Nationwide B League! Women's Team Competition.
B League in the first arena featured Kogota Norin(Miyagi), the 1959 Inter-High boys' team champion and a participant in all four categories (boys' and girls' team and individual) in this tournament; Tokaidai Sapporo(Hokkaido), with a record of 3rd place in the Inter-High boys' and girls' team events; and Imabari Seika(Ehime), which has won the girls' team prefectural qualifiers for the National Selection for four consecutive years. In a round-robin format with two matches per school, only one school will advance to the final tournament. With Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Shikoku, the lineup spans the length of the Japanese archipelago.
These three schools.
- Kogota Norin（小牛田農林）Miyagi PrefectureMen's team.Girls' team.Men's IndividualWomen's IndividualMen's Individual: 丹野 蒼斗Players(3Year) / Women's Individual: 佐々木 カンナPlayers(3Year)
- Tokaidai Sapporo（東海大札幌）HokkaidoGirls' team.Men's IndividualWomen's IndividualMen's Individual: 三井 湊太Players(3Year) / Women's Individual: 髙橋 一絆Players(3Year)、島宗 和花Players(1Year)
- Imabari Seika（今治精華）Ehime Prefecture.Girls' team.Women's IndividualWomen's Individual: 伊丹 椿Players(2Year)、成川 麗愛Players(2Year)
The one school that broke through will face the winners of League A (Sakuragaoka(山口), Shirayuri Gakuen(熊本), Akitakita(秋田)) in the first round of the final tournament.
Highlights
Round-robin tournament between three schools – only one team can advance.
The preliminary league will be a round-robin between three schools, with each school playing two matches. The team match consists of five members: Senpo, Jiho, Chuken, Fukusho, and Taisho. The winner is decided by the number of wins, and if tied, by the number of points. In the official results of the previous tournament, the number of wins and points were listed together, such as "3(6)-1(2)". Only one school from each league can advance to the knockout tournament. The school that advances from League B will play against the winner of League A in the first round of the knockout tournament.
Kogota Norin competing in all 4 divisions
Kogota Norin, a prefectural agricultural high school in Misato-cho, Toda-gun, Miyagi Prefecture, will compete in all four categories of this tournament: Men's Team, Women's Team, Men's Individual, and Women's Individual. For the Women's Individual, 佐々木カンナ (3rd year, 3rd dan) will compete. According to the school's kendo club page, the Women's Team achieved consecutive titles at the prefectural general tournament and has won the prefectural newcomers' tournament for three consecutive years. With "National Championship" as the club's goal, they practice from 16:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and from 8:45 to 12:00 on weekends and holidays.
The title of “Inter-High Champion” held by 県立農業高校.
Kogota Norin is the champion school that won the boys' team event at the 6th Inter-High (Kumamoto) in 1959. Their opponent in the final at that time was Akitashogyogyo. Founded in 1882 as a private sericulture training center, the school was transferred to the prefecture in 1910 and became the current high school during the educational system reform of 1948, with departments in agricultural technology and general studies. The national champion from 67 years ago now stands in the first arena in Nara as the Tohoku representative for the girls' team event.
"Seiken Fumetsu" — Inter-High men's and women's team 3rd place Tokaidai Sapporo
Sapporo City Minami Ward’s private Tokai University Attached Sapporo High School opened in 1964 as Tokai University Fourth High School and changed to its current name in 2016. The kendo club aims for constant victory with the motto “Seiken Fumetsu” and aspires to national domination!! According to the official website, the club has qualified for national tournaments more than 35 times for boys and 6 times for girls, and has achieved 3rd place in the Inter-High team event for both genders, as well as 1 runner-up and 3 3rd-place finishers in the individual event. It has produced 6 graduates who have passed the 8th dan kendo examination. In this tournament, they will send 髙橋一絆 and first-year student 島宗和花 to the girls’ individual event, and 三井湊太 to the boys’ individual event, in addition to the girls’ team event.
Founded 20 years ago, Imabari Seika’s four consecutive victories in the national qualifying tournament for prefectural preliminaries.
Ehime Prefecture Imabari City's private Imabari Seika High School was established in 1925 as Imabari Seika Higher Girls' School. The kendo club is celebrating its 20th anniversary and proclaims, "We endure daily rigorous practice with the goal of national domination and strive together as a team to become mentally strong." According to the official kendo club page, they won the prefectural overall championship in the women's team event (Inter-High and Shikoku Tournament qualification), the Shikoku Championship in the women's team event, and the women's team won the national selection tournament qualifiers for the fourth consecutive year, while the men's team achieved their first victory. The women's individual event features two second-year students, 伊丹椿 and 成川麗愛.
Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Shikoku – a nationwide Group B.
The B League consists of Tokaidai Sapporo from Hokkaido, Kogota Norin from Tohoku/Miyagi, and Imabari Seika from Shikoku/Ehime, a combination of three schools located furthest apart geographically. Opponents who rarely face each other during regular trips or practice matches will clash immediately in the first day's round-robin. All three schools—Kogota Norin, Tokaidai Sapporo, and Imabari Seika—also have athletes competing in the women's individual events, sharing a common goal of staking their summer on both the team and individual competitions.
Live broadcast「Nationwide B League! Women's Team Competition.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
To everyone at Kogota Norin, the girls now carry the name of the school that stood at the top of the nation 67 years ago as they stand in Nara. 佐々木カンナ, give everything you have from the training you accumulated in Miyagi. To everyone at Tokaidai Sapporo, the four characters of "Seiken Fumetsu" are words that exist beyond the results. 髙橋一絆 and first-year student 島宗和花, I want you to swing the sword of the North with all your might. To everyone at Imabari Seika, the journey of surpassing Shikoku in the 20 years since the club's founding is a pride in itself. 伊丹椿 and 成川麗愛, please show us the young kendo of Setouchi. Two of the three schools will surely experience regret, but the fact that you challenged yourselves this summer will not disappear. To all three schools, may you have two matches without regrets.
To the five members from Senpo to Taisho.
Weekdays from 16:00 to 18:00, and weekends and holidays from 8:45 in the morning. This is the amount of time the Kogota Norin kendo club has spent in training. Whether it is Imabari Seika, founded twenty years ago, or Tokaidai Sapporo, which upholds the motto "Seiken Fumetsu," they have all spent an equal amount of time on the dojo floor. The names currently listed are 佐々木カンナ from Kogota Norin, 髙橋一絆 and 島宗和花 from Tokaidai Sapporo, and 伊丹椿 and 成川麗愛 from Imabari Seika. However, five members from each school will fight in the team match; all fifteen will ready their shinai and go for an ippon. The remaining names will be announced in the order of the day. Fifteen people from Hokkaido, Miyagi, and Ehime—please let us hear your names here in Nara.
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. The curriculum was reorganized in 1997 with the establishment of the Agricultural Technology Course and the Comprehensive Course.
- 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. According to the school kendo club page, the girls' team won the prefectural general competition for two consecutive years and the prefectural novice competition for three consecutive years. The club aims for "national championship" and practices from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on weekdays and from 8:45 AM to 12:00 PM on weekends and holidays, and also holds in-school training camps, practice matches, and away trips. This tournament will feature all four categories: boys' team, girls' team, boys' individual, and girls' individual.
- Notes
- The abbreviation is "Norin" or "Kogota Norin". "小牛田" is read as "Kogota".
Tokaidai Sapporo（東海大札幌）
- Official name
- 東海大学付属札幌高等学校
- Reading
- Tokaidai Sapporo
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational). Affiliated school of Tokai University.
- Location
- 1-1-1 Nanazawa 5-jo 1-chome, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido.
- History
- Founded as Tokai University Fourth High School in April 1964. The school relocated to its current location in April 2016 and changed its name to Tokai University Affiliated Sapporo High School.
- School motto/philosophy
- Providing education based on the founding spirit of Tokai University (details are posted on the academy website).
- Department.
- General Studies (Special Advanced Course・Comprehensive Advanced Course)
- Kendo Club
- The team’s goal is “Victory with unwavering spirit and technique!” aiming for national dominance!! According to the school kendo club page, they have qualified for the All Japan High School Kendo Tournament more than 35 times for the boys and 6 times for the girls, achieving 3rd place in both the boys’ and girls’ team events at Inter-High, as well as one 2nd place and three 3rd place finishes in the individual competition. They have also produced 6 graduates who have passed the 8th dan kendo examination. As of 2021, the club has 25 male and 12 female members. Practice takes place in the Kendo Dojo (2nd floor of the Second Gymnasium) on weekdays after school until 7:30 PM, and on weekends and holidays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
- Notes
- At schools affiliated with Tokai University, the term "affiliated" is used.
Imabari Seika（今治精華）
- Official name
- 今治精華高等学校
- Reading
- Imabari Seika
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational)
- Location
- 2-1-34 Nakahiyoshi, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture
- History
- Founded in 1925 as Imabari Seika Higher Girls' School. The school building was completely destroyed by war damage in 1945 and rebuilt the following year. The school changed its name to its current name in 1950, and became coeducational in all departments with the establishment of a general course in 1993. A correspondence course was established in 2003.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school promotes the principle of “respecting each and every student and providing education tailored to their perspective.”
- Department.
- Full-time courses include Regular Course I, Regular Course II, and Culinary Arts. Additionally, there is a Regular Course in the correspondence education program.
- Kendo Club
- Founded 20 years ago. With the motto "To endure rigorous daily training and become mentally strong as a united team, aiming for national domination," the club strives to cultivate well-rounded individuals. According to the school kendo club’s page, they achieved first place in the women’s team event and second place in the men’s team event at the prefectural general sports meet (qualifying for Inter-High and the Shikoku Tournament), first place in the women’s team event at the Shikoku Championships, and the women’s team won first place for four consecutive years and the men’s team won first place for the first time in the Inter-High qualifying tournament. They also competed in the women’s team and individual events at the 2025 Hiroshima Inter-High.
・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: Summary of the History and Achievements of Kogota Norin High School Kendo Club ↗
・Notion Participating School Library Tokaidai Sapporo High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Notion Participating School Library Imabari Seika High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Wikipedia Miyagi Prefecture Kogota Norin High School ↗
・Miyagi Prefecture Kogota Norin High School Kendo Club ↗
・Miyagi Prefecture Kogota Norin High School Department Guide ↗
・Wikipedia Tokai University Attached Sapporo High School ↗
・Tokai University Attached Sapporo High School Kendo Club ↗
・Tokai University Attached Sapporo High School Official Website ↗
・Wikipedia Imabari Seika High School ↗
・Imabari Seika High School Kendo Club ↗
・Imabari Seika High School Official Site ↗
・72nd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Hiroshima 2025) – Tournament Quick Report ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- League organization (Kogota Norin/Tokaidai Sapporo/Imabari Seika), first match court, individual competitors from each school, and the B vs A match in the final tournament are from data/2026/league_briefs.json and data/2026/kumiawase.json (derived from official PDF)
- School names, participation categories, and prefectures can be found on the school-specific pages of the Notion “2026 Inter-High Kendo Participating Schools Library.”
- Kogota Norin's 1959 6th Inter-High boys' team championship (opponent in the final was Akitashogyo業), history, and departments are on Wikipedia and the school's official website. The girls' team's consecutive prefectural general tournament wins, three consecutive years of prefectural newcomers' tournament championships, club goals, and practice hours are on the school's kendo club page.
- Cross-check that Kogota Norin is participating in all four categories of men's and women's team and individual events using the Notion school pages and kumiawase.json.
- Tokaidai Sapporo’s founding (1964, Tokai University Fourth High School), the school name change in 2016, location, and courses are on Wikipedia. The club’s goal is “Seiken Fumetsu,” the number of national tournament appearances (men 35+ times, women 6 times), Inter-High mixed team 3rd place, 6 8-dan graduates, and the number of club members (academic year 2021) are on the school kendo club page.
- Imabari Seika’s founding (Imabari Seika Higher Girls' School in 1925), history, location, and departments are on Wikipedia. The kendo club is in its 20th year since founding, won the prefectural overall women’s team championship, the Shikoku championship women’s team championship, and the national selection qualifier women’s team championship for four consecutive years, and the men’s team won for the first time; participation in the Hiroshima Inter-High is on the school kendo club page.
- For team matches with five players, and judging based on the number of wins (points), please refer to the score notation on the official results website for the 2025 Hiroshima Tournament (e.g., 3(6)-1(2)).
- Since this is before the tournament, I have not described any details of the matches – the attacks and defenses, wins and losses, or rankings. Only facts that can be read from the pairings and previously reported results are included.
- Note that the kendo club page for Imabari Seika also lists the past individual results of other players, but these do not match the players participating in this tournament, so they are not quoted in this article.
- The player names have not been confirmed, so furigana are not included.
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.