Passionate girls! Women's Individual Block 20.
Shiga Prefecture Kusatsu Higashi High School’s 田中夢真 player will appear from the second round as a seed, in the Women’s Individual 20th Block. The players from Iwate Prefecture Hanamaki Kita High School’s 深谷茄恵蘭 player and Saitama Prefecture Hoshino High School’s 佐々木瑠真 player will face each other in the first round. Expectations are gathering for a heated battle at the third match venue.
The first three players in this block.
- No.58 深谷 茄恵蘭岩手県Hanamaki Kita（花巻北）／3Year・三Rank.
- No.59 佐々木 瑠真埼玉県Hoshino（星野）／3Year・二Rank.
- No.60 田中 夢真滋賀県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Kusatsu Higashi（草津東）／3Year・三Rank.
Round 1: No.58 深谷 茄恵蘭(Hanamaki Kita) vs. No.59 佐々木 瑠真(Hoshino)
Round 2: Winner of round 1 vs. No. 60 田中 夢真(Kusatsu 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
Seeded player 田中
The Shiga Prefecture representative 田中夢真 (3rd year・3rd dan) gained a seed and will appear from the second round. Attention is focused on what kind of kendo will be shown by the player from Kusatsu Higashi High School, which has a physical education department.
Hanamaki Kita・深谷選手
From Hanamaki Kita High School in Iwate Prefecture, 深谷茄恵蘭 (3rd year, 3rd dan) will participate. Hanamaki Kita High School, founded in 1931, is a school with a tradition, upholding “Kurohashi Spirit” and “Sakuraundai Spirit,” and challenges Inter-High with an indomitable spirit.
Hoshino・佐々木選手
Saitama Prefecture Hoshino High School’s 佐々木瑠真 player (3rd year, 2nd dan) is also full of enthusiasm. Founded in 1897, Hoshino High School has a school motto of balancing literary and martial arts, and has produced many talented people.
Three players advanced from the prefectural qualifier.
Three individuals who won their prefectural qualifying tournaments in Iwate, Saitama, and Shiga have earned their spots at Inter-High. Each will fight with all their strength as representatives of their respective schools.
Live broadcast「Passionate girls! Women's Individual Block 20.」
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
藤堂 大地
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.
深谷茄恵蘭 player, 佐々木瑠真 player, 田中夢真 player. The passion each of you has for kendo is beyond words. Inter-High is the best place to demonstrate the results of your daily training. Please each stick to your kendo creed and do your best. Iwate Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture. We wholeheartedly support you as you stand representing your respective prefectures. Winning matches and learning from defeat – both will nourish your growth. Keep this experience in your hearts and walk powerfully towards the future. And the mental strength you have cultivated through kendo will surely enrich your lives. Do your best, girls!
School Information
Hanamaki Kita（花巻北）
- Official name
- 岩手県立花巻北高等学校
- Reading
- Hanamaki Kita
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Iwate Prefectural (Coeducational)
- Location
- 54 Honkan, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture
- History
- In 1931, it was approved and established as the Hanamaki Town and 17 other villages school association Hanamaki Junior High School, opening in the building of the former Hanamaki Elementary School. In 1938, it was transferred to the prefecture to become Iwate Prefectural Hanamaki Junior High School, and in 1948, with the school system reform, it became Iwate Prefectural Hanamaki First High School. In 1949, it merged with Hanamaki Second High School to become Iwate Prefectural Hanamaki High School, and with the school separation of 1953, it became the current Iwate Prefectural Hanamaki Kita High School.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school does not have a motto or guiding principles, instead using the terms “Kurohashi Spirit” and “Sakuragumo Spirit” to convey its values (unyielding perseverance, utmost sincerity moves heaven, noble and great spirit, high-spiritedness, the way of both sword and pen, striving and advancing, boldly rising to the challenge, single-minded pursuit, and refining youth through training). It also carries on the spirit of Hokkaido University, which was involved in its founding.
- Department.
- General studies course.
- Kendo Club
- In 2026, they will participate as the Iwate Prefecture representative in the men's team event of Inter-High. According to Let's Kendo, this will be Iwate's third consecutive Inter-High appearance. 深谷茄恵蘭 (3rd year, 3rd dan) will participate in the women's individual event. Past performance in national tournaments could not be confirmed from publicly available information.
- Notes
- Commonly known as "Hanashita." It is one of the most notorious schools in the prefecture, and continues to uphold traditional forms of cheering such as the entrance ceremony and practice of the school song.
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.
Kusatsu Higashi（草津東）
- Official name
- 滋賀県立草津東高等学校
- Reading
- Kusatsu Higashi
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Shiga Prefectural (Co-educational)
- Location
- 8-65 Nishishibukawa 2-chome, Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture.
- History
- Opened in April 1978 as a general academic high school focused on serving the local community. In April 1995, it established the only physical education course in the prefecture.
- Department.
- General studies and physical education (40 students per grade, the only one in Shiga Prefecture).
- Kendo Club
- Winning the Shiga Prefecture qualifiers for the Reiwa 8 academic year, they will participate in Inter-High as a women’s team. 田中夢真 (3rd year, 3rd dan) will participate in the women’s individual event, and 横江光輝 (3rd year, 3rd dan) will participate in the men’s individual event. No nationwide tournament results for the kendo club alone could be confirmed in publicly available information. As a school, they produced Yui Ohhashi, the gold medalist in the women’s 400-meter individual medley at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (graduated in fiscal year 2013), and the soccer club was runner-up at the 79th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament in 2000.
・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 Hanamaki Kita ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Hoshino ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Kusatsu Higashi ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block formation, seeding (No. 60), first round (No. 58 vs. No. 59), and match arena (No. 3) 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.