Challenge for the Future! Women's Individual - Block 24.
The third match area, women's individual block 24 features 木原愛由花 (2nd year, 2nd dan) from Fukuoka Prefecture, 別府紗衣 (3rd year, 2nd dan) from Mie Prefecture, and 鹿毛心鈴 (3rd year, 2nd dan) from Yanagaura High School in Oita Prefecture. Nakamura Gakuen’s Kiharu player, who boasts 8 consecutive Inter-High women's team championships, will be challenged by Mie and Yanagaura. Kamoe player has a seed and will appear from the second round.
The first three players in this block.
- No.70 木原 愛由花福岡県Nakamura Gakuen（中村学園）／2Year・二Rank.
- No.71 別府 紗衣三重県Mie（三重）／3Year・二Rank.
- No.72 鹿毛 心鈴大分県Seeded (advancing from the second round)Yanagaura（柳ヶ浦）／3Year・二Rank.
Round 1: No.70 木原 愛由花(Nakamura Gakuen) vs. No.71 別府 紗衣(Mie)
Round 2: Winner of round 1 vs. No. 72 鹿毛 心鈴(Yanagaura)
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
Nakamura Gakuen’s strength
A powerhouse in girls' kendo, Nakamura Gakuen. They have won the Inter-High girls' team competition eight times: in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. 木原選手 is a member of this strong school and will compete on the national stage. Fukuoka is a competition between skilled players who have advanced from the prefectural qualifiers.
Mie High School's Challenge
Mie High School, with 別府紗衣 (3rd year, 2nd dan) on the team, qualified for Inter-High. The school motto is "Shinkenmi". They have a record of third place in the Tokai Tournament and will challenge the strong teams from across the country.
Yanagaura High School's 鹿毛 player
From Yanagaura High School in Oita Prefecture, 鹿毛心鈴 (3rd year, 2nd dan) will appear. Details of Yanagaura High School could not be confirmed with publicly available information, but they are a strong player who advanced through the prefectural qualifiers. Kamoe will appear from the second round as a seeded player.
Three players advanced after winning the two qualifying spots for the prefecture.
Fukuoka, Mie, Oita. Each of the three won their respective prefectural qualifying tournaments and secured a ticket to Inter-High. Can they demonstrate their ability on the national stage while carrying the hopes of their hometowns? A heated battle is expected.
Live broadcast「Challenge for the Future! Women's Individual - Block 24.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
木原愛由花 player, 別府紗衣 player, 鹿毛心鈴 player! To each of you representing your prefecture and stepping onto the Inter-High stage, we send our heartfelt cheers. Standing on the competition grounds alone may be lonely. However, you have the support of your family, teachers, teammates, and your hometown behind you. With the strength of Nakamura Gakuen in your hearts, 別府選手 will face strong opponents with the "shinkenmi" of Mie High School, and 鹿毛選手 will face strong opponents with the pride of Yanagaura High School. Fukuoka, Mie, Oita. Each of you has piled up sweat and effort in your respective lands. Please demonstrate your abilities to the fullest at this Inter-High. Winning or losing is not important. What is important is to do your best and never give up until the end. We believe your kendo will give us emotion and courage!
School Information
Nakamura Gakuen（中村学園）
- Official name
- 中村学園高等学校(2026年4月に中村学園女子高等学校から改称)
- Reading
- Nakamura Gakuen
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private school. Coeducational from April 2026 (Reiwa 8). Nakamura Gakuen Includes a middle school.
- Location
- Fukuoka Prefecture Fukuoka City Jonan Ward Torikai 7-10-38
- History
- Opened as Nakamura Gakuen Girls' High School in April 1960. Nakamura Gakuen Girls' Junior High School opened in April 1992. In April 2026 (Reiwa 8), with the transition to coeducation, "Girls'" was removed from the school name, and it was changed to Nakamura Gakuen Junior High School and Nakamura Gakuen High School respectively.
- Department.
- Full-time general academic course.
- Kendo Club
- The women’s kendo team is one of the strongest in the nation. They have won the Inter-High women’s team event eight times: in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. From 2016 to 2022, they achieved a six-year winning streak, including the 2020 cancellation, and are currently on a two-year winning streak in 2024 and 2025. They won the Tamaryu Flag in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 (eight consecutive years from 2016 to 2023). They won the National High School Kendo Selection Tournament in 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021, and finished third in the 34th tournament in March 2025. They advanced to the Inter-High in the women’s team and women’s individual events (木原愛由花選手・2nd year・2nd dan) by winning the Fukuoka prefectural qualifying tournament for fiscal year 2026.
- Notes
- The school name until March 2026 is "Nakamura Gakuen Girls' High School". In past tournament records, it is written as "Nakamura Gakuen Women". It is a different school from Nakamura Junior High and High School in Koto Ward, Tokyo.
Mie（三重）
- Official name
- 三重高等学校
- Reading
- Mie
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational). A junior and senior high school with an affiliated Mie middle school.
- Location
- Mie Prefecture Matsusaka City Kubocho 1232
- History
- In April 1961 (Showa 36), the high school was established and relocated to the current location in August of the same year. The junior high school was established in April 1962. Coeducation was introduced in April 1974, and a six-year middle and high school system was adopted in April 1985. In April 1994, Mie High School and Matsusaka Women's High School merged. The new school building was completed in April 2008, and the six-year middle and high school system commenced. In April 2018, the operating entity became independent from Umemura Gakuen Educational Institution.
- School motto/philosophy
- School motto: "Sincerity and earnestness"
- Department.
- General studies (university preparatory course, advanced preparatory course, six-year course)
- Kendo Club
- The kendo club is a designated strengthening club of the high school. Winning the Mie prefectural qualifying tournament in 2026 (Reiwa 8), the men's team advanced to Inter-High, and is introduced in the Let's Kendo combination article as "Tokai Tournament 3rd place・Mie(Mie)". 平岡青空 and 田﨑寛舵 players participated in the men's individual event, and 別府紗衣 player participated in the women's individual event. The history and national tournament results of the kendo club alone could not be confirmed in publicly available information.
- Notes
- A school nationally known as a baseball powerhouse. This tournament features competition in the men's team, men's individual, and women's individual categories.
Yanagaura（柳ヶ浦）
- Official name
- 柳ヶ浦高等学校
- Reading
- Yanagaura
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (Kichiyo Gakuen Educational Corporation)
- Location
- 939 Oaza Esuga, Usa City, Oita Prefecture
- History
- Founded in 1910 as Yanagaura Sewing Girls' School. It was renamed Yanagaura Higher Girls' School in 1941, but was destroyed by fire during the Usa air raids in 1945 and closed. It was rebuilt in 1948 as Yanagaura Girls' High School, and became Yanagaura High School in 1966 after becoming coeducational.
- Department.
- General Course (Physical Education, General, and International courses), Nursing Course (5-year program)
- Kendo Club
- Active for both men and women. Inter-High appearances: 1 team, 2 individual; National Selection Tournament: 1 (first appearance by women's team in FY2025); All-Kyushu Tournament: 7; Kyushu Selection Tournament: 11 (1 third-place finish in individual).
- 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 Nakamura Gakuen ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Mie ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block assignments, seeding (No. 72), and the first round match-up (No. 70 vs. No. 71) and match location (Court 3) 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.