Passionate girls! Women's Individual – Block 6.
The first match area, the women's individual 6th block features a first-round match between 樋口優衣奈, a 3rd-year student from Hoshino High School in Saitama Prefecture, and 髙橋一絆, a 3rd-year student from Tokaidai Sapporo High School in Hokkaido. The winner will face 田中萌心, a 2nd-year student from Iwata Higashi High School in Shizuoka Prefecture, in the second round. Iwata Higashi’s Tanaka player has received a seed and will appear from the second round.
The first three players in this block.
- No.16 樋口 優衣奈埼玉県Hoshino（星野）／3Year・二Rank.
- No.17 髙橋 一絆HokkaidoTokaidai Sapporo（東海大札幌）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.18 田中 萌心静岡県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Iwata Higashi（磐田東）／2Year・三Rank.
Round 1: No.16 樋口 優衣奈(Hoshino) vs. No.17 髙橋 一絆(Tokaidai Sapporo)
Round 2: Winner of round 1 vs. No.18 田中 萌心(Iwata Higashi)
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
田中 who earned seeding rights
Iwata Higashi High School’s second-year student 田中萌心 has earned a seed and will enter from the second round. They won the Shizuoka Prefecture qualifying tournament and secured a spot in Inter-High. Iwata Higashi High School won the men’s team championship at the 72nd All Japan High School Kendo Tournament (Hiroshima) in 2025.
Hoshino High School 樋口 player
Saitama Prefectural Hoshino High School 3rd year student, 樋口優衣奈. Founded in 1897, Hoshino High School carries out educational activities based on the school motto of "harmony of literary and martial arts, simplicity and diligence." Higuchi is a second-dan.
Tokaidai Sapporo's player 髙橋
Tokaidai Sapporo High School 3rd year student 髙橋一絆 player from Hokkaido. Founded in 1964, it is a school in the Tokai University group, and the kendo club has a track record in national tournaments. Takahashi player has a rank of sandan.
Producing many strong schools.
Tokaidai Sapporo High School boasts a record of more than 35 national tournament appearances for boys and 6 for girls, and has placed 3rd in both the men's and women's team events at Inter-High, as well as producing runners-up and 3rd place finishers in the individual events. There are also graduates who have passed the 8th dan kendo examination.
Three players advanced after winning the two qualifying spots for the prefecture.
Saitama, Hokkaido, and Shizuoka Prefecture. These three individuals won their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments and have advanced to the Inter-High championships. Expectations are high for their performance as they strive to improve and compete against strong schools and players from across the nation.
Live broadcast「Passionate girls! Women's Individual – Block 6.」
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
堂島 厳
剣持 翔
藤堂 大地
藤堂 大地
藤堂 大地
藤堂 大地
藤堂 大地
剣持 翔
Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
Inter-High is the culmination of each individual’s efforts. 樋口優衣奈, 髙橋一絆, 田中萌心. I want each of you to carve out this moment with your kendo lives. The fact that you overcame the prefectural qualifiers is something to be proud of above all else. With that confidence in your hearts, I want you to face the strong teams from across the country. Hoshino High School, Tokaidai Sapporo High School, Iwata Higashi High School. Carrying the expectations of each of your schools, please give it your all. Kendo begins and ends with respect. Without forgetting respect for your opponent, fight fairly and squarely. And I want you to use this experience as nourishment for the rest of your lives. I am cheering for you!
School Information
Hoshino（星野）
- Official name
- 星野高等学校
- Reading
- Hoshino
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private school. Coeducational and all-girls departments coexist (the coeducational department was established in 2003).
- Location
- Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.
- History
- It began with approval for establishment as a Hoshino school in Kawagoe City in 1897. In 1964, the school corporation Hoshino Gakuen was approved, and in 2003, along with the opening of a coeducational department, the school name was changed from “Hoshino Girls' High School” to its current name.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "harmony of literary and martial arts, simplicity and diligence." Its educational philosophy emphasizes "the construction of knowledge," "awareness as an international citizen," and "the cultivation of sensibility."
- Department.
- General studies (with multiple courses in both the girls' and coeducational divisions; medical specialist and global frontier courses will be newly established from the 2026 academic year).
- Kendo Club
- Having won the Saitama Prefecture qualifiers for fiscal year 2026, they will participate in Inter-High as a women's team. 樋口優衣奈 (3rd year, 2nd dan) and 佐々木瑠真 (3rd year, 2nd dan) will participate in the women's individual event. No past national tournament results could be confirmed from publicly available information.
- Notes
- Pronunciation is "hoshi." School corporation Hoshino Gakuen operates it.
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.
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.
・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 Hoshino ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Tokaidai Sapporo ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Iwata Higashi ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block formation, seeding (No. 18), first round (No. 16 vs. No. 17), and match arena (No. 1) were determined according to the combination chart 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.