Women's Individual Round 3 Court 1 Section3Match

Encho 3 (extension) — Higuchi（樋口） wins

📅 August 2–5, 2026 📍 Lotto Arena Nara

The 3rd round of the women's individual event at the 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament took place, resulting in a long match lasting 10 minutes and 20 seconds. Neither side scored a valid strike during the regulation time or the first and Encho 2s; however, in Encho 3, Higuchi（樋口） (white) scored a men strike to settle the match. This ippon became the winning point, and Higuchi emerged as the winner.

Matchup

Red Sugiyama Nagisa（杉山渚紗） / Sakuragaoka（桜ケ丘） / Yamaguchi3rd Year 3rd dan
Sakuragaoka's Sugiyama（杉山） is a 3rd-year sandan. The school's kendo club aims to be the best in Japan with the motto "Master the way of the sword," and in the 2026 academic year, they competed in the Inter-High in both the women's team and women's individual events.
White Higuchi Yuina（樋口優衣奈） / Hoshino（星野） / Saitama3rd Year 2nd dan
Higuchi（樋口） of Hoshino is a third-year student and 2nd dan. As the female individual representative of the school, which upholds the motto "Academic and Athletic Excellence, Simplicity and Diligence," she won the Saitama Prefecture qualifiers to compete in this tournament.

Highlights

A tense development where neither side conceded an ippon from the regulation time through Encho 2.

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

The mental strength to fight through a long match time of 10 minutes and 20 seconds

Live commentary video

Valid strike

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

Conclusion: Encho 3
Match time: 10:20
Winner: Higuchi（樋口）（White）
Foul: No record

Text Commentary

Commentary
剣持翔

73rd All Japan High School Kendo Championship, Women's Individual 3rd Round. Court 1, Match 3.

Explanation
堂島厳

The point of interest is the development of this war of attrition, which became a fierce battle lasting 10 minutes and 20 seconds.

Commentary
剣持翔

Red is Sugiyama（杉山） (Sakuragaoka・山口), and white is Higuchi（樋口） (Hoshino・Saitama). Both take their stances.

Explanation
堂島厳

Neither side gives an inch, and the match is played with intense tension.

Commentary
剣持翔

Both show sharp strikes within the time limit, but neither scores.

Explanation
堂島厳

Carefully measuring each other's distance, there were no valid strikes. It goes to encho at 0-0.

Commentary
剣持翔

Even as the match entered encho, the battle between Sugiyama（杉山） and Higuchi（樋口） only grew more intense.

Explanation
堂島厳

Encho 1, then second. Still, neither side allows a valid strike.

Commentary
剣持翔

The match has exceeded 10 minutes. This is truly a battle at the absolute limit.

Explanation
堂島厳

The mental exhaustion must be severe, but their concentration has not yet wavered.

Commentary
剣持翔

And then came Encho 3. This is where the match shifts!

Explanation
堂島厳

He didn't miss this momentary opening. An attack from White!

Commentary
剣持翔

Men! Higuchi（樋口） scored! Ippon!

Explanation
堂島厳

He put an end to the fierce battle, which had dragged on into Encho 3, with a brilliant men.

Commentary
剣持翔

Match time 10 minutes 20 seconds. White's Higuchi（樋口） defeated Sugiyama（杉山）.

Explanation
堂島厳

The concentration of Higuchi（樋口）, who fought tenaciously to the end and secured the final ippon, was superb.

Commentary
剣持翔

The winner of the fierce battle was Higuchi（樋口） from Hoshino Saitama!

To both players

Applause for Higuchi（樋口）, who won a hard-fought battle with a brilliant men strike. I would also like to praise the fighting spirit of Sugiyama（杉山）, who never gave up and fought through until Encho 3. I look forward to the further growth of both players.

Sakuragaoka（桜ケ丘）

Official name: 山口県桜ケ丘高等学校
Reading: Sakuragaoka
Division/Category of Establishment: Private coeducational school. It is affiliated with 晃英館中学校 and provides a unified middle and high school education.
Location: 山口 5626-1 Tokuyama, Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
History: Opened in 1940 as 山口 Prefecture Sakuragaoka Higher Girls' School. In 1947, it was renamed Sakuragaoka Girls' Academy and established a new-system junior high school, and in 1948, it transitioned to 山口 Prefecture Sakuragaoka High School. Combined middle and high school education began in 2005, and the affiliated junior high school was renamed Koeikan Junior High School in 2009.
School motto/philosophy: The school motto is "Life is art."
Department.: General studies (Kōeikan Course, Special Advancement Course, University Preparatory Course, Sōsaku Course). The Sōsaku Course has career-focused, artist-focused, business-focused, and electrical-focused streams.
Kendo Club: According to the school’s official website’s club introduction, their motto is “to master the way of the sword” and they aim to be the best in Japan. In fiscal year 2024, they won the women’s team championship at the 70th China High School Kendo Championships, qualified for the women’s team event at Inter-High, and the women’s team participated in the 78th National Sports Festival. In fiscal year 2025, both the men’s and women’s teams will participate in the 35th All-Japan High School Invitational Kendo Tournament, and the men’s team will participate in the 79th National Sports Festival. In fiscal year 2026, they will participate in Inter-High in both the women’s team and women’s individual events.
Notes: The Notion page lists the location as "山口 City," but both the official website and Wikipedia state it is Tokuyama, Shunan City.

Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/山口県桜ケ丘高等学校・晃英館中学校↗ https://www.y-sakuragaoka.ed.jp/club.html↗ https://www.y-sakuragaoka.ed.jp/↗ https://app.notion.com/p/ea902d38009d420793985f13f80bf2cc↗

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↗

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.