Heated battle! Women’s Individual – Block 30.
Court 4, Block 30 is a battle between 大賀幸愛 (3rd year, Shimabara High School, Nagasaki), 関谷咲希 (2nd year, Noda Gakuen, 山口 Prefecture), and the seeded 北川美緒 (3rd year, Shukutoku Sugamo High School, Tokyo). 北川 enters from the second round to face the winner of the first round. Players who won their respective prefectural qualifiers have gathered.
The first three players in this block.
- No.88 大賀 幸愛長崎県Shimabara（島原）／3Year・二Rank.
- No.89 関谷 咲希山口県Noda Gakuen（野田学園）／2Year・三Rank.
- No.90 北川 美緒東京都Seeded (advancing from the second round)Shukutoku Sugamo（淑徳巣鴨）／3Year・三Rank.
Round 1: No.88 大賀 幸愛(Shimabara) vs No.89 関谷 咲希(Noda Gakuen)
Round 2: Winner of Round 1 vs. No. 90 北川 美緒(Shukutoku Sugamo)
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
Seed of Shukutoku Sugamo
Shukutoku Sugamo High School has a combined junior and senior high school kendo club, and boasts a wealth of results in national tournaments. The high school won the Kanto Tournament, and the junior high school won the National Tournament – a brilliant track record. 北川美緒 will appear as a seeded player, carrying the banner of Shukutoku Sugamo.
Shimabara High School's Challenge
Nagasaki Prefecture's Shimabara High School is a powerhouse school with experience winning the national high school general athletic meet in the men's team event and the Inter-High in the women's team event. 大賀幸愛 will represent Shimabara High School and compete on the national stage. They are entering as a kendo powerhouse school that won the men's team event in 2022.
Noda Gakuen's Challenge
Details for Noda Gakuen High School in 山口 Prefecture could not be confirmed through public information. 関谷咲希 represented Noda Gakuen and competed in the Inter-High after winning the prefectural qualifiers.
Three players advanced from the prefectural qualifying tournament.
Nagasaki, 山口, and Tokyo. Three individuals who broke through their respective prefectural qualifiers to step onto the Inter-High stage. Having won fierce battles to seize this opportunity, they will now showcase their respective styles of kendo. As representatives of their regions, they will surely give it their all.
Live broadcast「Heated battle! Women’s Individual – Block 30.」
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Messages of support for the participating schools and players.
大賀幸愛, 関谷咲希, and 北川美緒. Each of your kendo styles has been polished with your own unique determination. Nagasaki, 山口, and Tokyo. The techniques and mental strength cultivated in each of these regions will shine on the Inter-High stage. The loneliness of standing alone in the arena, and the strength to overcome it. The fact that you won your prefectural qualifiers is your pride. 北川 from Shukutoku Sugamo, carrying the expectations of a traditional powerhouse school; 幸愛 from Shimabara, defending the pride of a school that has experienced national victory; and 咲希 from Noda Gakuen, to carve out a new history—please each proceed on your own path. I am rooting for you!
School Information
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.
Noda Gakuen（野田学園）
- Official name
- 野田学園高等学校
- Reading
- Noda Gakuen
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (Noda Gakuen Educational Corporation)
- Location
- 山口 Prefecture, 山口 City, 野田 56
- History
- Established in 1877 as the (Murao) Sewing School. In 1920, it moved to 山口 City 野田 and was renamed 野田 Girls' School, and in 1927, 野田 Higher Girls' School. In 1948, it became Noda Gakuen High School, and in 2007, it began integrated middle and high school education.
- Department.
- General studies course.
- Kendo Club
- At the 76th 山口 Prefectural High School Comprehensive Athletic Meet, the women's team placed 2nd, the men's team 3rd, and a male individual placed 3rd. With the motto of "balance between academic and athletic pursuits," they are striving in practice with the goal of competing in the national tournament.
- Notes
- History, school motto, and location are to be investigated (TODO).
Shukutoku Sugamo（淑徳巣鴨）
- Official name
- 淑徳巣鴨高等学校(淑徳巣鴨中学校・高等学校)
- Reading
- Shukutoku Sugamo
- Division/Category of Establishment
- Private (coeducational)
- Location
- 2-22-16 Nishi-Sugamo, Toshima Ward, Tokyo.
- History
- Founded in 1919 (Taisho 8) by social worker Yoshinobu Hasegawa. Currently has a middle school attached.
- School motto/philosophy
- The school motto is "Gratitude and Service." We aim to cultivate character based on the spirit of Mahayana Buddhism.
- Department.
- The high school offers a selection course (Ultimate Class/Premium Class) and a special advancement course. The junior high school offers a super selection course and a special advancement course.
- Kendo Club
- Combined junior high and high school division, with practice locations at the kendo and judo dojo. There are 4 male and 21 female high school members, totaling 25, and 12 female junior high school members (as of March 2026). Main achievements include a best 8 finish at Inter-High and a win at the Kanto High School Kendo Tournament for the high school team, and a win at the All Japan Middle School Kendo Tournament and the Kanto Middle School Kendo Tournament for the junior high school team. They have a spacious dojo with strong support from alumni, with Fridays off for junior high school and Mondays off for high school, and training camps in spring and summer. In this tournament, they will participate in the women's team event and the women's individual event (杉本歩夢 player・北川美緒 player).
・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 Shimabara ↗
・Notion Participating Schools Library Shukutoku Sugamo ↗
Which fact comes from which source?
- Block assignments, seeding (No. 90), first round (No. 88 vs. No. 89), and match arena (No. 4) 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.