[Congratulations] Participating in the 66th All Japan Kendo Championship! Part 1 of an interview with Meiji University's Yamada and Senda

August 2024, 11

We had the opportunity to interview two students from Meiji University who will be competing in next month's All Japan Championships. As BUSHIZO staff member Ueshima is from Miyagi Prefecture and BUSHIZO staff member Kudo is from Hokkaido, we were very happy to hear that they will be competing in the All Japan Championships from our hometowns.

Now in their final year at Meiji University, the two students look back on their university life, talk about their relationship as good rivals, how they felt after winning the All Japan Championship preliminaries, and their aspirations for the finals!

In the second part of the interview, we will answer questions sent in by our readers.

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Ryohei Yamada

During his high school years, he won the All Japan High School Selected Kendo Tournament, the All Japan High School Athletic Meet, the Gyokuryu-ki High School Kendo Tournament, the All Kyushu Kendo Tournament, and the Kaisei-ki National High School Tournament. As a freshman at university, he was active as a representative player at the World Championships. As a sophomore, he won the 64th All Japan Student Championships. He is scheduled to represent Hokkaido in the 66th All Japan Championships next month.

Kai Senda

He is a fourth-year student at Meiji University. While attending Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School, he placed third individually in the Inter-High School Championships. He placed in the top eight individually in the All Japan Student Kendo Championships in his second and third years. He was the runner-up in the 66th Kanto Student Team Championships. Following on from last year, he has won the Miyagi Prefecture qualifying round for the All Japan Kendo Championships and will be representing Miyagi Prefecture in the 66th All Japan Championships.

The relationship between the two was a good rivalry

-You are both in your final year. Looking back on your student life, how do you feel?

Yamada:There were four members in our year who entered the university on a kendo recommendation. The other two students were also nationally successful athletes, so we enrolled thinking, "We can aim to win the national championship at Meiji University," but our results in team competitions were disappointing. In our third year, we finally managed to come in second in the Kanto Student Team Championships. The All-Japan Student Team Championships are coming up soon, and we really want to win and move on to the All-Japan Championships."

—What impression do you have of your fellow competitor, Senda?

Yamada:I had some tough times in my second and third years, but seeing Senda working hard inspired me. He was my classmate and always won matches and produced results.Since we are classmates, I honestly feel embarrassed to ask him what I am lacking, but watching his kendo made me think about what I am lacking.'

—What do you think of Senda?

Senda:Our year had a good reputation when we enrolled, but our only achievement was coming in second in the Kanto Student Group Championship last year. People around us kept telling us, "You guys are no good at all."

This is my final year, so I want to show overwhelming strength and win the team championship."

— Mr. Senda, what kind of person is Mr. Yamada?

千田"Yamada has had some amazing results since he entered the school, including being selected as a member of the Japanese national team. At first, I felt like there was no way I could beat him, but I tried my best to keep up with him.As Yamada said, it was embarrassing to ask him directly, so I was inspired by his achievements and studied his techniques.'

—I guess it's embarrassing to ask directly (laughs).Both of you have achieved great results in individual competitions, but you seem to have a stronger passion for team competitions!

Yamada and Senda"The joy is completely different. In individual competitions, only you are happy when you win. In team competitions, victory can be shared with all the members."

About the All Japan Championships

—Please tell us how you felt when you took part in the prefectural preliminaries.

Yamada"I lost in the first round of the Kanto Individual Tournament in May this year. I was unable to participate in the All Japan Student Championships, so I focused instead on qualifying for the All Japan Championships. Of course, the Hokkaido Prefectural Police are full of talented athletes, so I never thought I would be able to beat them so easily. I watched YouTube every day and came up with strategies.I also realized that I would never be able to win if I just thought about it on my own, so I asked my teacher at the dojo for advice, such as, "I'm going to be fighting this player, but how should I approach the match?"I think it was with everyone's help that I was able to win the right to participate."

—So you came into the qualifying round with a thorough strategy in mind!

Yamada"I was particularly conscious of giving it my all. You can only show what you do in training in a match, so I was especially conscious of giving it my all. If I still couldn't win after giving it my all, then I can accept it because it was simply because I wasn't strong enough."

- Mr. Senda, you also won the Miyagi Prefecture qualifying tournament last year. How did you approach the match with the pressure of winning last year?

Senda:Last year, I won the Miyagi Prefecture preliminary round. This year, I knew the Miyagi Prefectural Police would be determined to make sure Senda didn't make it to the finals.I thought it was important to approach the match with a stronger determination to win than that.'

—So you were conscious of staying strong-minded!Using videos on YouTube etc.Did you analyze the opposing players?

千田"I knew the kendo of the Miyagi Prefectural Police officers, so I made sure to do image training. I didn't watch YouTube. I focused on image training when I was preparing.It's important to have the image of winning no matter who you're playing against."

—Although your methods were different, it seems that you both prepared thoroughly before entering the preliminaries!

How I feel now that I've qualified to play in the All Japan Championships

Yamada"The pairings have already been announced. My first round match will be against Sakaguchi from the Kyoto Prefectural Police. Just like in the preliminaries, I will study my opponent thoroughly. I spoke to a senior who participated in the All Japan Championships and he said that everyone gets nervous in the first round.I also want to approach the match with the feeling that the first round is everything.'

—1Once you get through the first round, it will probably become easier to practice your kendo!

Yamada"I would like to ask my seniors about the type of player the opponent is. It is also important to use YouTube to analyze the type of player.I am a student, so I have nothing to lose. I will do my best in kendo and have no regrets.'

—Continuing from last year, Senda2This is my th time participating.

Senda:I was able to participate last year as well, but I lost in the first round. I was very disappointed that I was unable to show my kendo skills at all. When I look back at the video of the match, I think, "I could have done more."

After participating, I realized that the atmosphere at the finals was quite strange.I wasn't so nervous until I got into the waiting room, but once I put on the mask I started to get really nervous. I was generally focused during the match so it didn't bother me, but from the first round onwards I felt a silence that reminded me of the finals. There were times when I suddenly thought, 'I'm competing in the All Japan Championships.'"

—This year, you'll be able to make use of last year's experience to play the game!

Senda:Last year's experience was extremely valuable. I would like to make use of it and do my best."

This will be the last time that both of them will be competing in the All Japan Championships as students, so I hope they will play with all their might and have no regrets!

In the second part, we will answer questions sent in by our readers!

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