What is the All Japan Student Kendo Championship?

The All Japan Student Kendo Championship is the highest level individual tournament to determine the best university student kendo player in Japan. It is sponsored by the All Japan Student Kendo Federation and the Mainichi Shimbun.

The tournament began in 1953 (Showa 28) and will be held for the 73rd time in 2025, making it a tournament with a long history and tradition.

This tournament not only determines the pinnacle of student kendo, but has also produced many outstanding athletes who have gone on to compete in the All Japan Kendo Championships and World Championships. It holds great significance as an important stage for developing talent in the Japanese kendo world.

Characteristics and Values ​​of the Tournament

A battle between elite competitors who made it through tough qualifying rounds

Only 176 people who have won the regional qualifying rounds across the country can participate in the tournament, and it is said that it is extremely difficult to get through the Kanto qualifying rounds, as there are a particularly large number of participants in the Kanto region and it is crowded with strong players.

Compared to high school students, university students have fewer opportunities to play, and it is difficult for them to become a representative of their university. As a result, the players who participate in this tournament are all truly skilled, and the matches are of an extremely high level.

A stepping stone for athletes who will lead the Japanese kendo world

Recent winners include famous swordsmen such as:

Hidehisa Nishimura (graduate of the University of Tsukuba, currently with the Kumamoto Prefectural Police)
- 57th tournament winner
- Three-time winner of the All Japan Kendo Championships
- A famous player representing the Japanese kendo world

Sho Ando (graduated from Kokushikan University)
- 60th tournament winner
- Won both the individual and team World Championships

Ryo Murase (graduated from Nippon Sport Science University)
- 61th tournament winner
- World Championship Member

Ryohei Yamada (Meiji University graduate)
- 64th tournament winner
- World Championship Member

As such, there are many cases in which winners of the Student Championship go on to become active on the Japanese and international stages, demonstrating that this tournament is an important venue for discovering and nurturing talent in the kendo world.

Eligibility and Qualification System

A set number of people from the qualifying tournaments held by each Student Kendo Federation will be able to participate in the All Japan Student Kendo Championship.

Regional quotas (total 176 participants)

Hokkaido Student Kendo Federation: 10 people
Tohoku Student Kendo Federation: 14 people
Kanto Student Kendo Federation: 60 people(Most slots)
Tokai Student Kendo Federation: 18 people
Hokushinetsu Student Kendo Federation: 10 people
Kansai Student Kendo Federation: 30 people
Chugoku-Shikoku Student Kendo Federation: 16 people
Kyushu Student Kendo Federation: 18 people

The Kanto region has the largest number of participants, 60, but considering the number of participating universities and the depth of the player pool, the competition in the Kanto preliminaries is extremely high, to the point that it is said that "if you can get through the Kanto preliminaries, you can aim for the top spot nationwide."

History and evolution of the tournament

The All Japan Student Kendo Championships are held on the same dates for both men and women, and are held alternate years at the Nippon Budokan in Osaka and Tokyo.

In years when the championship tournament (individual competition) is held in Osaka, the championship tournament (team competition) is held in Tokyo, with the tournaments held alternately.

Over the course of its 73-year history, many strong universities and famous players have competed fiercely. In particular, Kokushikan University, University of Tsukuba, National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, and Chuo University have always ranked highly, leading the Japanese student kendo world.

The 68th tournament (2020) was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.


Source: All Japan Kendo Federation website

List of past winners (Men's Individual Competition)

This site lists all records from the 1st (1953) to the 73rd (2025) tournament. It also includes the names of the winners, runners-up, and third place winners, as well as the names of their universities.

Number of times	Win	second place	Three
Part73 2025 (Reiwa 7)	Shin Fujishima (Nippon Sport Science University)	Takashima Souma (University of Tsukuba)	Nakao Oshin (Hosei University) Jinya Funasako (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)
Part72 2024 (Reiwa 6)	Masatoshi Yano (Hosei University)	Hirao Naotake (University of Tsukuba)	Ryunosuke Nakata (Kokushikan University) Tomoya Tashiro (University of Tsukuba)
Part71 2023 (Reiwa 5)	Etsuto Kimura (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Tatsuya Suzuki (Hosei University)	Masatoshi Yano (Hosei University) Seigo Yamamoto (Nippon Sport Science University)
Part70 2022 (Reiwa 4)	Hikaru Iwabe (Kokushikan University)	Shoji Ohira (University of Tsukuba)	Yusuke Shigekuroki (University of Tsukuba) Nao Kobe (Chuo University)
Part69 2021 (Reiwa 3)	Yudai Kurokawa (University of Tsukuba)	Etsuto Kimura (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Hikaru Iwabe (Kokushikan University) Kenta Nakamura (Doshisha University)
Part68 2020 (Reiwa 2)	Tournament canceled to prevent COVID-19 infection
Part67 2019 (First year of Reiwa)	Keita Hoshiko (University of Tsukuba)	Kenshiro Matsuzaki (University of Tsukuba)	Yuya Shiratori (University of Tsukuba) Masaharu Yamazaki (Chuo University)
Part66 2018 (Heisei 30)	Takayuki Yano (Kokushikan University)	Yoshihisa Fukui (Kokushikan University)	Keita Hoshiko (University of Tsukuba) Daisuke Maruyama (Chuo University)
Part65 2017 (Heisei 29)	Rintaro Makishima (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Hirano Blue Ground (Senshu University)	Yasunori Kaizuka (Nippon Sport Science University) Keita Hoshiko (University of Tsukuba)
Part64 2016 (Heisei 28)	The best of the best (Meiji University)	Yasunori Kaizuka (Nippon Sport Science University)	Henry Daichi Mikami (Chuo University) Rintaro Makishima (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)
Part63 2015 (Heisei 27)	Kyohei Hayashida (University of Tsukuba)	Sho Umegaya (Chuo University)	Yu Daichi (Waseda University) Yuya Takenouchi (University of Tsukuba)
Part62 2014 (Heisei 26)	Sho Umegaya (Chuo University)	Ryo Murase (Nippon Sport Science University)	Yusuke Imamura (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences) Yukiharu Nagai (Chuo University)
Part61 2013 (Heisei 25)	Ryo Murase (Nippon Sport Science University)	Hiroya Takakura (Kokushikan University)	Kazufumi Kikuchi (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences) Michihide Maihara (Nippon Sport Science University)
Part60 2012 (Heisei 24)	Ando Sho (Kokushikan University)	Ryo Asai (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Daiki Yamamoto (International Budo University) Kimitaka Nakazawa (Kokushikan University)
Part59 2011 (Heisei 23)	Hiromichi Fujioka (Kokushikan University)	Yuma Iwane (Chuo University)	Masaya Kato (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences) Kimitaka Nakazawa (Kokushikan University)
Part58 2010 (Heisei 22)	Hiroaki Kitani (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Yuji Ishida (Kokushikan University)	Chiharu Ejima (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya) Keiichiro Matsuzaki (Kokushikan University)
Part57 2009 (Heisei 21)	Hidehisa Nishimura (University of Tsukuba)	Shuhei Matsuo (Tokyo University of Agriculture)	Toshiki Koya (Keio University) Mitsunori Terashima (University of Tsukuba)
Part56 2008 (Heisei 20)	Kosuke Hatanaka (Kokushikan University)	Hiroyuki Oishi (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)	Atsushi Hatta (Kwansei Gakuin University) Hidehisa Nishimura (University of Tsukuba)
Part55 2007 (Heisei 19)	Takakage Yamashiro (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Tatsuya Tanaka (Hosei University)	Kazuhiko Takahara (Waseda University) Yoshitaka Takahashi (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)
Part54 2006 (Heisei 18)	Hiroyuki Oishi (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)	Kenta Katsumi (Doshisha University)	Kosuke Hatanaka (Kokushikan University) Ryoji Watanabe (Waseda University)
Part53 2005 (Heisei 17)	Katsuya Serikawa (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Mitsunari Shikano (Kokushikan University)	Yusuke Mine (University of Tsukuba) Shohei Yamamoto (Ritsumeikan University)
Part52 2004 (Heisei 16)	Keisuke Nakazawa (Chuo University)	Katsunori Matsumoto (Senshu University)	Mitsunari Shikano (Kokushikan University) Yusuke Mine (University of Tsukuba)
Part51 2003 (Heisei 15)	西村健 (Kansai University)	Katsuhiko Takayama (Saitama University)	Keisuke Fujita (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences) Yuji Uehara (Chuo University)
Part50 2002 (Heisei 14)	Takashi Noguchi (Chuo University)	Naoki Kurosawa (Surugadai University)	Takuya Sakomaru (Tokai University) Keiichi Hashimoto (Teikyo University)
Part49 2001 (Heisei 13)	Jun Tanaka (Hosei University)	Kota Enokida (Chuo University)	Kenji Yoshida (Aichi Gakuin University) Keisuke Ueda (Doshisha University)
Part48 2000 (Heisei 12)	Kakuji Miyagawa (University of Tsukuba)	Hiroshi Nagai (Soka University)	Shinji Fukuoka (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya) Takeshi Goya (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)
Part47 1999 (Heisei 11)	Gonpei Takuyasu (Kokushikan University)	Yukihiro Higashinaga (Chuo University)	Takashi Kanno (Aoyama Gakuin University) Yotaro Hayashi (Fukuoka University of Education)
Part46 1998 (Heisei 10)	Hojo Tadaomi (Meiji University)	Takahiro Tonouchi (Waseda University)	Taro Koseki (Tokai University) Takashi Sakamoto (University of Tsukuba)
Part45 1997 (Heisei 9)	Tsutomu Iwami (Nihon University)	Susumu Takanabe (University of Tsukuba)	Miki Kato (Chukyo University) Tsuneomi Furusawa (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)
Part44 1996 (Heisei 8)	Yoshito Tachibana (Doshisha University)	Daisuke Sakaki (Tokuyama University)	Mikihiro Tsukamoto (Kyushu Sangyo University) Jun Tomari (Chukyo University)
Part43 1995 (Heisei 7)	Shogo Kikugawa (University of Tsukuba)	Kenji Asada (Chuo University)	Kaigyu Ando (Kokushikan University) Hiromi Takahashi (Chukyo University)
Part42 1994 (Heisei 6)	Ando Kaigyu (Kokushikan University)	Mitsunobu Sato (Kokushikan University)	Hironari Ushirogi (Chukyo University) Shinji Yamanaka (Keio University)
Part41 1993 (Heisei 5)	Ando Kaigyu (Kokushikan University)	Makoto Ginkgoda (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya)	Akihisa Tatemi (Kyoto Sangyo University) Kenji Asada (Chuo University)
Part40 1992 (Heisei 4)	Tadanori Yamashita (Chuo University)	Hidetoshi Tani (Meiji University)	Shigehiro Uehashi (Asia University) Kenji Fukui (Kokushikan University)
Part39 1991 (Heisei 3)	Yuji Arita (University of Tsukuba)	Yuichi Kono (University of Tsukuba)	Takahiro Nabeyama (University of Tsukuba) Tsuyoshi Matsubara (Tokai University)
Part38 1990 (Heisei 2)	Yuji Tani (Tokai University)	Eiichi Iida (University of Tsukuba)	Takanori Tachibana (Senshu University) Yuki Nikai (Aomori University)
Part37 1989 (1989)	Yoshiro Matsuo (University of Tsukuba)	井口清 (Ryūkōzai University)	Kazuhiko Shimohashi (National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya) Naoki Takahashi (University of Tsukuba)
Part36 1988 (63)	Hirokazu Tanaka (Kokushikan University)	Naoki Eika (Tokai University)	Norihito Hara (Senshu University) Yoshihisa Eto (Kokushikan University)
Part35 1987 (62)	Tsuneharu Someya (Kokushikan University)	Masayuki Yano (Kokushikan University)	Futoshi Kuriyama (Kokushikan University) Yasuyuki Nakamura (Chukyo University)
Part34 1986 (61)	Toshio Miyamoto (Kokushikan University)	Masaya Toyama (Kokushikan University)	Tadanori Hashimoto (Aoyama Gakuin University) Toshiyuki Machida (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)
Part33 1985 (60)	Mutsutomo Nakayama (Chuo University)	Toshio Miyamoto (Kokushikan University)	Koji Iwakiri (International Budo University) Seiji Hirano (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)
Part32 1984 (59)	Saga Yutaka (University of Tsukuba)	Mitsuaki Hirose (Meiji University)	Kenji Ishii (Tokai University) Hirohiro Inai (Keio University)
Part31 1983 (58)	English: 石田利也 (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)	Hideharu Sakata (Kokushikan University)	Hideki Nagatome (Senshu University) Toshiaki Sato (Aoyama Gakuin University)
Part30 1982 (57)	佐藤昭 (Doshisha University)	Hinaya Miura (Waseda University)	Kenji Sakai (Nihon University) Toshifumi Tochi (Tokai University)
Part29 1981 (56)	Yosuke Yamanaka (University of Tsukuba)	Shoji Arahira (Kokushikan University)	Nobuhiro Kuriyama (Kokushikan University) Hiromichi Yasumoto (Kyoto Sangyo University)
Part28 1980 (55)	Kimihiro Ishimoto (Chuo University)	Hayashiro (Hosei University)	Keiji Meguro (Meiji University) Shoji Arahira (Kokushikan University)
Part27 1979 (54)	Kenji Nakano (Kokushikan University)	Tetsuo Kuroyama (Chukyo University)	Hidenari Tanaka (Kindai University) Yasuhiro Mure (Hosei University)
Part26 1978 (53)	Katsunobu Kishimoto (Doshisha University)	Hayashiro (Hosei University)	Norio Watanabe (Chuo University) Shiro Satake (Kokushikan University)
Part25 1977 (52)	Isao Okido (Matsuyama University of Commerce)	水田孝信 (Meiji University)	Kiyomichi Shiraki (Kokushikan University) Masato Ueda (Waseda University)
Part24 1976 (51)	Setsuro Hirai (Daito Bunka University)	Tetsuya Iwamoto (Senshu University)	Norio Watanabe (Chuo University) Toru Kamei (Meiji University)
Part23 1975 (50)	Machi Yoshiyuki (Keio University)	Masahiko Nagata (Kindai University)	Genichiro Taniguchi (Keio University) Kojiro Migita (Kokushikan University)
Part22 1974 (49)	Yasunobu Miyazawa (Kokushikan University)	Masasaku Maehara (Chukyo University)	Koji Yamashibu (Keio University)
Part21 1973 (48)	Masahiko Yano (Doshisha University)	Yasunobu Miyazawa (Kokushikan University)	Naoyuki Watanabe (Tokai University)
Part20 1972 (47)	Michio Ujiie (Kokushikan University)	Nao Watanabe (Tokai University)	Toshitaka Todoroki (Chuo University)
Part19 1971 (46)	Ken Torisu (Fukuoka University)	Tetsuo Kawazoe (Kokushikan University)	Kazumi Suzuki (Kokugakuin University)
Part18 1970 (45)	Yu Kuboki (Nihon University)	Takashi Watanabe (Hosei University)	Yuzo Wakasugi (Toyo University)
Part17 1969 (44)	Yoshiaki Nozaki (Chukyo University)	Shuichi Sayama (Chukyo University)	Minoru Makita (Tokai University)
Part16 1968 (43)	Akifumi Kamiya (Kwansei Gakuin University)	Takaro Fujiwara (Kokushikan University)	Hidenobu Tsuji (Kansai University)
Part15 1967 (42)	Jusuke Kondo (Keio University)	Hideo Fukumoto (Meiji University)	Hiroki Yasui (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Part14 1966 (41)	Tetsuo Shimoji (Chuo University)	Masamichi Inayoshi (Aichi University)	Michio Takano (Kokushikan University)
Part13 1965 (40)	Ichiro Shirafuji (Kansai University)	Satoshi Furusawa (Tokyo University of Education)	Isoji Murakami (Kansai University)
Part12 1964 (39)	Kenji Ikeda (Waseda University)	Tadashi Kurasawa (Nihon University)	Satoshi Kojima (Meiji University)
Part11 1963 (38)	Hiroaki Tsuchitani (Kwansei Gakuin University)	Hidekiyo Matsuki (Hosei University)	Kenji Ikeda (Waseda University)
Part10 1962 (37)	Eiichiro Shibata (Kwansei Gakuin University)	渡辺洋一 (Keio University)	Kashima Studies (Ritsumeikan University)
Part9 1961 (36)	Kokichi Edo (Chukyo University)	Eiji Shiraki (Kokushikan University)	Katsuhiko Suzawa (Tokyo University of Agriculture)
Part8 1960 (35)	Kashi Kawakami (Kansai University)	Kokichi Edo (Chukyo University)	Tsukasa Yagi (Konan University)
Part7 1959 (34)	Kashi Kawakami (Kansai University)	Kokichi Edo (Chukyo University)	Tatsuhiro Furusho (Chuo University)
Part6 1958 (33)	Kokichi Edo (Chukyo University)	Kashi Kawakami (Kansai University)	Kosaku Tsumura (Chuo University)
Part5 1957 (32)	Norimasa Shirai (Konan University)	Keisuke Kondo (Chukyo University)	Kimitoshi Denpo (Hokkai-Gakuen University)
Part4 1956 (31)	Goro Fujita (Hosei University)	Hirotaka Okawa (Kansai University)	Kimitoshi Denpo (Hokkai-Gakuen University) Teruyuki Matsubara (Hosei University)
Part3 1955 (30)	Seiji Matsumoto (Chuo University)	Hayashi Heisaku (Hosei University)	Takayoshi Takagi (Tokyo University of Agriculture) Yoshinori Nakajima (Meiji University)
Part2 1954 (29)	No record
Part1 1953 (28)	No record

Source: All Japan Kendo Federation website 

Trends seen from tournament records

Famous players who achieved consecutive victories

Very few athletes have won the tournament multiple times, making this an especially remarkable feat.

Kaigyu Ando (Kokushikan University)
Consecutive victories in the 41th and 42th tournaments (1993 and 1994)
Furthermore, he won third place in the 43rd tournament.

Kawakami Minashi (Kansai University)
Consecutive victories in the 7th and 8th tournaments (1959 and 1960)
He also finished second twice in the previous and subsequent tournaments.

Takayoshi Edo (Chukyo University)
Winners in the 6th and 9th tournaments
The team came in second in the 7th and 8th tournaments, and advanced to the finals for four consecutive tournaments.

These athletes demonstrated overwhelming skill from their student days and later became leaders in the world of kendo.

The evolution of powerful universities

The trends in winning schools change over time.

1950s-1960s (30s-40s)
Kansai universities such as Kwansei Gakuin University, Kansai University, and Chukyo University are active

1970s to early Heisei period (50s to 1990s)
Kanto universities such as Kokushikan University, University of Tsukuba, and Chuo University are on the rise

Late Heisei to Reiwa (2000s to present)
The University of Tsukuba, Kokushikan University, and the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya reign as the top three
Hosei University, Nippon Sport Science University, Meiji University and others have also produced winners

In particular, the University of Tsukuba and Kokushikan University have continued to produce many winners and prize winners, and have established themselves as strong schools representing the student kendo world.

To use this record

This historical record can be used in the following ways:

・Learn about the careers of senior athletes who are the role models for current student fencers
・Understanding the history and traditions of each university's kendo club
・Tracing the lineage of the Japanese kendo world
・Use it as a reference when watching the tournament
・Introduce it as an example when teaching kendo

I hope that all student fencers will look at these records, feel the history that their predecessors have built, and train hard with the goal of joining that lineage.

We will continue to update this record from time to time, so please stop by if you have the opportunity.