Recent Updates
| Full Report - 56th All Japan Kendo Championships12:00am on 03/11/2008Text By Michael Ishimatsu-PrimePhotos Copyright Kendo World, taken by Masashi Shishikura and Jeff BroderickThe 3rd November national holiday marks Culture Day in Japan and this year as it falls on a Monday, people could look forward to a long weekend. However, for kendo enthusiasts, Culture Day means it is time for the All Japan Kendo Championships (AJKC) at the Nippon Budokan.
Many of the usual faces were there competing for the 56th AJKC title although there was the notable absence of Uchimura Ryoichi of Tokyo who was the 2006 champion. As is usual amongst the competitors, the police were the most well represented with 56 out of the 64 competitors. Amongst the rest were a few prison guards, teachers and company workers. This year and for the second year running, the representative from Tottori Prefecture was Norimoto Shiko, a doctor. In the first round he was drawn against Harada Satoru from Tokyo who was the 2005 champion. He did not qualify last year for the competition but this year was his 11th time, quite an impressive feat. Norimoto was almost a head taller than Harada but he could not make his height advantage count losing by hiki-men in encho.
Qualifying for the first time and something of a rare event for the AJKC was the entry of a student into the finals. Hatakenaka Kosuke, representing Wakayama Prefecture, is a fourth year student at kendo powerhouse Kokushikan University. He was the taisho of the victorious Kokushikan team at the student taikai in October and was also the winner of the individual competition before that. As if his list of credits was not long enough, he was until recently part of the Japanese squad for the upcoming World Kendo Championship in Brazil 2009. He was drawn against Higashinaga Yukihiro from Saitama who finished third in the National Police Championships in September this year. Higashinaga took the initiative, attacking fiercely but it was Hatakenaka who took the first point, a kote just before time which was enough to go through to the next round. Higashinaga will probably be feeling hard done by having a couple of do calls not given but in the end, Hatakenaka got de-gote just before time.
The matches were all five minute sanbon-shobu with encho if there was still no result. However, this year from the quarter final onwards the matches all became ten minutes.
One of the big names, Harada Satoru, fell by the wayside in the second round being beaten by Tanioka Kentaro of Mie Prefecture. He was joined by Koseki Taro of Tokyo who was beaten by Kawaki Kazuya of Yamagata Prefecture 2-1.
In the third round, Furusawa Tsuneomi of Kumamoto Prefecture was beaten by a single men stroke by Wako Daisuke from Hokkaido who then progressed into the QF. Last year’s runner-up Takanabe Susumu of Kanagawa Prefecture, who also had a bad run in the police individuals in September, lost against Sato Norikazu of Tokyo in encho by tsuki.
First up in the QF was Hatakenaka and Wako. Hatakenaka found himself on his back right after the start after being bundled over by Wako. Hatakenaka went for the first strike but his men did not have the distance. Wako came back with a tsuki and then a men before Wako came back into it with several attempts at men. In the end it was Wako who took men right at the death, with the red flags of all three shimpan being raised as the buzzer signaling the end of ten minutes sounded. Hatakenaka made a great account of himself and will obviously be one to watch out for in the future.
In the next QF (below) saw Ariba Kensuke of Hiroshima Prefecture drawn against Sato of Tokyo. Ariba took men early on in the match. Ariba was taking the initiative and fighting within Sato’s maai. Sato could not find a way to get past Ariba and in the end it was decided by the early men strike.
 Photo Masashi ShishikuraIn the third QF (below) Yoneya Yuuichi of Saitama Prefecture faced off against Tanioka. Yoneya beat Tanioka 2-0 taking a kote and men.
 Photo Masashi ShishikuraThe last of the QF matches was the main event – last year’s champion Teramoto against Shodai Kenji of Kanagawa Prefecture. The start of the match was cagey from both competitors. There are many jodan kenshi in Osaka so you would think that Teremoto would not have too many problems against Shodai. Shodai had the first attack of any real venom but it was not in. In an ai-uchi attack Teramoto came out on top and got the point. Shodai then goes for kote which misses and Teramoto counters with hiki-men which also does not score.
 Photo Masashi ShishikuraThere is a brief flurry of attacks from both Teramoto and Shodai who goes for men from chudan. Another ai-men sees Shodai get the point to level the contest. Soon after, Shodai starts to go for men and as Teramoto is getting ready to defend he changes direction and gets a great morote-kote which scores and sees last year’s champion(below) go out.
 Photo Jeff BroderickOn to the semi-finals. In the first semi Wako takes on Ariba. Wako is a good deal taller than Ariba but Ariba, in his previous match fared well against his taller opponent. Wako goes for men but does not get it in as does Ariba’s kote in response. Wako unleashes a tsuki but unfortunately for him it does not connect.
 Photo Masashi ShishikuraAfter about two minutes, Wako takes a big straight men right down the middle that is given. Next Ariba goes for do and as he goes through and turns around, Wako gets another big straight men, again, right down the middle. Wako wins 2-0 and is in the final.
In the second semi-final Shodai meets Yoneya. After about ten seconds Shodai makes a morote strike to kote in the same vain as he did in the previous match and scores. Soon after another kote by Shodai is not quite in and then a men from Yoneya is not either.
 Photo Masashi ShishikuraShodai is proving to be very fast and aggressive and Yoneya is finding it difficult to get into his rhythm. Another flurry of three or four strikes from Shodai do not end in a point. It takes Yoneya about two minutes to get in a good attack. He then follows with a good tsuki attempt. Then another. Then a men attempt as he starts to come into his own. However, it is too little too late as Shodai takes another morote kote. Shodai moves to the final.
The final – Wako vs. Shodai. Shodai tries soon after the start for a morote kote again but misses and Wako goes for nuki-men. Shodai is attempting many strikes but does not have any luck getting any of them in. Both are trying to figure out the maai at the beginning. Shodai keeps on attacking Wako’s men but Wako’s kensen finds itself on Shodai’s throat.
 Photo Masashi ShishikuraThere is not much action at all from Wako, and Shodai is doing most of the work although not as fiercely as the previous matches.
After about 7-8 minutes Wako starts to get into the match but by then regulation time is almost over. As the match heads into encho, Shodai makes the first attack with serious venom. This match was not as fierce as other matches, and was almost calm in places. Shodai’s strikes were not nearly as crisp as they had been in the earlier matches. Wako lunges for kote and Shodai had a good chance for nuki-men but could not make it count. Shodai kept on chipping away but could not get the point that he so desperately sought. Wako had a couple of good attempts at tsuki but then, deep in encho as Wako started to move forward, Shodai scored a great men to become the 56th All Japan Champion.
 Photo Masashi ShishikuraHe also becomes the first jodan player since 1983 to win the championship.
 Photo Jeff Broderick Photo Masashi ShishikuraQuarter FinalsAriba vs. SatoSemi-FinalsWako vs. AribaFinalsFor this link only, please right click and choose 'Save File as...'
Wako vs. Shodai
| Member LoginIn The ForumsGet Kendo World Updates      
|