Heated battle! Men's Individual, Block 32.
The fourth match area, men's individual 32nd block, features 冨樫遵乃介 from Iwata Higashi High School representing Shizuoka Prefecture, 小塚聖由 from Kotohira High School representing Kagawa Prefecture, and 太田壮獅 from Takayama Nishi High School in Gifu Prefecture who earned a seeded position. The first round will see a heated battle as they face off against seeded player 太田選手.
The first three players in this block.
- No.94 冨樫 遵乃介静岡県Iwata Higashi（磐田東）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.95 小塚 聖由香川県Kotohira（琴平）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.96 太田 壮獅岐阜県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Takayama Nishi（高山西）／3Year・二Rank.
Round 1: No.94 冨樫 遵乃介(Iwata Higashi) vs. No.95 小塚 聖由(Kotohira)
Round 2: Winner of round 1 vs. No. 96 太田 壮獅(Takayama Nishi)
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
Shizuoka's strong team, Iwata Higashi
The Iwata Higashi High School, which boasts the 2025 Inter-High men’s team championship. Although they are not participating in the men’s team event in this tournament, 冨樫遵乃介 will compete in the men’s individual event. Despite not winning the prefectural qualifying final against Hamana High School, their strength is undeniable.
Kotohira High School, carrying the county on its back
The 小塚聖由 player from Kotohira High School, representing Kagawa Prefecture. While details cannot be confirmed with publicly available information, there is no doubt they are a strong player who advanced through the prefectural qualifiers. It will be interesting to see how well they perform on the Inter-High stage.
Seed of 太田壮獅
Takayama Nishi High School’s 太田壮獅 player has earned a seed and will enter from the second round. Takayama Nishi High School is known as a school that pursues both academic and martial arts excellence, and its kendo club also boasts a nationwide level of skill. This seeding reflects their track record at the Tokai Tournament, demonstrating their strength.
Takayama Nishi’s kendo spirit
Takayama Nishi High School emphasizes the fundamentals of daily life and aims to improve kendo skills through thoroughness in greetings and tidiness. This spirit is reflected in the saying, "A disturbed mind indicates a disturbed life."
Three players advanced after winning the two qualifying spots for the prefecture.
Shizuoka, Kagawa, and Gifu. These three individuals advanced through their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments and earned their spots at Inter-High. Who will emerge victorious from this block? A heated battle is anticipated.
Live broadcast「Heated battle! Men's Individual, Block 32.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
冨樫遵乃介 player, please demonstrate the momentum of your Inter-High victory even in the individual competition! 小塚聖由 player, as the representative of Kagawa Prefecture, fully demonstrate your ability! 太田壮獅 player, with the spirit of "文武両道" of Takayama Nishi High School in your heart, advance towards victory! The Inter-High stage is a place to fight alone. However, you are never alone. In each prefecture, there are friends, teachers, and family who support you. Turn those feelings into strength and dedicate everything to kendo! Shizuoka Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture. The kendo nurtured in each of these lands is full of individuality, strong, and beautiful. We look forward to the birth of new stars from this block! We hope that each swordsman believes in their own kendo and does their best!
School Information
Iwata Higashi（磐田東）
- Official name
- 磐田東高等学校(磐田東中学校・高等学校)
- Reading
- Iwata Higashi
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private coeducational school. It began accepting male students in 1984 as an attached middle and high school.
- Location
- 180-5 Mitake, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
- History
- In 1959, the high school was established. In 2003, the junior high school was established, and now provides a unified middle and high school education.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "The Way of the Mean." It originates from the Chinese classic *Doctrine of the Mean*, where "中" (chu) signifies correctness and impartiality, and "庸" (yo) represents constancy and unwavering principles.
- Department.
- General Studies (Special Selection Course, Comprehensive University Entrance Course, Future Exploration Course)
- Kendo Club
- They won the boys' team event at the 72nd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Hiroshima) in 2025, achieving the school's first Inter-High victory. They are not participating in the boys' team event in this tournament, as Hamana is the representative for the boys' team from Shizuoka Prefecture. According to the school's Notion page, this is because they lost to Hamana in the Shizuoka Prefecture qualifying final; therefore, they will participate in the girls' team, boys' individual (冨樫遵乃介), and girls' individual (田中萌心) events in this tournament. The school is also prestigious for soccer, having produced players such as 伊藤 Hiroki (FC Bayern Munich).
- Notes
- The previous tournament’s men’s team champions, but this tournament they are participating in the women’s team event and both the men’s and women’s individual events.
Kotohira（琴平）
- Official name
- 琴平高等学校
- Reading
- Kotohira
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Public (Kagawa Prefecture)
- Location
- 142-2 Kotohira Town, Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture
- History
- Opened in 1937 as Kagawa Prefecture Kotohira Practical Arts Higher Girls' School. In 1943, it was renamed Kotohira Town Kotohira Higher Girls' School, and in 1948, it was transferred to the prefecture to become Kagawa Prefectural Kotohira High School.
- Department.
- Full-time course, General stream
- Kendo Club
- The club motto is "Train the heart to win before learning the techniques to win." In FY2023, the boys' team competed in the All Japan Selected Tournament and the Inter-High, with a boys' individual reaching the best 8. In FY2024, the boys' team reached the best 16 in the All Japan Selected Tournament. At the 26th Shikoku High School Kendo Newcomer Tournament in January and February 2026, the boys' team won the championship, and boys' individuals took runner-up and 3rd place.
- Notes
- History, school motto, and location are to be investigated (TODO).
Takayama Nishi（高山西）
- Official name
- 高山西高等学校
- Reading
- Takayama Nishi
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational)
- Location
- 353 Shimo-Hayashi-machi, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture.
- History
- Founded in August 1962.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Sincerity, Health, Common Sense, Effort, and Harmony." The school slogan is "As a school pursuing both academic and martial arts excellence, we wholeheartedly support students in achieving their dreams!"
- Department.
- General Studies (Special Advanced Course I & II, Keisetsu Course)
- Kendo Club
- Advisor is 前川矩英, vice-advisor is 木伏智仁, and coach is 前川綾. Takayama Nishi Practice is held at the high school martial arts hall from after school until 18:45 on weekdays, and for half a day or for away trips on weekends and holidays. The goals are "national domination" for the men and "number one in Japan" for the women. Based on the idea that "a disturbed mind means a disturbed life," they emphasize the basics of daily life such as greetings and tidiness. Main achievements include best 16 in the men's team and men's individual at the National High School General Athletic Meet, best 16 in the women's team and best 8 in the women's individual, and a runner-up finish in the men's team and a win in both the team and individual events at the Tokai High School General Athletic Meet. The men's team made their Inter-High debut in 2011.
- Notes
- This tournament features competition in the women’s team event, men’s individual event, and women’s individual event.
・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 Iwata Higashi ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Takayama Nishi ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block assignments, seeding (No. 96), and the first round match-up (No. 94 vs. No. 95) and match location (Court 4) 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.