Seiwa Girls' Junior College Affiliated High School was established in 1973, and the two schools merged in April 2003 to become the current school name.
School motto/philosophy: School motto: "Magokoro." The founding spirit is "Magokoro Education."
Department.: Full-time Course General Department (Special Advanced / Advanced / Comprehensive / Art / Sports / Language / Information Business / Life Science / Childcare and Early Childhood Education / Medical Nursing and Welfare courses)
Kendo Club: Won the boys' team championship at the 2016 Chiba Prefectural High School General Tournament (2nd time in 27 years) and reached the boys' team quarterfinals at the same year's National High School General Tournament. In the 2025 fiscal year, both the men's and women's teams competed in the Kanto Tournament, with the women's team placing 3rd at the Chiba Prefectural High School General Tournament and 3rd at the National Sakura-monki Kendo Tournament.
Notes: History, school motto, and location are to be investigated (TODO).

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/木更津総合高等学校↗ https://www.kimigaku.ed.jp/↗ (学校公式サイト)

Tokaidai Sapporo（東海大札幌）

Official name: 東海大学付属札幌高等学校
Reading: Tokaidai Sapporo
Division/Category of Establishment: Private (coeducational). Affiliated school of Tokai University.
Location: 1-1-1 Nanazawa 5-jo 1-chome, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido.
History: Founded as Tokai University Fourth High School in April 1964. The school relocated to its current location in April 2016 and changed its name to Tokai University Affiliated Sapporo High School.
School motto/philosophy: Providing education based on the founding spirit of Tokai University (details are posted on the academy website).
Department.: General Studies (Special Advanced Course・Comprehensive Advanced Course)
Kendo Club: The team’s goal is “Victory with unwavering spirit and technique!” aiming for national dominance!! According to the school kendo club page, they have qualified for the All Japan High School Kendo Tournament more than 35 times for the boys and 6 times for the girls, achieving 3rd place in both the boys’ and girls’ team events at Inter-High, as well as one 2nd place and three 3rd place finishes in the individual competition. They have also produced 6 graduates who have passed the 8th dan kendo examination. As of 2021, the club has 25 male and 12 female members. Practice takes place in the Kendo Dojo (2nd floor of the Second Gymnasium) on weekdays after school until 7:30 PM, and on weekends and holidays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Notes: At schools affiliated with Tokai University, the term "affiliated" is used.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/東海大学付属札幌高等学校↗ http://www.sapporo.tokai.ed.jp/club/kendo/↗ https://www.sapporo.tokai.ed.jp/↗ https://app.notion.com/p/cf2f85b1f0184eb2a1dd0cf71e02c924↗

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.