White Lily, Hieizan, Shimabara! Women's Individual Block 13
The Inter-High women's individual competition, Block 13 in Nara, will feature 廣谷彩心 from Iwate Prefecture’s Shirayuri Gakuen, 山田咲希 from Shiga Prefecture’s Hieizan High School, and 北山愛華 from Nagasaki Prefecture’s Shimabara High School. A heated battle is expected at the second match venue. Seeded player 廣谷 will appear from the second round.
The first three players in this block.
- No.37 廣谷 彩心岩手県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Shirayuri Gakuen（白百合学園）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.38 山田 咲希滋賀県Hieizan（比叡山）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.39 北山 愛華長崎県Shimabara（島原）／1Year・二Rank.
Round 1: No.38 山田 咲希(Hieizan) vs. No.39 北山 愛華(Shimabara)
Round 2: Winner of Round 1 vs. No. 37 廣谷 彩心(Shirayuri Gakuen)
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 廣谷
Iwate Prefecture Shirayuri Gakuen’s 3rd-year student 廣谷彩心 (3rd dan) has earned a seed and will appear from the second round. Founded in 1892, Shirayuri Gakuen’s school motto is “Obedience, Diligence, and Benevolence,” and it focuses on women’s kendo.
Player 山田 with Kinki Tournament experience
山田咲希, a 3rd-year student (3rd dan) from Hieizan High School in Shiga Prefecture, will face 北山 in the first round. Hieizan High School is a historic school founded in 1873. 山田, who has experience reaching the top 8 of the Kinki tournament, will compete to prove their strength.
Shimabara High School 北山 player
北山愛華 (2nd dan), a first-year student from Shimabara High School in Nagasaki Prefecture, will compete in the first round against 山田. Shimabara High School is known as a kendo powerhouse, having won the girls' team championship at the 2022 Inter-High.
Three players advanced after winning the two qualifying spots for the prefecture.
Iwate, Shiga, and Nagasaki. These three individuals advanced through their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments and earned their spots at Inter-High. Amidst the gathering of strong competitors from across the nation, they will fight to achieve victory with their own brand of kendo, representing their home prefectures.
Live broadcast「White Lily, Hieizan, Shimabara! Women's Individual Block 13」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
廣谷彩心 player, 山田咲希 player, 北山愛華 player. We send our heartfelt cheers to you who fight on this land of Nara for each of your kendo lives. The Inter-High stage is a place to face alone. However, the support of your hometown, the guidance of your teacher, the bonds with your teammates, and the love of your family will surely support you strongly. The fact that you won through the prefectural qualifiers is your pride. 廣谷選手 has obtained a seeded position, but do not be careless and cherish each match. 山田選手, make use of your experience at the Kinki tournament and calmly discern your opponent's weaknesses. 北山選手, inheriting the tradition of Shimabara High School, we look forward to your success following that of your seniors with youthful energy. We sincerely hope that this tournament will become an irreplaceable memory for your kendo lives. Blaze your own trails with your own kendo!
School Information
Shirayuri Gakuen（白百合学園）
- Official name
- 盛岡白百合学園高等学校
- Reading
- Shirayuri Gakuen
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private. Became coeducational in April 2026.
- Location
- Iwate Prefecture, Morioka City, Yamagishi
- History
- Founded in 1892 as the private Morioka Women's School on Honmachi Street in Morioka City. After several name changes, it was renamed to its current name in 1948. It moved to Yamagishi, Morioka City in 1982. It will become coeducational in April 2026.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Obedience, Diligence, and Love of Virtue."
- Department.
- General studies (ME Advanced Course, ME Course, MI Course)
- Kendo Club
- In the Reiwa 8 academic year, they will participate in the National High School General Athletic Meet (Inter-High) as the Iwate Prefecture representatives in both the women's team and women's individual events. The women's individual representative is 廣谷彩心 (3rd year, 3rd dan). Past performance in national tournaments could not be confirmed from publicly available information.
- Notes
- The tournament notation is "Shirayuri Gakuen". It is a different school from Yatsushiro Shirayuri Gakuen in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Hieizan（比叡山）
- Official name
- 比叡山高等学校
- Reading
- Hieizan
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private coeducational school operated by Enryaku-ji Gakuen, a school corporation affiliated with the Tendai sect.
- Location
- 4-3-1 Sakamoto, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture.
- History
- Founded in 1873 (Meiji 6) as “Tendai Sōgaku” on Hieizan. In 1879, it became a middle school and was split into Hieizan and Tokyo, and in 1888, the first school building was constructed on Hieizan. A new middle school was established with the 1947 educational system reform, and a high school was established in 1948 with the opening of a girls' department. It became a school corporation after 1951.
- School motto/philosophy
- Based on the words of Kobo Daishi (Saicho), “Illumination from a single point,” “Practice what you preach,” and “Selflessness and benefit to others.”
- Department.
- General Studies (Act Course, Bright Course, Crest Course)
- Kendo Club
- Inter-High appearance 9 times, All Japan Selected Tournament appearance 6 times, Kinki Tournament appearance 30 times, Kinki Selected Tournament appearance 8 times, Tamaryu Flag best 32. The club has 15 male members (4 first years, 5 second years, 6 third years) and 11 female members (3 first years, 1 second year, 7 third years). Guided by the principle of “emphasizing character development, which is the philosophy of kendo,” they dedicate a significant amount of time to fundamental practice. In practice matches, they value “respect and friendship through the sword.” The women’s team is a strengthening base school for the 2025 Shiga National Sports Festival. They entered this tournament after achieving a best 8 finish in the Kinki Tournament.
- Notes
- This tournament features competition in the men’s team, men’s individual, and women’s individual events.
Shimabara（島原）
- Official name
- 長崎県立島原高等学校
- Reading
- Shimabara
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Nagasaki Prefectural (Co-educational)
- Location
- Nagasaki Prefecture Shimabara City, Shiroyone 2-chome 1130
- History
- Opened in April 1900 (Meiji 33) as Nagasaki Prefectural Shimabara Middle School. With the 1948 school system reform, a new system high school was established, and in November of the same year, Shimabara High School, Shimabara Women's High School, and Shimabara Commercial High School were integrated to become coeducational. A science and mathematics course was established in 2003, and the school celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2010.
- School motto/philosophy
- School motto: "Harmony of literary and martial arts."
- Department.
- Full-time courses: General academic and science courses, Part-time courses: General academic courses.
- Kendo Club
- In 2022 (the 69th time・Kochi), they won the championship in the National High School Comprehensive Sports Tournament for the men's team. The women's team also won Inter-High in 2009 and 2013. In the Tamaryu Flag High School Kendo Tournament, the men's team won in 2012 and 2018, and the women's team won in 2009 and 2013. In fiscal year 2026, they won the Winter Kyushu Selection Tournament and reached the best 8 in the All-Kyushu Tournament. Let's Kendo reports that they were unable to qualify for the National High School Kendo Selection Tournament in March. In this tournament, 三木己徹 (3rd year・2nd dan) will participate in the men's individual event, and 北山愛華 (1st year・2nd dan) and 大賀幸愛 (3rd year・2nd dan) will participate in the women's individual event.
- Notes
- This tournament features competition in the men’s team, men’s individual, 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 Shirayuri Gakuen ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Hieizan ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Shimabara ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block arrangement, seeding (No. 37), and first round match (No. 38 vs. No. 39) and match arena (No. 2) 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.