A team of skilled warriors! Men's Team C League.
The C league of the first match venue features Honjo Daiichi (Saitama), which won the 2012 All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament, Konan (Okinawa), which will participate in all four categories of team and individual events for both men and women, and Tottori Johoku (Tottori), also known as a sumo powerhouse. The direct confrontation between Honjo Daiichi, third place in the Kanto Tournament, and Konan, best 8 in the Kyushu Tournament, is the focus, and the question is how Tottori Johoku will break into it. Each school will play two matches in a round-robin format, and only one school will advance to the final tournament.
These three schools.
- Konan（興南）Okinawa Prefecture.Men's team.Girls' team.Men's IndividualWomen's IndividualMen's Individual: 竹下 朱華Players(3Year) / Women's Individual: 知念 美月Players(3Year)、後藤 珠里Players(2Year)
- Honjo Daiichi（本庄第一）Saitama Prefecture.Men's team.Men's IndividualMen's Individual: 長岡 律生Players(2Year)、酒井 新太Players(3Year)
- Tottori Johoku（鳥取城北）Tottori Prefecture.Men's team.Men's IndividualMen's Individual: 小渕 剣太郎Players(3Year)
The one school that advanced will play against the winner of D League (Tamashima(Okayama), Chuo Gakuin(Chiba), Minokamo(Gifu)) in the first round of the finals tournament.
Highlights
Round-robin tournament between three schools; only one school advances.
The preliminary league is a round-robin between three schools, with each school playing two matches. The team competition is a five-person system of Senpo, Jiho, Chuken, Fukusho, and Taisho, and the winner is decided by the number of wins, and if tied, by the number of points. In the quick report of the previous tournament, the number of wins and points were listed together, such as "3(6)-1(2)". Only one school from each league can advance to the knockout tournament. Let's Kendo points out the highlights as "the direct confrontation between Honjo and Konan, and the match development against the two teams Tottori Johoku is noteworthy," accurately describing the dynamics of this group.
Having won the All-Japan Selected Players Tournament Honjo Daiichi—the slogan is “Isshin-furan”
Saitama Prefecture Honjo City's private Honjo Daiichi High School kendo club was founded in 1989 and made its first appearance at the national tournament in 1998, achieving a men's team victory at the 21st National High School Kendo Selection Tournament in March 2012—reaching the top in Japan 23 years after its founding. Coach Ai Kōichi cites "tenacious match management that attacks while enduring" and "how to make mutual strikes decisive" and the club's slogan is "Isshin-furan." They placed third in the men's team at the 64th Inter-High in 2017. In this tournament, 酒井新太 (3rd year) and 長岡律生 (2nd year) filled the Saitama Prefecture men's individual qualifying spots.
Competing in all four divisions Konan, that school which won both spring and summer tournaments consecutively.
Okinawa Prefecture Naha City’s private Konan High School is a leading kendo powerhouse in Okinawa Prefecture, participating in all four categories of this tournament: men’s team, women’s team, men’s individual, and women’s individual. The men’s individual representative is 竹下朱華 (3rd year, 3rd dan), and the women’s individual representatives are 知念美月 (3rd year, 3rd dan) and 後藤珠里 (2nd year, 2nd dan). The school was founded in 1962, and its school motto is “Harmony and teacher-student camaraderie.” It is a school where the baseball club achieved the 6th ever and first 21st-century spring and summer Koshien double victory in 2010, and the men’s handball club also boasts six Inter-High national championships—a school that knows how to win.
A gathering of schools specializing in martial arts.
League C features schools well-known in martial arts other than kendo. Tottori Johoku is a sumo powerhouse, with 6 national high school sumo championships and 6 selected team championships, and has produced yokozuna Terunofuji. Its school motto is "Shitsujitsu Gokki," emphasizing the harmony of knowledge, virtue, and physicality. Founded in 1963, its basketball team achieved its first Inter-High championship in 2025. Kendo and sumo, and Konan’s handball and baseball—though the sports differ, a strong atmosphere of competing in national finals permeates this group.
North Kanto, Okinawa, and San'in – three schools geographically distant from each other.
Saitama, Okinawa, and Tottori. League C is a group of representatives from three prefectures with virtually no geographical connection, meaning there will be no matches between teams from the same prefecture or region. Opponents they would normally only face at national-level tournaments like the Tamaryokuki or All-Japan Selected Students Kendo Tournament will suddenly be playing each other in a round-robin preliminary league. Because it’s difficult to read each other’s strategies, the maneuvering regarding the team order—who to place as Senpo and who as Taisho—could directly determine which team advances as the sole qualifier.
The winner will face the D League.
The one school that advanced from League C will play against the winner of League D in the first round of the tournament. League D consists of Tamashima (Okayama), second place in the China Tournament, Chuo Gakuin (Chiba) from Chiba, which has qualified for consecutive appearances in the National Selection and Inter-High tournaments, and Minokamo (Gifu), which reached the best eight in the Tokai Tournament—a highly competitive group, which Let's Kendo also assesses as likely to feature close matches to determine league advancement. The mountain where the winners of C and D collide will be a configuration where schools with national championship experience and top schools from each block will compete.
Live broadcast「A team of skilled warriors! Men's Team C League.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
Reaching the top of Japan in 23 years since its founding, Honjo Daiichi will also send players 酒井新太 and 長岡律生 to the individual competition. Konan, challenging in all four categories of team and individual for both men and women, is here with players 竹下朱華, 知念美月, and 後藤珠里 from the southern islands. Tottori Johoku, upholding the motto of sincerity and fortitude, will have player 小渕剣太郎 compete in the individual event. Saitama, Okinawa, and Tottori—three schools that rarely cross paths normally are chasing the same single qualifying spot. The league matches are a place where two schools will be defeated, but simply standing on this floor after gathering from distant lands is a source of pride. We don’t ask you to win. Please give it your all in Nara, showing everything you’ve built up. Applause for the challenge of the three schools.
To the five members from Senpo to Taisho.
The kendo club, born in 1989, reached the top in Japan in twenty-three years. Five people who inherit that history will stand on the same floor as the five from Konan, the five from Tottori Johoku. Listed on the combination chart are Honjo Daiichi’s 酒井新太 and 長岡律生 players, Konan’s 竹下朱華 player, and Tottori Johoku’s 小渕剣太郎 player. Since each prefecture has two spots for the individual competition, this is as far as it goes. But the team competition is a five-person system. On August 2nd, the names of five players from Senpo to Taisho of all three schools will be announced, and all five matches will be played. There will definitely be a scene where a player whose name hasn’t been mentioned yet scores the winning ippon. Please let us hear that name in Nara.
School Information
Konan（興南）
- Official name
- 興南高等学校
- Reading
- Konan
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (School Corporation Konan Gakuen). It opened a junior high school in 1985 and became the first private junior and senior high school in Okinawa Prefecture.
- Location
- 1-7-1 Akashima, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture
- History
- Founded as the Konan Gakuen foundation on February 3, 1962, and Konan High School opened on April 23 of the same year. A junior high school was established on April 6, 1985.
- School motto/philosophy
- The high school’s motto is “Harmony and Master-Disciple Together” (the middle school’s is “Independent Creation”).
- Department.
- General Studies (Frontier Course, Special University Preparatory Course (Standard & Advanced), Comprehensive University Preparatory Course)
- Kendo Club
- This tournament, we will participate as the Okinawa Prefecture representatives in all four categories: men's team, women's team, men's individual, and women's individual. The men's individual representative is 竹下朱華 (3rd year, 3rd dan), and the women's individual representatives are 知念美月 (3rd year, 3rd dan) and 後藤珠里 (2nd year, 2nd dan). In Let's Kendo's highlights, they are evaluated as having reached the best 8 in the Kyushu tournament. As for the school, the baseball club achieved the 6th ever and first in the 21st century summer-spring consecutive championships in Koshien in 2010, and the men's handball club has won the Inter-High six times.
- Notes
- Unrelated to high schools etc. in Aichi Prefecture. Pronunciation is "Konan".
Honjo Daiichi（本庄第一）
- Official name
- 本庄第一高等学校
- Reading
- Honjo Daiichi
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (junior high and high school with a Honjo Daiichi website)
- Location
- Saitama Prefecture, Honjo City
- History
- Founded in 1925.
- Department.
- General studies course.
- Kendo Club
- The kendo club was founded in 1989 and made its first appearance at the national tournament in 1998. They won the men’s team championship at the 21st All-Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament on March 27, 2012 (Heisei 23). They placed third in the men’s team event at the 64th All-Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Inter-High) in 2017. The club’s slogan is “Isshin Buran,” and coach 相川浩一 states, “To play a tenacious match while attacking and enduring” and “To focus on how to make a draw decisive.” The club introduction on the school’s official website states, “What to learn through kendo,” and they go on training trips around the country on weekends and during long breaks. In recent years, they have participated in the team event at the 30th and 31st All-Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournaments. In this tournament, 酒井新太 (3rd year, Sandan) and 長岡律生 (2nd year, Nidan) will participate in the men’s individual event.
- Notes
- The abbreviation is "Honjoichi" or "Honichi." It is a different school from Saitama Prefectural Honjo High School.
Tottori Johoku（鳥取城北）
- Official name
- 鳥取城北高等学校
- Reading
- Tottori Johoku
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (School Corporation Tottori Gakuen. The corporate name was changed to Tottori Gakuen in 2019).
- Location
- 848 Nishishinji, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture.
- History
- Founded in 1963 and opened its doors on April 12th of the same year. Relocated to its current location in 1964.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Shitsujitsu Gokki." It emphasizes the harmony of intellect, morality, and physicality.
- Department.
- General Studies (Kenji Course, Shigaku Course, Sports Science Course)
- Kendo Club
- Winning the 2026 Tottori Prefecture qualifying tournament and advancing to Inter-High in the men's team. 小渕剣太郎 (3rd year, Sandan) will participate in the men's individual event. The school is a prestigious institution with a sumo club that has won the National High School Sumo Championship six times as a team and the Selected Team Championship six times, producing Yokozuna Terunofuji. The hardball baseball club has advanced to Koshien seven times, and the basketball club won its first Inter-High championship in 2025.
- Notes
- The school’s page on Notion lists its location as “Yonezawa City,” but Wikipedia states it is 848 Nishishinji, Tottori City. This article adopts the latter.
・National High School Kendo Tournament Official Website (Tournament Updates) ↗
・Let's Kendo [Matchups] August 2nd - 5th, 73rd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament / Nara Inter-High 2026. ↗
・Notion Participating School Library Konan High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Honjo Daiichi High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Notion Participating School Library Tottori Johoku High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Wikipedia Konan middle and high school ↗
・Okinawa Times Kendo Okinawa Prefecture Tournament Article ↗
・Wikipedia Honjo Daiichi middle and high school ↗
・High School Newspaper "Isshin-Furan" Achieving the Long-Cherished National Championship Honjo First High School Kendo Club ↗
・Honjo Daiichi High School Club Activities ↗
・All Japan Kendo Federation 64th National High School Kendo Tournament Results ↗
・Wikipedia Tottori Johoku High School ↗
・72nd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Hiroshima 2025) – Tournament Quick Report ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- League structure (Konan・Honjo Daiichi・Tottori Johoku), first match venue, individual competition participants from each school, the C vs. D match in the knockout tournament is in data/2026/league_briefs.json and data/2026/kumiawase.json (based on the official PDF)
- "Third place in the Kanto Tournament・Honjo Daiichi" "Eighth place in the Kyushu Tournament and a team with momentum Konan" "Direct confrontation between Honjo and Konan, the match development against the two teams Tottori Johoku is noteworthy" is the highlight section of the Let's Kendo Nara Inter-High combination article.
- Each school's official name, type of institution, location, pronunciation, and qualification for participation can be found on the school-specific page in the Notion "2026 Inter-High Kendo Participating Schools Library."
- Honjo Daiichi’s 2012 21st All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament victory, founded in 1989, and first national appearance in 1998 are detailed in the Wikipedia article “Honjo Daiichi Junior High and High School” and a special feature in the High School Newspaper. The slogan “Isshin Buran” and coach Ai Kawa Koichi’s coaching philosophy are from the High School Newspaper. The club’s activity policy and recent selection tournament appearances are on the school’s official website’s club activities page.
- Honjo Daiichi’s 2017 64th Inter-High Men’s Team 3rd place is on the All Japan Kendo Federation’s tournament results page (confirmed via the Notion school page).
- Konan’s founding (1962) • school motto “Harmony and teacher-student camaraderie” • departments • location, the baseball team’s consecutive Spring and Summer Koshien championships in 2010, and the men’s handball team’s 6 Inter-High national championships are on Wikipedia “Konan Junior High and High School.”
- Konan will confirm participation in all four categories of team and individual events through the Notion school page and kumiawase.json.
- Tottori Johoku’s founding year, school motto “Shitsujitsu Gokki”, departments, location, sumo club’s number of national championship wins and Terunofuji, basketball club’s first Inter-High championship in 2025 are on Wikipedia “Tottori Johoku High School”.
- For team matches with five players, and judging based on the number of wins (points), please refer to the score notation on the official results website for the 2025 Hiroshima Tournament (e.g., 3(6)-1(2)).
- School names are read as indicated in the Notion participating schools library’s reading column. As the reading for player names is unconfirmed, only the surname will be read in the audio.
- Since this is before the tournament, I have not described any details of the matches – the attacks and defenses, wins and losses, or rankings. Only facts that can be read from the pairings and previously reported results are included.
Please note that the commentary and analysis are AI-generated content based on the facts listed above. As this is before the tournament, there is no description of the matches, attacks and defenses, or wins and losses. Please excuse any errors in reading or notation.