Bearing the name of champions! P League Women's Team Competition.
The P League at the fourth venue includes the name of the previous tournament’s boys’ team champion. Shizuoka’s private Iwata Higashi achieved its first boys’ team championship at the 72nd tournament (Hiroshima) in 2025, but is not participating in the boys’ team event at this tournament. Shizuoka Prefecture’s boys’ team representative is Hamana, and Iwata Higashi will travel to Nara for the girls’ team, boys’ individual, and girls’ individual events. The same group includes Meiho of Oita, which is participating in all four divisions of team and individual events for both boys and girls, and Nagasakihigashi, a Nagasaki prefectural public high school with a history of winning the Tamaryūkki three times. It is a round-robin tournament with two matches per school, and only one school will advance. The winner will play the winner of the O League in the first round of the knockout tournament.
These three schools.
- Iwata Higashi（磐田東）Shizuoka PrefectureGirls' team.Men's IndividualWomen's IndividualWomen's Individual: 田中 萌心Players(2Year)
- Meiho（明豊）Ōita PrefectureMen's team.Girls' team.Men's IndividualWomen's IndividualWomen's Individual: 渡邊 愛菜Players(3Year)
- Nagasakihigashi（長崎東）Nagasaki Prefecture.Girls' team.
The one school that advanced will play against the winners of League O (Kyoai Gakuen (Gunma), Aterazawa (Yamagata), Takayama Nishi (Gifu)) in the first round of the finals tournament.
Highlights
Round-robin tournament between three schools; only one school advances.
The preliminary league is a round-robin between three schools, with each school playing two matches. According to the tournament regulations of Wikipedia's "All Japan High School Kendo Tournament," the team competition is held as a league match with three teams in each group, and the top team from each group—a total of 16 teams—advances to the knockout tournament. If the team points, number of wins, and points are all tied, a deciding match will determine the outcome. The team competition consists of five players: Senpo, Jiho, Chuken, Fukusho, and Taisho. The one school that advances from the P League will play the winner of the O League (Kyoai Gakuen・Aterazawa・Takayama Nishi) in the first round of the knockout tournament.
The name of the previous year’s champions is not on the men’s team list.
According to the list of past winning schools for the "All Japan High School Kendo Tournament" on Wikipedia, Iwata Higashi (Shizuoka) won the 72nd tournament in 2025 (Hiroshima) in the men's team event, marking their first championship. However, Iwata Higashi’s name is not among the 48 schools participating in this tournament’s men's team event. The Shizuoka Prefecture men's team representative is Hamana (Men's O League). According to the school page on Notion, Iwata Higashi lost to Hamana in the final of the Shizuoka Prefecture qualifying tournament, and failed to achieve consecutive wins in the men's team event. The members of Iwata Higashi, who will compete in the women's team, men's individual, and women's individual events, will head to Nara carrying the weight of being the previous champions.
"The Way of Moderation" is the motto of Iwata Higashi
Private Iwata Higashi High School, located in Mitsuke, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture, opened in 1959 and became a combined junior and senior high school after opening its junior high school in 2003. The school motto is "The Way of the Golden Mean," derived from the Chinese classic "Zhongyong," where "Zhong" means not being biased and "Yong" means remaining constant. The high school offers three courses: the Special Selection Course, the General Academic Course, and the Future Inquiry Course. It is also known as a powerhouse for soccer, producing players such as 伊藤 洋輝 of FC Bayern Munich. For the individual events of this tournament, the school is represented by 冨樫遵乃介 (3rd year, 3rd dan) in the men's individual and 田中萌心 (2nd year, 3rd dan) in the women's individual.
Sent all 4 divisions to Meiho
Private Meiho High School in Noguchihara, 別府 City, Oita Prefecture, began with the opening of Hoshu Girls' School on April 12, 1908. It took its current form in 2001 through the merger of the School Corporation 別府 University, which operated 別府 University Affiliated High School, and the School Corporation Myojo Gakuen, which operated Myojo Junior and Senior High School. It consists of a General Course (Special Advanced Class, High School-University Collaboration Class, Physical Education Major Class), a Health and Nursing Course, and a Correspondence General Course. In this tournament, the school will participate as the Oita Prefecture representative in all four categories: Men's Team, Women's Team, Men's Individual, and Women's Individual (the Men's Team is in K-League). The Women's Individual representative is 渡邊愛菜, and the Men's Individual representatives are 伊藤光佑 and 矢野昊雅.
The prestigious school Nagasakihigashi that has won the Tamaryu Flag three times.
Nagasaki Prefectural Nagasaki Municipal Yama Prefectural/Nagasakihigashi High School was founded on November 1, 1948, through the integration of Nagasaki Middle School, Nagasaki Higher Girls' School, Keiu High School, and Nagasaki Municipal Higher Girls' School. It moved to the Tatsuyama area in 1976 and became a junior and senior high school in 2004, offering general and international courses (established in 2015). The school does not have a motto, but uses the slogan "Gather here! Those who harbor aspirations and those who burn with ambition, to create a good world together." In kendo, the men's team won the Tamaryu Flag High School Kendo Tournament in 1970, 1972, and 1980.
Will there be a “clash of former champions” in the first round of the tournament bracket?
A school that broke through the P League will face the winner of the O League in the first round of the final tournament. That O League includes Aterazawa (Yamagata) – the former champion, which won the Inter-High women’s team competition twice in 1992 and 1998. Iwata Higashi, which won the men’s team competition in the previous tournament, and Aterazawa, the former women’s team champion. If both schools break through their respective leagues, “schools that know the peak of the nation” will face each other in the first round of the women’s team final tournament, even if the events are different. However, the P League also includes all four divisions of Meiho, and Nagasakihigashi which has won the Tamaryokuki three times.
Live broadcast「Bearing the name of champions! P League Women's Team Competition.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
Iwata Higashi, Meiho, Nagasakihigashi. The girls carry the signboard of the previous tournament’s boys’ team champions, with 田中萌心 and 冨樫遵乃介 players in Iwata Higashi, while Meiho sends 渡邊愛菜, 伊藤光佑, and 矢野昊雅 players to all four divisions, and Nagasakihigashi, which has a history of winning the Tamaryu Flag three times, carries the name of Nagasaki as a prefectural advanced school. The size of the signboard and the color of the school are different, but there is no difference in the amount of sweat shed to stand on this field. There is only one qualifying spot. Nevertheless, the practice they have dedicated themselves to this summer cannot be denied by anyone. Fight the two matches with no regrets, and with all your might.
To the five members from Senpo to Taisho.
School motto "The Way of Moderation" — to be correct and unbiased, and to remain constant. These are words that Iwata Higashi has inherited. This year, the five members of the women’s team will carry the banner of last year’s men’s team champions. The two players with names in the women’s individual competition are Iwata Higashi’s 田中萌心 and Meiho’s 渡邊愛菜. Nagasakihigashi will only participate in the women’s team competition and does not have a name in the individual competition, but the five members of the school that has won the Tamaryu Flag three times will step onto the competition grounds carrying the name of Nagasaki. The team competition is a five-person system. Everyone will hold their shinai and go for an ippon. On August 2nd, if the order is announced, the names of all fifteen members will be called. Let us hear those names in Nara.
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.
Meiho（明豊）
- Official name
- 明豊高等学校(明豊中学校・高等学校)
- Reading
- Meiho
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational)
- Location
- 3088 Noguchihara, 別府 City, Oita Prefecture
- History
- Founded as Toshu Women's School on April 12, 1908. It took its current form in April 1999, and was established in April 2001 through the merger of 学校法人別府大学, which operated Beppu University Affiliated High School, and 学校法人明星学園, which operated Meisei Junior and Senior High Schools.
- Department.
- General Studies (Special Advanced Placement Class, University-High School Collaboration Class, Sports Specialized Class), Nursing, Distance Learning General Studies
- Kendo Club
- This tournament, the 大分県 representatives will participate in all four categories: men’s team, women’s team, men’s individual, and women’s individual (the men’s team is from Kリーグ). The men’s individual competitors are 伊藤光佑 (3rd year, 2nd dan) and 矢野昊雅 (3rd year, 2nd dan), and the women’s individual competitor is 渡邊愛菜 (3rd year, 2nd dan). The school is nationally known for its baseball club.
- Notes
- 矢野昊雅 is sometimes misread as “奨雅” by OCR of publicly available documents, but “昊雅” is the correct notation according to official documents from the Oita Prefectural High School Sports Federation (according to a Notion page).
Nagasakihigashi（長崎東）
- Official name
- 長崎県立長崎東高等学校(長崎県立長崎東中学校・高等学校)
- Reading
- Nagasakihigashi
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Nagasaki Prefectural High School (co-educational). It has been a junior and senior high school since 2004.
- Location
- 13-1 Yamanome-machi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture.
- History
- Founded on November 1, 1948, through the merger of Nagasaki Junior High School, Nagasaki Higher Girls' School, Keiu High School, and Nagasaki City Higher Girls' School. Relocated to the Tateyama area in 1976, and integrated a junior high school in 2004.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school does not have a formal motto, but displays the slogan “Gather here! Those who harbor aspirations and those who burn with ambition – to create a better world together” and the educational goal of “Building the best school in Japan, where every student can shine.”
- Department.
- General studies, International studies (established in 2015)
- Kendo Club
- They have won the Tamaryūkki High School Kendo Tournament in the men’s division in 1970, 1972, and 1980. This year, they will participate as the Nagasaki Prefecture representative in the women’s team event.
- Notes
- The Tamaryu Flag champions have always been men's teams. This tournament only features women's team participation.
・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. ↗
・Wikipedia All Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Past Champions & Tournament Regulations) ↗
・Wikipedia Tamaryu-ki High School Kendo Tournament 本日、<a href="https://tamaryu.jp/">玉竜旗高校剣道大会</a>の試合結果を報告します。 Today, I will report the results of the <a href="https://tamaryu.jp/">Tamaryu-ki High School Kendo Tournament</a>. <a href="https://tamaryu.jp/">玉竜旗</a>は、高校剣道界では最も権威のある大会の一つです。 The <a href="https://tamaryu.jp/">Tamaryu-ki</a> is one of the most prestigious tournaments in high school kendo. 今回の大会では、各校の先鋒、次鋒、中堅、副将、大将が激戦を繰り広げました。 In this tournament, each school’s Senpo, Jiho, Chuken, Fukusho, and Taisho fought fiercely. 試合は一本勝負で行われ、勝者数は各校の総合力を測る指標となります。 Matches were decided by ippon, and the number of wins served as an indicator of each school’s overall strength. また、取得本数も重要な要素であり、積極的な攻撃が評価されました。 The number of points taken was also an important factor, and aggressive attacks were highly valued. 特に、代表戦では、各校の代表選手がしのぎを削り、見応えのある試合が展開されました。 In particular, the deciding match featured representative players from each school competing fiercely, resulting in exciting matches. <a href="https://tamaryu.jp/">玉竜旗</a>は、Inter-Highへの出場権をかけた重要な大会でもあります。 The <a href="https://tamaryu.jp/">Tamaryu-ki</a> is also an important tournament for qualifying for Inter-High. 今回の大会の結果は、今後の高校剣道界に大きな影響を与えるでしょう。 The results of this tournament will likely have a significant impact on the future of high school kendo. ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Iwata Higashi High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Meiho High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Notion Participating School Library Nagasakihigashi High School Kendo Club History and Achievements Summary ↗
・Wikipedia Iwata Higashi middle and high school ↗
・Wikipedia Meiho middle and high school ↗
・Meiho Middle and High School Official Website ↗
・Wikipedia Nagasaki Prefectural Nagasakihigashi Junior High School/High School ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- League formation (Iwata Higashi・Meiho・Nagasakihigashi), fourth venue, individual competition participants from each school, P vs O matchups in the knockout tournament are in data/2026/kumiawase.json and data/2026/league_briefs.json (based on the official PDF).
- This tournament’s men’s team does not have Iwata Higashi, and that Shizuoka Prefecture’s men’s team representative is Hamana (Men’s O League) can be confirmed in the men’s team league formation in data/2026/kumiawase.json.
- Iwata Higashi is the men’s team champion (first championship) of the 72nd tournament (Hiroshima) in 2025, as listed in the Wikipedia article “All Japan High School Kendo Tournament”’s list of past champions.
- Iwata Higashi lost to Hamana in the Shizuoka Prefecture qualifying final, as described on the school-by-school page of Notion (citing the article on combinations and highlights of Let's Kendo).
- Each school's official name, type of institution, location, pronunciation, and qualification for participation can be found on the school-specific page in the Notion "2026 Inter-High Kendo Participating Schools Library."
- The preliminary league consists of groups of three teams, with the top team from each group – a total of 16 teams – advancing to the knockout tournament. In the event of a tie in points, wins, and total points scored, the outcome will be decided by a deciding match, as per the tournament regulations outlined in the Wikipedia article “全国高等学校剣道大会”.
- Iwata Higashi’s founding year, school motto “The Way of the Mean,” courses, and notable alumni are on Wikipedia.
- Meiho’s founding year (1908, Toyoshima Women’s School), the 2001 corporate merger, and the departments are on Wikipedia. The location is on the same school’s official website and Wikipedia.
- The founding through the integration of Nagasakihigashi (1948, integration of 4 schools), relocation, departments, slogan, and educational goals, as well as the men's victory at the Gyokuryuki Tournament (1970, 1972, 1980) are on Wikipedia. The winning years of the Gyokuryuki Tournament can also be confirmed in the article “Gyokuryuki High School Kendo Tournament.”
- O League's Aterazawa won the Inter-High women's team title in 1992 and 1998, as listed in the Wikipedia article "All Japan High School Kendo Tournament" under the list of past women's team champions.
- School names are read as indicated in the Notion participating schools library’s reading column. Player names have not been confirmed, so readings are not included.
- 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.
- *The "clash of former champions" is a possibility only if both schools advance from their respective leagues, and a match has not yet been decided.*
- Regarding the kendo club of Meiho, no publicly available information could be confirmed regarding their national tournament results, so it is not listed.
- The Let's Kendo article regarding the Nara Inter-High pairings only contained descriptions of individual points of interest for each women’s team league, so this article does not quote from it.
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.