Heated! Men's Individual Block 7
丹野蒼斗 (3rd year, 3rd dan) from Kogota Norin in Miyagi Prefecture, 越智日隆 (2nd year, 3rd dan) from Saibi High School in Ehime Prefecture, and 大河原靖太 (3rd year, 3rd dan) from Sano Nichidai in Tochigi Prefecture will compete in the first match arena. Sano Nichidai is a powerhouse school that placed 3rd in the Inter-High boys' team event in 2017. These three athletes, having won their respective prefectural qualifiers, will test their skills on the national stage.
The first three players in this block.
- No.19 丹野 蒼斗宮城県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Kogota Norin（小牛田農林）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.20 越智 日隆愛媛県Saibi（済美）／2Year・三Rank.
- No.21 大河原 靖太栃木県Sano Nichidai（佐野日大）／3Year・三Rank.
Round 1: No.20 越智 日隆(Saibi) vs No.21 大河原 靖太(Sano Nichidai)
Round 2: Winner of Round 1 vs No.19 丹野 蒼斗(Kogota Norin)
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
Seeded player 丹野
Kogota Norin's 3rd-year player 丹野蒼斗 (3rd dan) entered the tournament in the second round as a seeded player. Kogota Norin is a high school founded in 1882, and its kendo club has experience winning a national championship.
Player 越智 from Ehime
Saibi High School’s 2nd-year student 越智日隆 (3rd dan) participated as a representative of Ehime Prefecture. Details regarding the Saibi High School kendo team could not be confirmed in publicly available information. How far will 越智日隆 advance on this stage?
Sano Nichidai・大河原 player
Sano Nichidai 3rd-year player 大河原靖太 (3rd dan) is a Tochigi Prefecture representative. Sano Nichidai is a powerhouse school that boasts a 3rd place finish in the 2017 Inter-High boys' team competition. The school mottoes are "Independent Creation," "Academic and Athletic Excellence," and "Master and Disciple Walking Together."
The strength of a powerhouse school.
Sano Nichidai also won the men's team championship at the 2025 Nihon University Sports Festival. Will 大河原 be able to demonstrate the true strength of a powerhouse school?
Three players advanced after winning the two qualifying spots for the prefecture.
Miyagi, Ehime, and Tochigi Prefectures. These three competitors won their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments and earned their spots at Inter-High. Will they be able to demonstrate their skills on the national stage? A heated battle is anticipated.
Live broadcast「Heated! Men's Individual Block 7」
剣持 翔
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咲間 ひかり
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
丹野蒼斗 player, 越智日隆 player, 大河原靖太 player. These three challenge Inter-High, each with their kendo life on the line. Miyagi Prefecture, Ehime Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture. The kendo nurtured in each of these lands is full of individuality, powerful, and beautiful. The effort, sweat, and tears of each person are concentrated on this stage. Because you stand on the competition field alone, summon your courage and give it your all. We are cheering you on! Show the best kendo on this stage!
School Information
Kogota Norin（小牛田農林）
- Official name
- 宮城県小牛田農林高等学校
- Reading
- Kogota Norin
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Miyagi Prefectural (Co-educational)
- Location
- 30 Iseido-ura, Ushikai, Misato-cho, Tenda-gun, Miyagi Prefecture.
- History
- Founded in 1882 as a private sericulture training institute, it became the Enta County Sericulture Training Institute in 1888. It was transferred to the prefecture in 1910 and became the current high school with the educational system reform of 1948. A department reorganization in 1997 established the agricultural technology course and the comprehensive course. The founding anniversary ceremony is held every ten years on October 12th.
- Department.
- Agricultural Technology Department (Agricultural Science Course, Agricultural Civil Engineering Course), Comprehensive Academic Department (Natural Science Series, Humanities and Social Sciences Series, etc.)
- Kendo Club
- Won the boys' team championship at the 6th Inter-High (Kumamoto) in 1959. Their opponent in the final was Akitashogyo Industry. Traditionally strong in martial arts club activities, the sumo club and judo club also have a history of competing in national tournaments. In 2025, they won both the boys' and girls' team championships at the prefectural general athletic meet, and finished second in the boys' team and first in the girls' team at the prefectural rookie tournament. The team's goal is to "win the national championship."
- Notes
- The abbreviation is "Norin" or "Kogota Norin". "小牛田" is read as "Kogota".
Saibi（済美）
- Official name
- 済美高等学校
- Reading
- Saibi
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (Saibi Gakuen Educational Corporation)
- Location
- 7-9-1 Minatomachi, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture
- History
- Founded in April 1901. Saibi Higher Girls' School and Saibi Girls' School opened in 1911, and it was reorganized into Saibi High School in 1948. It became coeducational in 2002.
- School motto/philosophy
- School motto: "You can do it if you try"
- Department.
- Full-time course General Course (multiple tracks) / Art Course
- Kendo Club
- The boys' kendo team competed in the Inter-High in 2024, won the Shikoku High School Newcomers Tournament, won the Ehime Prefectural High School Championships, and placed 3rd in the Shikoku High School Championships. The girls' kendo team competed in the Inter-High, won the Ehime Prefectural High School Championships, and were runners-up in the Shikoku High School Championships.
- Notes
- History, school motto, and location are to be investigated (TODO).
Sano Nichidai（佐野日大）
- Official name
- 佐野日本大学高等学校
- Reading
- Sano Nichidai
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (School Corporation Sano Nihon University Gakuen). Nihon University’s affiliated high school.
- Location
- 2555 Ishizuka-machi, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture.
- History
- On May 1, 1964, Sano Nihon University High School (General Course) was founded alongside the establishment of the Sano Gakuen Educational Foundation.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Independent Creation," "Harmony of Literary and Martial Arts," and "Walking with Teacher and Student."
- Department.
- General Studies (Special Advancement Course α Class, Special Advancement Course, Super Advancement Course, Advancement Course)
- Kendo Club
- In the 64th All Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Inter-High) of 2017, the men's team placed 3rd (final 4). Introduced as "Kantō champions" in kendo media, they are one of the strongest men's teams in the Kantō region. They won the men's team event at the Japan University Sports Tournament (High School Division) Kendo Tournament in August 2025. In this tournament, in addition to the men's team event, 大河原靖太 and 川崎泰知 (both 3rd year, 3rd dan) will participate in the men's individual event.
- Notes
- The abbreviation is "Sano Nichidai". The school occupies both of Tochigi Prefecture's individual slots for boys.
・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 Kogota Norin ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Sano Nichidai ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block formation, seeding (No. 19), first round (No. 20 vs. No. 21), and match arena (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.