Kendo heated battle! Men's individual 9th block
The second match features three players: Meiho from Oita Prefecture, Taisha from Shimane Prefecture, and Kamakura Gakuen from Kanagawa Prefecture. The seeded player 伊藤光佑(Meiho) will enter from the second round. In the first round, 諏訪颯司(Taisha) and 稲葉慧(Kamakura Gakuen) will compete. This block has gathered skilled players who have won their respective prefectural preliminaries.
The first three players in this block.
- No.25 伊藤 光佑大分県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Meiho（明豊）／3Year・二Rank.
- No.26 諏訪 颯司島根県Taisha（大社）／2Year・三Rank.
- No.27 稲葉 慧神奈川県Kamakura Gakuen（鎌倉学園）／3Year・三Rank.
Round 1: No.26 諏訪 颯司(Taisha) vs. No.27 稲葉 慧(Kamakura Gakuen)
Round 2: Winner of Round 1 vs. No. 25 伊藤 光佑(Meiho)
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 Meiho 伊藤
伊藤光佑 is a member of the Meiho High School kendo team. Coming in as a seeded player for the second round, their school has a strong record of being the runner-up at Inter-High for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025, and placing third in 2019 and 2021.
Taisha・諏訪's challenge
諏訪颯司 plays as a representative of Taisha High School in Shimane Prefecture. His school's women's team achieved 3rd place at the All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament in March 2026, and expectations are high for this male player's ability.
Kamakura Gakuen・稲葉's pride
稲葉慧 is the representative from Kamakura Gakuen High School. Showing the strength of a traditional school that was runner-up in the 1968 Inter-High men's team event. They advanced through the Kanagawa Prefecture qualifiers as runner-up and secured a spot in the Inter-High.
A clash between strong schools.
Inter-High with a wealth of results Meiho High School, Taisha High School with good results in the National Selection, and the traditional Kamakura Gakuen High School. Each school's pride is at stake, and a heated battle will unfold. Attention will be focused on how far the three who won through the two prefectural qualifying spots will advance.
Live broadcast「Kendo heated battle! Men's individual 9th block」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
伊藤光佑 player, 諏訪颯司 player, 稲葉慧 player. To you all who represent your respective prefectures and stand on the stage of Inter-High, we send our heartfelt cheers. Standing on the competition grounds alone may be lonely. However, your back is surely filled with the support of your hometown, the passionate guidance of your teacher, the rigorous training with your teammates, and the warm love of your family. Raise the kendo world of Oita Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture, and forge a brilliant future. Let your kendo life shine even more brightly on the greatest stage of Inter-High!
School Information
Meiho（明豊）
- Official name
- 明豊高等学校(明豊中学・高等学校)
- Reading
- Meiho
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (co-educational). A combined junior and senior high school established by the 別府 University educational corporation.
- Location
- 3088 Noguchihara, 別府 City, Oita Prefecture
- History
- The origin is the Hoshu Girls' School, founded in 1908 (Meiji 41). The school became the 別府 University Affiliated High School in 1958, after passing through Showa Jissen Girls' School, Hoshu Higher Girls' School, Oita Girls' High School, and Jiyugaoka High School. In 1998, the Educational Corporation 別府 University and the Educational Corporation Myojo Gakuen merged, and in April 1999, Meiho Junior High School and Meiho High School opened. The two former schools closed in 2001. The school name combines "Myo" (bright) from Myojo and "Ho" (abundant) from Hoshu Girls' School.
- Department.
- Full-time courses: General academic course (Special Advanced class, University-High School Collaboration class, Physical Education major class), Health Nursing course, Nursing course (Advanced program), Correspondence course: General academic course.
- Kendo Club
- At Inter-High for the men’s team, they were runners-up for two consecutive years in 2024 (71st) and 2025 (72nd), and placed third in 2019 (66th) and 2021 (68th). In the All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament for the men’s team, they won in 2022 (31st) and were runners-up in 2019 (28th). For the men’s individual event, Yamashita Kenki won at Inter-High in 2024. The women’s team were runners-up at Inter-High in 2022 and 2023, and placed third in 2024. They won at the All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament in 2024 and were runners-up in 2022, 2025, and 2026. They will participate in all four divisions – men’s and women’s team and individual – at this tournament.
- Notes
- In school introductions, the kendo club, table tennis club, baseball club, and women’s basketball club are said to be at a national level. The baseball club was the runner-up in the 2021 Spring Koshien tournament.
Taisha（大社）
- Official name
- 島根県立大社高等学校
- Reading
- Taisha
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Shimane Prefectural (Co-educational)
- Location
- Shimane Prefecture, Izumo City Taisha Kitahara-ki 1473
- History
- Founded in 1898 (Meiji 31) as the Shimane Prefectural Hikawa Normal Junior High School under the jurisdiction of Hikawa District. A women's school (practical training school) was established in 1909. In 1948, it split into First and Second High Schools, and in 1949, it was integrated to become the Shimane Prefectural Taisha High School, a coeducational institution. A physical education course was established in 1973, and it moved to the Hamayama New School Building in 1980.
- Department.
- General studies and physical education (the only high school in Shimane Prefecture with a physical education program).
- Kendo Club
- In March 2026, the team placed third in the women’s team event at the 35th All-Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament (Kasugai City General Gymnasium). They also placed third in the women’s team event at the 2010 Okinawa Inter-High. The club has 25 male and 13 female members, and promotes “Goal: To be the best in Japan, Purpose: Character development,” emphasizing both academic and martial arts excellence, as well as a fulfilling lifestyle. At this tournament, they competed in all four categories: men’s team, women’s team, men’s individual, and women’s individual.
- Notes
- The school name is derived from Izumo Taisha. It is read as "Taisha".
Kamakura Gakuen（鎌倉学園）
- Official name
- 鎌倉学園高等学校
- Reading
- Kamakura Gakuen
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (School Corporation Kamakura Gakuen). Integrated junior and senior high school (since 1986).
- Location
- 110 Yamanouchi, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
- History
- Founded on September 10, 1921, by Sugawara Tokuyasu, the head priest of the Kencho-ji school of Zen Buddhism, as the former “鎌倉中学校”. Following postwar educational reforms, it became a new system middle and high school, and began unified middle and high school education in 1986. The school grounds are located on the site of “玉雲庵”, a sub-temple of Kencho-ji, ranked first among the Five Great Temples of Kamakura.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Reigi Renchi" (Rei = maintaining decorum, Gi = not showing off, Ren = not concealing faults, Chi = not being led into evil). The educational philosophy is "Bunbu Ryodo" (the way of the pen and the sword).
- Department.
- General studies course.
- Kendo Club
- In 1968, the team was runner-up in the Inter-High men's team event. In fiscal year 2013, they reached the best 8 in the All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament. In recent years, they were runner-up in the Kantō block of the National Sports Festival in Reiwa 3, qualified for the Kantō tournament team event in Reiwa 5, and finished 3rd in the Inter-High qualifying team event in Reiwa 6, among other achievements. On June 20, 2026, they won the Kanagawa Prefectural High School General Athletic Meet Kendo Competition men's team event (their opponent in the final was Yokohama), and according to the Yomiuri Shimbun, they secured a spot in the Inter-High for the first time in about 52 years. 稲葉慧 player, who was runner-up in the prefectural qualifying, will participate in the men's individual event.
- Notes
- A school other than Kanagawa Prefectural Kamakura High School.
・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 Meiho ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Taisha ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Kamakura Gakuen ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block assignments, seeding (No. 25), and the first round match-up (No. 26 vs. No. 27) and match arena (Arena 2) were determined according to the bracket 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.