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| 7th All Japan Sembatsu Hachidan Championship Tournament12:00am on 19/04/2009 Hamasaki(l) about to score kote against Furukawa(r) to take the 2009 titleReport by Alex Bennett and Michael KomotoVideo of the finals below...(‘Sensei’ is not used after the competitors names for readability and no disrespect to the masters intended.)
KataUchidachi Ōta Tomoyasu (H8)
Shidachi Hayashi Kunio (H8)
The TaikaiAnother beautiful spring day in Nagoya as thirty-two of Japan’s most competitive 8-dan sensei gather at the Nakamura Sports Centre to compete in the premium competition for holders of kendo’s highest rank.
Approximately one thousand people have come to witness the spectacle. No doubt the majority have come to support their favourite 8-dan guru. All the matches in this tournament of masters are all conducted on one court, enabling a fine view of competition. Each year there is a change of competitors, some new ones selected, and some dropped, but this year’s line up includes four previous champions, Sueno Eiji (H8) champion of the first tournament, Futagoishi Takashi (K8), Funatsu Shinji (K8),Endō Masaaki (H8). Many other internationally well-known sensei are present as well, including Ishida Ken’ichi (H8) of 8-dan documentary fame, who has competed in this tournament five times.
As with the previous tournaments, the first round was characteristically conservative as the competitors probed each other with the utmost of caution, reluctant to commit to any rash attacks. Little doubt, each competitor is acutely aware of the critical eyes of their senior 8-dans sitting at the officials table, and the star-struck eyes of their adoring students. Nobody wants to go out in the first round in any tournament, and these 8-dan competitors are no different in this respect. Thus, some of the early matches were drawn out, with many going into extended time (enchō).
Notable matches in the first round were Funatsu Shinji’s annihilation (kote & men) of last year’s runner up Ujiie Michi (K8) from Kokushikan University. Ujiie looked visibly perturbed by his disappointing result, but the victory by Funatsu was resounding, and from early on he looked like he could be marked to take the title for the second time. Furukawa Kazuo (K8) from Hokkaidō also looked sharp as he beat his first round opponent and Tōkai University sempai, Makita Minoru (K8) from the International Budo University with a devastating cut to men.
In the second round, the competitors were considerably more aggressive. A number of matches went to the line (2 points to 1) within the designated ten-minute time frame, with both sides scoring a point before the decisive point was scored to end the match. Again Furukawa and Funatsu stood out due their intensity and sublime techniques. Funatsu looked like a speeding freight-train as he got the better of his opponent Haga Tadashi (K8) by outscoring him two men points to one. Furukawa, on the other hand, looked like the ‘Terminator’ as he defeated the only jōdan fighter in the tournament, Kanaki Satoru (K8), with a kote and a blinding tsuki. Mizuta Shigenori (K8), a second-time competitor at the tournament also distinguished himself by defeating Satō Keio (K8) with two vicious kote points.
Now in the quarter-finals, the remaining competitors have reached full stride. The points scored are exactly what one would expect from an 8-dan master; strong, fast, and taken straight from the kihon textbook. Considering that the youngest competitors are 52 years of age, and the oldest 62, I could only watch in awe at their agility and dexterity.
As I predicted, Furukawa scored a categorical victory against his opponent Toyomura Azumori (K8) with two booming men strikes. I thought this would set up great semi-final match against Funatsu, but to my surprise, Funatsu’s aspirations were terminated at the hands of tournament first-timer Ōkido Isao (K8). Ōkido took advantage of Funatsu’s forward stance and cleanly cut his men, and then dō. This was clearly a homerun victory for the director of a fish market from Matsuyama, on the island of Shikoku.
The third quarter-final match between Hamasaki Mitsuru (H8) and Mizuta Shigenori (K8) went to the final minute until Hamasaki scored men. Hamasaki had already knocked seven-time tournament participant and previous runner-up Fujiwara Takao (H8) out in the first round, and followed that by beating Ishida Ken’ichi in the second.
Hamasaki’s semi-final match would be with the winner of the final quarter-final match-up between Shigematsu Takashi (K8) and Sueno Eiji (H8). Sueno, the perfect gentleman, is one of my personal favourites because of his pristine posture and inspirational fighting style. However, Shigematsu, a businessman, scored the first point with a strike to kote, and ultimately finished the match with a magnificent men cut.
Three matches to go...The semi-finals begin with the bout between Furukawa and Ōkido. Both have similar styles and from the outset it looked like it would be a closely fought match. Ōkido takes first blood with a crippling men strike. Furukawa sensei was not far behind though, and after throwing a few of his specialty tsuki attacks, he catapulted forward to take a men strike himself. At one point a piece, the ante goes up! Furukawa turned on the heat and attacks his opponent, taking a kote strike, and another, the coup de grace.
The following match between Hamasaki and Shigematsu seemed comparatively low-key at the start. Hamasaki scored the first point with debana-kote as Shigematsu lunged to for a men attack. It wasn’t Hamasaki sensei’s nicest technique of the day, but that, and an absolutely perfect men strike, ensured his progression to the final against the formidable Furukawa.
Furukawa’s distinctive baritone “Yoooooooooiii!” sets a grave tone to the match. With that, the entire hall falls into silence. The two go into the fray, both a little cagey at first until Hamasaki strikes what seemed to be a good men; however, the shimpan’s flags do not go up. Not to be outdone, Furukawa follows up with a picture-perfect men for ippon. That seems to change the pace of the match as Furukawa lets loose with a barrage of techniques in rapid succession. However, at the conclusion of the volley, Hamasaki seizes the one still moment and executes a huge, lightening men strike. One point each now, and we have a match. Hamasaki doesn’t let his momentary advantage slip by and takes control, putting the tenacious Furukawa on the defensive. Hamasaki attempts men a number of times in succession, only to be stopped by Furukawa with solid kensen to the throat. Furukawa claws his way back and appears to score an undeniable men… only to be denied by the shimpan. Gasps of disbelief echo through the arena, but before the clamour can die down, Hamasaki cemented his name in history by scoring a katsugi-kote. It was by far the most exciting match of the day, and will make for fantastic viewing, click play below now!! You decide for yourself about that last Furukawa men… But wow, what a fantastic match that was well won by Keishicho sensei Hamasaki Mitsuru!
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