Passionate girls! Women's Individual – Block 5.
Women's Individual 5th Block, where 杉山渚紗 from Sakuragaoka High School in 山口 Prefecture appears as a seed. 杉本歩夢 from Shukutoku Sugamo High School in Tokyo and 植田愛子 from Kindai Fuzoku High School in Osaka Prefecture will challenge the seeded 杉山. A fierce battle is expected at the first match court.
The first three players in this block.
- No.13 杉山 渚紗山口県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Sakuragaoka（桜ケ丘）／3Year・二Rank.
- No.14 杉本 歩夢東京都Shukutoku Sugamo（淑徳巣鴨）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.15 植田 愛子大阪府Kindai Fuzoku（近大附属）／3Year・二Rank.
Round 1: No.14 杉本 歩夢(Shukutoku Sugamo) vs. No.15 植田 愛子(Kindai Fuzoku)
Round 2: Winner of Round 1 vs. No.13 杉山 渚紗(Sakuragaoka)
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 杉山
The 杉山渚紗 player, a third-year student at Sakuragaoka High School in 山口 Prefecture, entered the tournament in the second round after receiving a seed. Sakuragaoka High School is a traditional school founded in 1940, and the kendo club operates with the motto "Aiming to be the best in Japan."
Shukutoku Sugamo・杉本選手
杉本歩夢 player from Shukutoku Sugamo High School in Tokyo. A third-year student with a rank of Sandan. Shukutoku Sugamo High School is a prestigious school founded in 1919, with a track record including reaching the best 8 at the National High School General Athletic Meet.
Kindai Fuzoku・植田選手
植田愛子 player from Kindai Fuzoku High School in Osaka Prefecture. A third-year student with a rank of second dan. While details are not available in public information, they are a capable player who advanced through the prefectural qualifying tournament.
Sakuragaoka High School History
Sakuragaoka High School opened in 1940 as 山口 Prefecture Sakuragaoka Higher Girls' School. In 1947, it was renamed Sakuragaoka Girls' Academy, and in 1948, it transitioned to 山口 Prefecture Sakuragaoka High School. Combined middle and high school education began in 2005, and the affiliated middle school was renamed Koeikan Middle School in 2009. The school motto is "Life is art."
Three players advanced after winning the two qualifying spots for the prefecture.
山口, Tokyo, and Osaka. These three have each broken through their respective prefectural qualifiers to advance to the national stage. Attention is focused on them as they push each other to improve and strive for victory.
Live broadcast「Passionate girls! Women's Individual – Block 5.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
杉山渚紗 player, 杉本歩夢 player, 植田愛子 player. Each stood on this stage with their kendo life on the line. Winning through the prefectural qualifiers, this ticket they have earned is the most prideful thing. Sakuragaoka High School, Shukutoku Sugamo High School, Kindai Fuzoku High School. Feeling the hot gaze from each school, and family, teachers, and teammates, please pursue your kendo. How much sweat and tears have been shed for this very moment. Without hesitation, without fear, believe in your heart and go forward! I am cheering for you!
School Information
Sakuragaoka（桜ケ丘）
- Official name
- 山口県桜ケ丘高等学校
- Reading
- Sakuragaoka
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private coeducational school. It is affiliated with 晃英館中学校 and provides a unified middle and high school education.
- Location
- 山口 5626-1 Tokuyama, Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
- History
- Opened in 1940 as 山口 Prefecture Sakuragaoka Higher Girls' School. In 1947, it was renamed Sakuragaoka Girls' Academy and established a new-system junior high school, and in 1948, it transitioned to 山口 Prefecture Sakuragaoka High School. Combined middle and high school education began in 2005, and the affiliated junior high school was renamed Koeikan Junior High School in 2009.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Life is art."
- Department.
- General studies (Kōeikan Course, Special Advancement Course, University Preparatory Course, Sōsaku Course). The Sōsaku Course has career-focused, artist-focused, business-focused, and electrical-focused streams.
- Kendo Club
- According to the school’s official website’s club introduction, their motto is “to master the way of the sword” and they aim to be the best in Japan. In fiscal year 2024, they won the women’s team championship at the 70th China High School Kendo Championships, qualified for the women’s team event at Inter-High, and the women’s team participated in the 78th National Sports Festival. In fiscal year 2025, both the men’s and women’s teams will participate in the 35th All-Japan High School Invitational Kendo Tournament, and the men’s team will participate in the 79th National Sports Festival. In fiscal year 2026, they will participate in Inter-High in both the women’s team and women’s individual events.
- Notes
- The Notion page lists the location as "山口 City," but both the official website and Wikipedia state it is Tokuyama, Shunan City.
Shukutoku Sugamo（淑徳巣鴨）
- Official name
- 淑徳巣鴨高等学校(淑徳巣鴨中学校・高等学校)
- Reading
- Shukutoku Sugamo
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational)
- Location
- 2-22-16 Nishi-Sugamo, Toshima Ward, Tokyo.
- History
- Founded in 1919 (Taisho 8) by social worker Yoshinobu Hasegawa. Currently has a middle school attached.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Gratitude and Service." We aim to cultivate character based on the spirit of Mahayana Buddhism.
- Department.
- The high school offers a selection course (Ultimate Class/Premium Class) and a special advancement course. The junior high school offers a super selection course and a special advancement course.
- Kendo Club
- Combined junior high and high school division, with practice locations at the kendo and judo dojo. There are 4 male and 21 female high school members, totaling 25, and 12 female junior high school members (as of March 2026). Main achievements include a best 8 finish at Inter-High and a win at the Kanto High School Kendo Tournament for the high school team, and a win at the All Japan Middle School Kendo Tournament and the Kanto Middle School Kendo Tournament for the junior high school team. They have a spacious dojo with strong support from alumni, with Fridays off for junior high school and Mondays off for high school, and training camps in spring and summer. In this tournament, they will participate in the women's team event and the women's individual event (杉本歩夢 player・北川美緒 player).
Kindai Fuzoku（近大附属）
- Official name
- 近畿大学附属高等学校
- Reading
- Kindai Fuzoku
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (Kinki University Educational Corporation)
- Location
- 5-3-1 Wakase Nishishinmachi, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture
- History
- Founded in 1939 as the Nippon Industrial School. In 1948, Osaka Institute of Technology High School was established, and in 1949, it was renamed Kinki University High School and Junior High School. It transitioned to coeducation starting with the new students in 1990.
- School motto/philosophy
- School motto: "Let us become people who are loved, trusted, and respected by others."
- Department.
- General Course (Academic / Humanities & Sciences / English Intensive / Combined Junior & Senior High courses), Science and Mathematics Course
- Kendo Club
- In FY2025, the girls' team competed in the 63rd Kinki High School Kendo Tournament, and the boys' team competed in the 19th Kinki High School Kendo Selection Tournament. In the 72nd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament Osaka Prefecture Qualifiers, the girls' team reached the best 8 and the boys' team reached the best 16. In FY2024, the boys' team reached the best 8 in the 62nd Kinki High School Kendo Tournament.
- Notes
- History, school motto, and location are to be investigated (TODO).
・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 Sakuragaoka ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Shukutoku Sugamo ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block formation, seeding (No. 13), first round (No. 14 vs. No. 15), and match arena (No. 1) were determined according to the bracket in the official PDF “R8奈良総体≪女子個人戦≫” 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.