Women's Individual Round 2 Court 1 Section6Match

Encho 3 (extension) — Higuchi（樋口） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The second round of the women's individual event at the 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Championships took place, and Higuchi（樋口） defeated Tanaka（田中）. Neither competitor scored a valid strike within the regulation time or the first and Encho 2s, resulting in a long match lasting 10 minutes and 4 seconds. In Encho 3, Higuchi scored a men, which became the winning point, and Higuchi won.

Matchup

Red Higuchi Yuina（樋口優衣奈） / Hoshino（星野） / Saitama3rd Year 2nd dan
Higuchi（樋口） of Hoshino is a third-year 2nd dan. Hoshino, which upholds the school motto "Literary and Military Arts Together, Frugality and Diligence," won the Reiwa 8 Saitama Prefecture qualifiers and is competing in the Inter-High in the women's team event.
White Tanaka Megumi（田中萌心） / Iwata Higashi（磐田東） / Shizuoka2nd year 3rd dan
Iwata Higashi's Tanaka（田中） is a 2nd-year sandan. Iwata Higashi has a record of winning the boys' team championship at the 72nd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament in 2025.

Highlights

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

A fierce war of attrition that remained undecided even after Encho 3.

A long battle lasting 10 minutes and 4 seconds

Live commentary video

Valid strike

#	Situation	Red and White	Players	Technique
1	Encho 3	Red	Higuchi（樋口）	Men

Conclusion: Encho 3
Match time: 10:04
Winner: Higuchi（樋口）（Red）
Foul: 田中萌心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 Championship, Women's Individual second round. Match 6 at Court 1.

Explanation
堂島厳

It became a fierce war of attrition that lasted for a long time, 10 minutes and 4 seconds.

Commentary
剣持翔

Red is Hoshino's Higuchi（樋口）, white is Iwata Higashi's Tanaka（田中）. Both attack each other fiercely.

Explanation
堂島厳

Neither side left an opening, and there were no valid strikes within the time limit.

Commentary
剣持翔

With the score remaining 0-0, the match enters encho.

Explanation
堂島厳

This is where the real critical moment begins. It will come down to a battle of mental and physical strength.

Commentary
剣持翔

Encho 1, then second. Yet, still, there is no conclusion.

Explanation
堂島厳

Both sides continue a tense offensive and defensive struggle, neither giving an inch.

Commentary
剣持翔

And then came Encho 3. Finally, the match has shifted!

Commentary
剣持翔

Higuchi（樋口） in red, Men! Men is scored!

Explanation
堂島厳

That was a sharp strike. You held on until Encho 3 and brilliantly landed a men.

Commentary
剣持翔

Match time 10 minutes 4 seconds. The winning point was scored in Encho 3, and the match has ended.

Explanation
堂島厳

It was a very tough match, but in the end, Higuchi（樋口） managed to secure the win.

Commentary
剣持翔

The one who emerged victorious from the fierce battle was Hoshino's Higuchi（樋口）. A splendid victory!

To both players

Applause for Higuchi（樋口）, who fought tenaciously through three encho periods and won with a brilliant men strike. Respect is also given to Tanaka（田中） for fighting bravely and never giving up until the end. We look forward to the further growth of both players.

Hoshino（星野）

Official name: 星野高等学校
Reading: Hoshino
Division/Category of Establishment: Private school. Coeducational and all-girls departments coexist (the coeducational department was established in 2003).
Location: Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.
History: It began with approval for establishment as a Hoshino school in Kawagoe City in 1897. In 1964, the school corporation Hoshino Gakuen was approved, and in 2003, along with the opening of a coeducational department, the school name was changed from “Hoshino Girls' High School” to its current name.
School motto/philosophy: The school motto is "harmony of literary and martial arts, simplicity and diligence." Its educational philosophy emphasizes "the construction of knowledge," "awareness as an international citizen," and "the cultivation of sensibility."
Department.: General studies (with multiple courses in both the girls' and coeducational divisions; medical specialist and global frontier courses will be newly established from the 2026 academic year).
Kendo Club: Having won the Saitama Prefecture qualifiers for fiscal year 2026, they will participate in Inter-High as a women's team. 樋口優衣奈 (3rd year, 2nd dan) and 佐々木瑠真 (3rd year, 2nd dan) will participate in the women's individual event. No past national tournament results could be confirmed from publicly available information.
Notes: Pronunciation is "hoshi." School corporation Hoshino Gakuen operates it.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/星野高等学校↗ https://app.notion.com/p/39d347470c7c444abf30a4b4c110fdb7↗

Iwata Higashi（磐田東）

Official name: 磐田東高等学校(磐田東中学校・高等学校)
Reading: Iwata Higashi
Division/Category of Establishment: Private coeducational school. It began accepting male students in 1984 as an attached middle and high school.
Location: 180-5 Mitake, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
History: In 1959, the high school was established. In 2003, the junior high school was established, and now provides a unified middle and high school education.
School motto/philosophy: The school motto is "The Way of the Mean." It originates from the Chinese classic *Doctrine of the Mean*, where "中" (chu) signifies correctness and impartiality, and "庸" (yo) represents constancy and unwavering principles.
Department.: General Studies (Special Selection Course, Comprehensive University Entrance Course, Future Exploration Course)
Kendo Club: They won the boys' team event at the 72nd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Hiroshima) in 2025, achieving the school's first Inter-High victory. They are not participating in the boys' team event in this tournament, as Hamana is the representative for the boys' team from Shizuoka Prefecture. According to the school's Notion page, this is because they lost to Hamana in the Shizuoka Prefecture qualifying final; therefore, they will participate in the girls' team, boys' individual (冨樫遵乃介), and girls' individual (田中萌心) events in this tournament. The school is also prestigious for soccer, having produced players such as 伊藤 Hiroki (FC Bayern Munich).
Notes: The previous tournament’s men’s team champions, but this tournament they are participating in the women’s team event and both the men’s and women’s individual events.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/磐田東中学校・高等学校↗ https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/全国高等学校剣道大会↗ https://app.notion.com/p/aa8f4965ee70449d9606b734238c8730↗

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.