[Complete version] List of past winners and prize winners of the All Japan Kendo Championships (1st to 73rd)

The All Japan Kendo Championships is the highest level individual competition in the kendo world, a traditional tournament held at the Nippon Budokan that has continued to the present day since its first tournament in 1953. This article provides a complete list of the winners, runners-up, and third-place winners of all 73 tournaments from the first (1953) to the 73rd (2025), as well as detailed information on each player's rank, age, affiliation, occupation, and more.

What is the All Japan Kendo Championship?

All Japan Kendo Championships (Organizer:All Japan Kendo Federation) is the highest level men's individual kendo tournament in Japan, determining the best in the country.

It is held every year on November 3rd (Culture Day) at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, and the best male kendo player in Japan is determined through a tournament format. The winner is awarded the Emperor's Cup, making it the most prestigious kendo tournament.

The tournament is broadcast live on NHK BS1 and NHK General Television, and in recent years has also been streamed live on YouTube. 64 representative players who have made it through rigorous prefectural qualifying rounds compete in the highest level matches in Japan.

The tournament is conducted in a solemn manner, and it is a prestigious event in which competitors are expected not only to be strong but also to show good manners in accordance with the spirit of martial arts.

Eligibility

To participate in the All Japan Kendo Championships, you must place highly in the qualifying tournaments held by each prefecture's Kendo Federation.

Participation quota by prefecture

Basic slots (1 person): Only the winners of the qualifying tournaments can participate

2-person slots: Hokkaido, Ibaraki Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture
(Winners and runners-up can participate)

3-person slots: Chiba Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture
(The winner, runner-up, and third place winners can participate)

4-person slots: Tokyo
(The winner, runner-up, and two third place winners can participate.)

A total of 64 contestants will compete for the title of Japan's best.

History of the tournament and changes in eligibility

The qualifications for the All Japan Kendo Championships have changed over time.

The abolition of rank restrictions has expanded opportunities for young players, further raising the level of the tournament. In recent years, university students have also been seen as winners, demonstrating the widening base of the kendo world and the high level of competition.

Occupational trends of winners

In the early days of the tournament, contestants came from a variety of professions, including law school instructors, tax office employees, and corporate athletes. However, from the 40s onwards, police officers began to emerge, and by the 50s they were competing for the championship with teachers.

With the exception of the 62nd competition in 2014 (Heisei era), all winners during the Heisei era have been police officers. These police officers are specially selected kendo personnel known as special training officers (tokuren-in), and most belong to the riot police.

List of past winners from the Showa era

List of past winners in the Heisei era

List of past winners in the Reiwa era

Record number of wins

List of multiple winners

Age Record

Youngest winner: Tetsuaki Kuwahara, age 21 (8th Olympics, 1960)
*In the Reiwa era, Yuya Takenouchi and Kenshiro Matsuzaki won at the age of 21-22.

Oldest winner: Shohei Yamazaki, 45 years old (16th Olympics, 1968)

Hot Topics

Achievements of players from Kumamoto Prefecture:
From 2006 to 2011, players from Kumamoto Prefecture achieved an astonishing six consecutive victories. Ryoichi Uchimura, Masashi Teramoto, Kenji Masayo, and Susumu Takanabe each won the Japan Championship.

University winners:
Tetsuo Kawazoe (Kokushikan University, 19th time), Yuya Takenouchi (University of Tsukuba, 62nd time), and Kenshiro Matsuzaki (University of Tsukuba, 68th time) have all won the championship as students.

Police officers' impressive performance:
Since the Heisei era, there has been a notable increase in the number of victories by police officers, and kendo practitioners selected as special training officers (tokuren-in) are competing for the title of number one in Japan.

Summary

The All Japan Kendo Championships has been held 73 times since its first tournament in 1953 and continues to reign as the pinnacle of Japanese kendo. It has produced many legends, including six-time winner Miyazaki Masahiro, three-time winner Chiba Jin, Nishikawa Kiyonori, Uchimura Ryoichi, and Nishimura Hidehisa.

Eligibility requirements have changed over the years, and now anyone over the age of 20 can participate if they win the qualifying rounds, regardless of rank, expanding opportunities for young players.

This article covers all the winners, runners-up, and third place winners of all tournaments from the 1st to the 73rd, and includes detailed information on each player's rank, age, occupation, etc. We hope that this will be a valuable resource for all kendo practitioners aiming to be the best in Japan, and for all those who love kendo, looking back on its history.

The All Japan Kendo Championships will continue to make new history, and we sincerely hope to see the birth of the next generation of legends.

Related article

Please take a look at our other articles about the All Japan Kendo Championships.

• 8 Recommended Kendo Armor Shops in Tochigi Prefecture
• Inter-High School Kendo Championships Results - Complete Coverage of Team and Individual Results | Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa Eras
• Summary of past winning teams from the National Inter-Dojo Kendo Tournament
• All Japan Student Kendo Championships Past Prize Winners