Challenge for the Future! Women's Individual - Block 15.
Second match venue, the women's individual 15th block features Too Gijuku’s 松名瀬天絆 (3rd year, 3rd dan) with a seed, appearing from the second round. In the first round, Naradai Fuzoku’s 成田茜子 (3rd year, 3rd dan) and Shirayuri Gakuen’s 楢橋美絢 (2nd year, 3rd dan) will compete. Attention is focused on how the nationally renowned strong player, 松名瀬 from Too Gijuku, will fight in this block.
The first three players in this block.
- No.43 松名瀬 天絆青森県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Too Gijuku（東奥義塾）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.44 成田 茜子奈良県Naradai Fuzoku（奈良大附属）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.45 楢橋 美絢熊本県Shirayuri Gakuen（白百合学園）／2Year・三Rank.
Round 1: No.44 成田 茜子(Naradai Fuzoku) vs. No.45 楢橋 美絢(Shirayuri Gakuen)
Round 2: Winner of round 1 vs. No.43 松名瀬 天絆(Too Gijuku)
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 松名瀬
Too Gijuku’s 松名瀬天絆 (3rd year, 3rd dan) is a member of a powerhouse school with 16 consecutive Inter-High appearances. Too Gijuku’s girls’ kendo team is one of the strongest in the nation, with 16 consecutive Inter-High appearances. They won the All Japan High School Kendo Tournament women’s team event in 2016 and 2019. Having earned a seeded position, expectations are high that they will demonstrate their strength.
Naradai Fuzoku's 成田 player
Naradai Fuzoku’s 成田茜子 (3rd year, 3rd dan) is a member of a prestigious school boasting 49 consecutive Inter-High appearances. Naradai Fuzoku has a record of 49 consecutive Inter-High appearances (a total of 44). They consistently rank among the top in the prefectural tournament.
Shirayuri Gakuen's 楢橋 player
Shirayuri Gakuen’s 楢橋美絢 (2nd year, 3rd dan) is a player who supports the team despite being a second-year student. Shirayuri Gakuen is scheduled to become coeducational in April 2026.
The pride of a strong school.
Too Gijuku, Naradai Fuzoku, Shirayuri Gakuen. Each school represents its prefecture and stands on the Inter-High stage. With the pride of each school in their hearts, the players will give their all.
Three players advanced from the prefectural qualifying tournament.
Aomori Prefecture, Nara Prefecture, and Kumamoto Prefecture. These three individuals advanced through their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments to earn berths in Inter-High. Their dedication and talent will now clash in this block.
Live broadcast「Challenge for the Future! Women's Individual - Block 15.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
松名瀬天絆 player, 成田茜子 player, 楢橋美絢 player. Each kendo holds each thought. Inter-High is the best place to demonstrate the results of daily training. Each powerful thrust, beautiful form, and above all, passion for kendo will stir the hearts of those who watch. Three players representing Aomori Prefecture, Nara Prefecture, and Kumamoto Prefecture. Because they have repeated rigorous practice and sharpened their skills with their teammates in each prefecture, they are able to stand on this stage. Please never forget this moment. And please give your all and pursue your kendo. We are cheering for you!
School Information
Too Gijuku（東奥義塾）
- Official name
- 東奥義塾高等学校
- Reading
- Too Gijuku
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private coeducational school. Protestant mission school. Established a junior high school in 2022.
- Location
- 61-1 Chojamori, 石川, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture
- History
- Founded on November 27, 1872 (Meiji 5) by Kikuchi Kuro, as a continuation of the former Hirosaki Domain’s domain school, it is the oldest private school in Aomori Prefecture. After experiencing financial difficulties leading to public and prefectural administration, it was re-established in 1922. A junior high school was established in 2022.
- School motto/philosophy
- School motto: "Respect God, Love People" (officially established as the school motto in 1985).
- Department.
- Full-time general academic courses (CⅠ course = special advancement, CⅡ course = advancement selection/global studies, B course = comprehensive)
- Kendo Club
- The women's kendo team is one of the strongest in the country, with 16 consecutive Inter-High appearances. They won the All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament for women's teams in 2016 and 2019. They were runners-up in the Inter-High women's team event in 2019, and finished third in 2015, 2018, and 2024. They also finished third in the women's team event at the 34th All Japan High School Kendo Selection Tournament in March 2025 (淡路咲来 was named an outstanding player). This tournament features the women's team and women's individuals (松名瀬天絆 player, 3rd year, 3rd dan, 宇佐美華凜 player, 2nd year, 2nd dan) as representatives of Aomori Prefecture.
- Notes
- “Touou” refers to the Ou region, including Aomori Prefecture.
Naradai Fuzoku（奈良大附属）
- Official name
- 奈良大学附属高等学校
- Reading
- Naradai Fuzoku
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational). It is an affiliated school of 奈良大学 and has a system for internal advancement to the same university.
- Location
- Nara City, Akishino-cho, Nara Prefecture.
- History
- In June 1925 (Taisho 14), the history began with the establishment of Nantou Seikyo Middle School within the grounds of Yakushiji Temple in Tsujizato Village, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture, as a night school for working youth. Following the 1948 educational reform, it became Nara Prefectural Seikyo High School, and co-education was introduced in 1957.
- School motto/philosophy
- Founded on the spirit of "Living Correctly and Strongly" (Seikyo Spirit). School motto: "Effort is genius."
- Department.
- General Studies (Special Advancement Course, Liberal Arts Course, Standard Course)
- Kendo Club
- Inter-High for 49 consecutive years (total of 44 appearances), and the All-Japan High School Kendo Tournament in the spring for 22 consecutive years (total of 29 appearances). They have won the prefectural Inter-High qualifier 44 times in a row for 16 consecutive years. They have been runners-up twice, placed third four times, and reached the top 8 eleven times in national tournaments. They placed third in the All-Japan High School Kendo Tournament in March 2025. The women’s team has won the prefectural tournament 47 times in a row and the overall championship 96 times, and have reached the top 8 at Inter-High four times.
- Notes
- The participating schools from Nara Prefecture, the host location of this tournament.
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.
・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 Too Gijuku ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Naradai Fuzoku ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Shirayuri Gakuen ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block assignments, seeding (No. 43), and the first round match-up (No. 44 vs. No. 45) and match location (Court 2) 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.