23RD 8-DAN CHAMPS - PREVIEW

23rd All Japan Invitational 8-dan Kendo Championships

April 20, 2025

Nakamura Sports Centre, Nagoya

The 23rd edition of the All Japan Invitational 8-dan Kendo Championships will be held as usual at Nakumura Sports Centre in Nagoya. April is the start of the fiscal year in Japan and is a time when graduates enter the workforce, children start school, and cherry blossoms bloom. It seems fitting that this tournament, featuring sensei that have achieved the highest grade in kendo, starts All Japan Kendo Federation’s calendar. As usual, the KW team will be there to cover the event and will have videos and photos across our social media channels in the days following the tournament.

In our usual pre- and post-tournament articles and reports, we often write words to the effect of “this tournament features 32 of Japan’s top 8-dan sensei”. However, this year we must say “31 of Japan’s top 8-dan sensei” because, in great news for the international kendo community, for the first time a non-Japanese, Brazil’s Roberto Kishikawa, will take part in this tournament. In 2013, Kishikawa-sensei became the first, and to date only, non-Japanese kendoka to pass the notoriously difficult 8-dan kendo exam, which has a pass rate of around 1%. In the first round he will be facing Osaka Police Force’s Ishida Yoji-sensei, a very experienced competitor who finished 3rd in this tournament last year.

The KW team published an interview with Kishikawa-sensei in issue 7.1 of Kendo World. It’s still available and details on how to purchase it are on our Budo Books page here: https://budobooks.jp/?p=899

Hokkaido’s Naoki Eiga is the defending champion and will be back in his fifth tournament. He is the only competitor to have won a championship, and to date has won the 17th, 21st, and 22nd editions and finished 3rd in the 20th. In the history of this tournament, Eiga-sensei is one of only three competitors to have won the title more than once, with Funatsu Shinji-sensei (5th, 8th), Miyazaki Masahiro-sensei (14th, 15th) winning two each. If he wins this tournament, he will have four titles – a spectacular record.

From the 20th edition (2022) onwards, none of the 32 competitors have made more than five entries in this championship. If that rule or trend continues, this will be Eiga-sensei’s last appearance at the age of 57. In addition to him, there are another six sensei who are appearing in their fifth championships, so it is likely that this will also be their final outing. They are Yoshida Kazuhide (Osaka), Honna Kazuhiko (Ibaraki), Takahashi Hideaki (Kyoto), Kuwabara Keiji (Kagawa), Kunitomo Shuzo (Fukuoka), and Saga Yutaka (Hokkaido). Of those, only Yoshida-sensei has finished in the top three.

Of the remaining competitors, Aiko Kazuhiko (Osaka) (2nd), Nabeyama Takahiro (Ibaraki) (2nd, 3rd), Ishida Yoji (Osaka) (3rd), Hirao Yasushi (Tokyo) (3rd), and Terachi Kenjiro (Tokyo) (2nd, 3rd), have finished in the medals.

In order to take part in this tournament, competitors must have held the 8-dan grade for five years, meaning the youngest you can enter is 51, and be under 65. There approximately 800 8-dan sensei in Japan, and of those, only 200 meet the above criteria. The youngest entrants this year are all 55 years old and are Kadota Mutsushi, a policeman from Ehime; Iguchi Kiyoshi, a teacher from Saitama; and Terachi Yotsuyuki and Iwasa Hidenori, both policemen from Tokyo. The oldest competitors are Kuwabara Keichi (Kagawa) and Kitamura Kenichi (Aichi), and Fujii Ryoichi (Yamaguchi), who are all 64. The average age of all competitors is 59.2 years.

Of the 32 competitors, 12 work in education, 11 are police/prison officers, three are civil servants, three are company workers, and three in other professions. All hold the Kyoshi shogo grade.

We’re looking forward to a great day’s kendo starting at 10am on Sunday morning. We will aim to get highlight videos up on our YouTube channel soon after the event.

Information about the matches and competitors can be found below!

The following text is a translation of a preview of the first-round matches which that is on the AJKF homepage here: https://www.kendo.or.jp/news/20250403/

AJKF Match Preview

1. KURANARI delivers techniques embodying the unity of mind and body; TANIGAWA boldly unleashes powerful strikes with a commanding presence. Who will seize the initiative?

2. EIGA, a master with incredible technique, he is in a league of his own; KADOTA wields a keen and poised sword with bold precision. The key lies in sen-sen-no-sen.

3. TOMOHIRO executes sharp techniques in an instant, poised on a hair-trigger; TERACHI (Yo) delivers techniques forged through endless training and shin-ki-ryoku-itchi. It’s a battle of dominance.

4. AIKO attacks fluidly without force; UEDA stays calm and composed. A fraction of a second in judgment will decide the winner.

5. HAMADA strikes with fierce, spirited technique; NABEYAMA eyes the moment of victory with seasoned, polished skills. It’s a clash of equals.

6. IMAZATO uses a calm, living sword with poise; SEITA stands proud and powerful in his kamae. It all depends on the first strike.

7. IWASA excels both at initiating and responding; TAMADA reacts swiftly and wisely, always aware of the right maai. It will be a battle of timing and space.

8. YOSHIDA strikes in a flash with bold determination; HORIE displays a wide range of free-flowing techniques. Can they strike without hesitation?

9. IGUCHI unleashes refined and lightning-fast techniques; FUJII skilfully wields two swords (nito) in a balanced offense-defence approach. They have captivating technique.

10. KISHIKAWA, full of fighting spirit, attacks with the power of his kensen; ISHIDA, a veteran of countless matches, presses from the centre with a strong spirit. The charm of this match lies in their aggressive strategies.

11. HIRAO closes the distance with a poised stance, calm as a clear mirror; KITAMURA aims for a decisive strike from jodan. The key lies in timing and breath.

12. HONNA uses expansive, flowing techniques; TAKAHASHI varies between strong and subtle, adapting large and small techniques with keen timing. Spotting the right opportunity is essential.

13. KUWAHARA shows unyielding perseverance with steady, unwavering technique; TERACHI (Ken) uses his sword without wasted movements, developed through training every morning and evening. He makes strikes based on reason.

14. ADACHI confronts his opponent with fearless spirit, putting everything on the line; SUGIMOTO breaks down his opponent with deep, focused energy. Both strike with sutemi.

15. Like a raging lion, SAGA attacks with powerful, forceful strikes; SATO charges in with a strong spirit and mental strength. It will be a head-on clash.

16. KUNITOMO regulates his breathing and keeps a calm mind; MIYAZAKI, with agile and varied techniques, competes with a natural kamae, with an understanding of kyo-jitsu (falsehood and truth). This is a match of spirit and skill.

Competitor profiles can be found below.

Key to profiles (top to bottom order)

Competitor No. / PHOTO / Prefecture / Name / Age / 1. Shogo / 2. Occupation / 3. Education / 4. Place of Birth / 5. Competition History