Strong teams from Shikoku await! Men's Individual – Block 3.
The seeded player is 野田宗佐 from Tokushima・Johoku (3rd year・Sandan). They will appear in the second round from a strong school that took first and second place in the prefectural high school general athletic meet and reached the top 4 in the Shikoku tournament. The first round features 髙間慎平 from Aomori・Goshogawara Daiichi and 岡田将 from Niigata・Gakkan Niigata. 髙間選手 was second in the Aomori prefectural high school general athletic meet's men's individual event and reached the individual top 8 at the Tohoku tournament – a 3rd year student. 岡田選手 is the only 1st year and Nidan in this group. The winner will face 野田選手. One player advancing from the first match venue will reach the top 4.
The first three players in this block.
- No.7 野田 宗佐徳島県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Johoku（城北）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.8 髙間 慎平青森県Goshogawara Daiichi（五所川原第一）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.9 岡田 将新潟県Gakkan Niigata（学館新潟）／1Year・二Rank.
Round 1: No.8 髙間 慎平(Goshogawara Daiichi) vs. No.9 岡田 将(Gakkan Niigata)
Round 2: Winner of Round 1 vs. No.7 野田 宗佐(Johoku)
In the individual competition, the 96 competitors will be divided into blocks of three. One competitor from each block will receive a bye and begin competition in the second round. One competitor advancing from each match area will advance to the semi-finals.
Highlights
Teams of three, with 野田選手 as the seeded player.
The 96 individual competitors are divided into groups of three, with one competitor in each group receiving a seed and starting from the second round. The seed in the third block is 野田宗佐 from Johoku, Tokushima (3rd year, 3rd dan). The first round features No. 8 髙間慎平 (Goshogawara Daiichi) against No. 9 岡田将 (Gakkan Niigata), and the winner will compete against Noda in the second round. One competitor advancing from the first match venue will reach the top four.
The seed of Johoku, who dominated the prefectural individual competition
Tokushima Prefectural Johoku High School was established in 1941 as Wajo Junior High School, a prefectural unit-credit school with the school motto "Where there's a will, there's a way." The kendo club emphasizes both academic and martial arts pursuits, and also trains with the Tokushima Prefectural Police Mobile Force. They won the men's team championship at the prefectural high school general athletic meet in June 2026, and took first and second place in the men's individual competition, and finished third in the men's team at the Shikoku High School Kendo Championships. They are introduced as "Shikoku Tournament Top 4 Johoku" on Let's Kendo, and 野田選手 is a member of that team.
2nd in the prefecture, Best 8 in Tohoku — 髙間慎平 player
髙間慎平 (3rd year, 3-dan) is a 3rd year student from Goshogawara Daiichi in Aomori. He placed 2nd in the individual boys' category at the 2026 Aomori Prefectural High School Games and reached the best 8 in the individual boys' category at the 72nd Tohoku High School Kendo Championships. Goshogawara Daiichi is a private school under the school corporation Kantada Gakuen, commonly known as "Gojo-ichi," and believes in the principle of "Kendo builds people." The school won the Aomori Prefectural High School Games men's team category for the 8th time in two years this year, and 髙間選手 is a member of that Gojo-ichi team.
The only first-year student in this pairing—岡田将
岡田将 (1st year, 2nd dan) is competing from Niigata’s Gakkan Niigata, being the only first-year student and the only 2nd dan in this block. As the youngest challenger among upperclassmen, 岡田将’s name appears from the first round. The history and national tournament results of Gakkan Niigata’s kendo club could not be confirmed from publicly available information, but they have advanced to this stage by winning two qualifying spots from Niigata Prefecture.
The three players who won through the prefecture's two qualifying spots.
The number of qualifying spots for the individual competition is two players per prefecture. These three players are those who won their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments in Tokushima, Aomori, and Niigata. There’s a seeded spot for a strong school that placed in the top four at the Shikoku Tournament, a third-year student who finished second in their prefecture and reached the best eight in the Tohoku Tournament, and the youngest competitor, a first-year student—their positions are all different, but only one of them will remain on the Nara floor beyond the second day, with two being eliminated after the first round.
Live broadcast「Strong teams from Shikoku await! Men's Individual – Block 3.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
Cheer on, 野田宗佐 player. Cheer on, 髙間慎平 player. Cheer on, 岡田将 player. These are the three standing in the 3rd block of the boys' individual competition. From Tokushima, Johoku’s Noda player is a strong player who won both first and second place in the prefectural high school general athletic meet’s individual competition, and enters as a seed from the top 4 in the Shikoku tournament. From Aomori, Goshogawara Daiichi’s Takama player is a 3rd year student who placed 2nd in the prefectural high school general athletic meet’s individual competition. From Niigata, Gakkan Niigata’s Okada player is the only 1st year student in this group. In the individual competition, you stand on the competition field alone. There are no teammates to call out to. But you are not alone. Your respective hometowns of Tokushima, Aomori, and Niigata are waiting for your name. Your teachers, training partners, and family are surely watching with clasped hands. The fact that you have won through the two prefectural spots is already something to be proud of. So, swing with all your might. We send our full support for the three’s summer.
School Information
Johoku（城北）
- Official name
- 徳島県立城北高等学校
- Reading
- Johoku
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Tokushima Prefectural High School (co-educational). Credit-based system.
- Location
- 13-6 Kitamiyacho, 4-chome, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture.
- History
- Established in 1941 (Showa 16) as “Tokushima Prefectural Ijo Junior High School.” A new system junior high school was established alongside it with the school system reform of 1947, and in 1948 it was reorganized into “Tokushima Prefectural Tokushima Second High School” (a boys' school). In 1949, it was renamed “Tokushima Prefectural Johoku High School” and began coeducation, becoming “Tokushima Prefectural Johoku High School” in 1956. The comprehensive selection system was abolished and transitioned to a credit system in 2004. It celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2011.
- School motto/philosophy
- School motto: "Where there's a will, there's a way" (established May 1966)
- Department.
- Full-time course, General Studies and Science courses.
- Kendo Club
- Aiming for "academic and martial arts balance" in activities. Practice matches are held 1-2 times a month with teams from inside and outside the prefecture, and training sessions are also conducted at the Tokushima Prefectural Police Mobile Force. Competitive goals are to place in the National and Shikoku Tournaments. In fiscal year 2026, the men's A team won the Yamaya Flag Tournament in April, the men's team won the Chairman's Cup Tournament, the men's team and individual won and were runner-up at the Tokushima Prefectural High School General Sports Festival in June, and the men's team finished 3rd and the men's individual was runner-up at the Shikoku High School Kendo Championships. In the combined article of Let's Kendo, it is introduced as "[Johoku](Tokushima), which reached the semifinals of the Shikoku Tournament."
- Notes
- This tournament featured participation in both the men’s team and men’s individual events. This school is distinct from other schools with the same name in prefectures such as Kanagawa and Saitama.
Goshogawara Daiichi（五所川原第一）
- Official name
- 五所川原第一高等学校
- Reading
- Goshogawara Daiichi
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private coeducational school. School Corporation Tateda Gakuen. Commonly known as “Goshōichi.”
- Location
- Aomori Prefecture, Goshogawara City.
- History
- Founded in 1948, it became Goshogawara Katei Gakuen in 1949, and was later renamed under the school corporation Kantada Gakuen, with the establishment of a general academic course and the introduction of co-education, leading to its present form. It also has a correspondence course.
- Department.
- Full-time courses are offered alongside correspondence courses.
- Kendo Club
- "Kendo builds character" is our unchanging creed, and we aim for placement in the Tohoku Tournament and National Tournament. 25 club members (as of April 20, 2024, 11 first-years, 4 second-years, 10 third-years). First place in the Aomori Prefectural High School General Sports Meet Men's Team (8th time in 2 years), first place in the Men's Individual event, 成田選手, and second place, 髙間選手. Third place in the Men's Team at the 72nd Tohoku High School Kendo Championships (髙間選手 best 8, 成田選手 best 16 in the individual event). Runner-up in the Men's Team at the 15th Koryo Cup National Selected Kendo Tournament in April 2024 (lost 0-1 in the final to Akitashogyo業). Champion in the Men's Team at the Prefectural Newcomer Tournament in 2023 (7th time in 3 years). In the Hokkaido/Obihiro Inter-High in 2023, the Men's Team had 1 win and 1 loss in the preliminary league. 成田龍飛選手 has participated in the Inter-High individual event for 3 consecutive years.
- Notes
- This tournament features competition in both the men’s team and men’s individual events.
Gakkan Niigata（学館新潟）
- Official name
- 東京学館新潟高等学校
- Reading
- Gakkan Niigata
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (School Corporation Kamagata Gakuen). Coeducational.
- Location
- 185-1 Kanenoki, Chuo-ku, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture.
- History
- Founded with a ground-breaking ceremony in 1982 (Showa 57) and officially authorized in 1983 (Showa 58), this is a private school.
- School motto/philosophy
- "Nurturing well-rounded individuals is the motto of Tokyo Gakuen" (the specific school motto could not be confirmed in publicly available information).
- Department.
- Full-time general academic course (co-educational)
- Kendo Club
- In 2026 (fiscal year 2028), 岡田将 (1st year, 2nd dan) qualified for Inter-High through the Niigata Prefecture preliminaries in the boys' individual event. This is an appearance as a 1st-year student. The history and national tournament results of the kendo club could not be confirmed from publicly available information.
- Notes
- This tournament featured only male individual competitors. We have no record of female participation.
・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 Schools Library Johoku ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Goshogawara Daiichi ↗
・Notion Participating School Library Gakkan Niigata High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block formation, seeding (No. 7), first round (No. 8 vs. No. 9), and match field (No. 1) were determined according to the pairing chart in the official PDF “R8奈良総体≪男子個人戦≫” and the rule of odd-numbered blocks having the top seed/even-numbered blocks having the bottom seed.
- The names, prefectures, schools, grade levels, and ranks of three players are available in data/2026/kumiawase.json (based on the official PDF).
- School profiles for each school will reuse verified information from existing organization/individual articles (gakko_gaiyo) or be sourced from the Notion participating schools library and Wikipedia.
- The individual competition qualifying spots are two per prefecture, which determines the structure of the bracket.
- Note: The pronunciation of players' given names has not been confirmed, so only the family name is announced in the video audio.
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.