Seiko Gakuin・工藤! Men's Individual Block 16
Inter-High Men's Individual Competition - Second Arena. Seiko Gakuin’s 工藤煌大 (2nd year, 3rd dan) enters from the second round as a seed. In the first round, Naradai Fuzoku’s 社頭葵 (3rd year, 3rd dan) and Ikuei’s 菅倫太朗 (3rd year, 2nd dan) will compete. Attention is focused on the passionate battles of the three players who have overcome the prefectural qualifiers, carrying the history and tradition of each school.
The first three players in this block.
- No.46 社頭 葵奈良県Naradai Fuzoku（奈良大附属）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.47 菅 倫太朗兵庫県Ikuei（育英）／3Year・二Rank.
- No.48 工藤 煌大福島県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Seiko Gakuin（聖光学院）／2Year・三Rank.
Round 1: No.46 社頭 葵(Naradai Fuzoku) vs. No.47 菅 倫太朗(Ikuei)
Round 2: Winner of round 1 vs. No.48 工藤 煌大(Seiko Gakuin)
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
Seed of 工藤煌大
Seiko Gakuin’s 工藤煌大 (2nd year, 3rd dan) obtained a seed and will appear from the second round. Seiko Gakuin finished 3rd in the 2024 Inter-High men’s team event.
Naradai Fuzoku・社頭葵
Naradai Fuzoku’s 社頭葵 (3rd year, 3rd dan) is the representative of a traditional school boasting 49 consecutive Inter-High appearances. Naradai Fuzoku was founded in 1925, and its school motto is “Effort is genius.”
Ikuei・菅倫太朗
Ikuei’s 菅倫太朗 (3rd year, 2nd dan) is a representative of a prestigious school with 29 Inter-High appearances and a history of winning the All-Japan Selected Tournament. Ikuei was founded in 1899 and operates under the motto “Seriously aiming to be number one in Japan.”
Each school’s history and tradition.
Naradai Fuzoku was founded in 1925, Ikuei in 1899, and Seiko Gakuin in 1962, each with a long history and tradition. The kendo clubs of each school are rooted in the local community and have produced many players.
Three players advanced after winning the two qualifying spots for the prefecture.
Nara, Hyogo, and Fukushima prefectures. Three individuals who advanced through their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments to earn a spot in Inter-High. They overcame fierce competition and will not waste the opportunity they have fought so hard to achieve. Carrying the hopes of their respective prefectures, can they shine on the national stage?
Live broadcast「Seiko Gakuin・工藤! Men's Individual Block 16」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
社頭葵 player, 菅倫太朗 player, 工藤煌大 player. To you all who represent each prefecture and stand on the Inter-High stage, we send our heartfelt cheers. Standing on the competition grounds alone may be accompanied by loneliness. However, please believe in your own sword and fight to the very end with the efforts you have accumulated so far and the feelings of those who support you in your hearts. Having overcome the difficult prefectural preliminaries and seizing this stage, please give it your all. We sincerely support your success, as you carry the future of the kendo world of Nara Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture. Please make each of your kendo lives shine!
School Information
Naradai Fuzoku（奈良大附属）
- Official name
- 奈良大学附属高等学校
- Reading
- Naradai Fuzoku
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational). It is an affiliated school of 奈良大学 and has a system for internal advancement to the same university.
- Location
- Nara City, Akishino-cho, Nara Prefecture.
- History
- In June 1925 (Taisho 14), the history began with the establishment of Nantou Seikyo Middle School within the grounds of Yakushiji Temple in Tsujizato Village, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture, as a night school for working youth. Following the 1948 educational reform, it became Nara Prefectural Seikyo High School, and co-education was introduced in 1957.
- School motto/philosophy
- Founded on the spirit of "Living Correctly and Strongly" (Seikyo Spirit). School motto: "Effort is genius."
- Department.
- General Studies (Special Advancement Course, Liberal Arts Course, Standard Course)
- Kendo Club
- Inter-High for 49 consecutive years (total of 44 appearances), and the All-Japan High School Kendo Tournament in the spring for 22 consecutive years (total of 29 appearances). They have won the prefectural Inter-High qualifier 44 times in a row for 16 consecutive years. They have been runners-up twice, placed third four times, and reached the top 8 eleven times in national tournaments. They placed third in the All-Japan High School Kendo Tournament in March 2025. The women’s team has won the prefectural tournament 47 times in a row and the overall championship 96 times, and have reached the top 8 at Inter-High four times.
- Notes
- The participating schools from Nara Prefecture, the host location of this tournament.
Ikuei（育英）
- Official name
- 育英高等学校
- Reading
- Ikuei
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational)
- Location
- 2-15 Nagaobimachi, Nagata-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture
- History
- Founded in 1899. Renamed to "Kobe Ikuei Gakuen" in 1902, and "Kobe Type A Ikuei Commercial School" was established in 1915. The second gymnasium with a kendo dojo and judo dojo, also serving as a small auditorium, was completed in 1983.
- School motto/philosophy
- The founding principle of the school is "each individual has unique abilities." The slogan is "nurture the future, nurture the heart."
- Department.
- General studies (all courses will be reorganized from academic year 2025).
- Kendo Club
- 35 club members (10 third-year students, 15 second-year students, 10 first-year students). 29 Inter-High appearances (2 runner-up finishes, 5 third-place finishes), 21 All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament appearances (1 win, 2 runner-up finishes, 5 third-place finishes), 1 National Sports Festival win. They pursue activities with the motto "Seriously aiming to be number one in Japan." In the Hyogo Prefectural High School Athletic Federation tournament in June 2023, they defeated Kansei Gakuin 1-0 in the final to win their 30th consecutive team championship.
- Notes
- Saitama Prefecture's Ikuei Gakuen High School and a different school
Seiko Gakuin（聖光学院）
- Official name
- 聖光学院高等学校
- Reading
- Seiko Gakuin
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational). Established by the school corporation Seiko Gakuin.
- Location
- Rokkakku 3, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture (First Campus), 成田, Doi-no-uchi 10, Koori Town, Date District, Fukushima Prefecture (Second Campus)
- History
- Founded in 1962 (Showa 37) as Seiko Gakuin Industrial High School. Renamed to Seiko Gakuin High School in 1977 (Showa 52).
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is “To those who work with God.” The school name, 『聖光』, comes from Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world,” and the school provides education based on Christian principles. They have a unique educational philosophy called “80/3mind,” which posits that the three years of high school are the three years that determine one’s life.
- Department.
- General studies, engineering department.
- Kendo Club
- Designated school club for strengthening. 3rd place in the 71st Inter-High Men's Team in 2024. At the same tournament, 戸田皇聖 was selected as the Men's Outstanding Player, and 渡部楓 was selected as the Men's Outstanding Player at the 34th National High School Kendo Selection Tournament. In this tournament, they will participate as representatives of Fukushima Prefecture in the Men's Team and Men's Individual events, with 工藤煌大 player (2nd year, Sandan) and 齋藤正真 player (2nd year, Nidan) in the Men's Individual event.
- Notes
- Kanagawa Prefecture Yokohama City’s Seiko Gakuin Middle and High School is a different school. Its hardball baseball club is known as a frequent participant in the Koshien tournament.
・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 Naradai Fuzoku ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Ikuei ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Seiko Gakuin ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block arrangement, seeding (No. 48), and first round match-up (No. 46 vs. No. 47) and match field (No. 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.