KENDOJIDAI 2026.8
Ohira Claims the Major Title of Asia Oceania Champion
The individual competition was held on the opening day of the tournament. Representing Japan were two rising stars, Ohira Shoji and Kimura Keito, both of whom were also members of Team Japan at the previous World Kendo Championships.
Both competitors advanced comfortably through the early rounds, recording a succession of victories by two Ippon. Looking at the results of past World Kendo Championships, Japan and Korea have remained at the top, while teams from Europe and North America have shown notable progress. By comparison, Kendo is still developing in many parts of Asia and Oceania, so it is perhaps only natural that there remains a difference in competitive level.
The two Korean representatives also powered their way through the tournament, demonstrating a clear advantage in overall ability much like the Japanese competitors. With the World Kendo Championships coming the following year, their performances offered a glimpse of the strength of the Korean team this season.
Kim Sang Jun faced a strong opponent in A. Kishikawa of Australia in his opening match, but advanced without difficulty. He then had a tougher contest against Turkey’s C. Aydogdu, before producing an impressive two-Ippon victory over C. Tsai of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals to secure his place in the semifinals.
Jang Jae Seon also faced a difficult opponent in his opening match, defeating W. Chen of Chinese Taipei. In the quarterfinals, he scored two Ippon against M. Shii of Thailand, who would play a key role in Thailand’s podium finish in the team competition the following day, earning Jang a place in the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Ohira faced Jang, while Kimura took on Kim. Both matches were closely contested, with Ohira’s match in particular developing into a fierce battle in which each player scored an Ippon. For the deciding third point, Ohira struck Men immediately after Jang completed a Hidari Do attack to secure the victory. Jang’s Do had also come at a good opportunity, but it was Ohira who ultimately prevailed. In the other semifinal, Kimura scored a sharp Kote against Kim and carefully protected that single-point lead to defeat his formidable opponent.
The two Japanese players had promised each other that they would meet in an all-Japan final, and now they faced off for the title of the first Asia Oceania champion. For this match alone, they shed their roles as teammates representing Japan and fought with their individual pride at stake. Kimura took the initiative in the early stages, but Ohira remained composed, and both were able to display their strengths.
The match went into Encho. Just as it seemed that the real contest was beginning, Ohira applied sharp Seme and launched into Kote. Kimura’s hands had just begun to rise, and although the strike appeared somewhat shallow, Ohira completed the technique decisively enough to raise the referees’ flags and claim victory.
For Ohira, it was his first individual title since his days at Sano Nihon University High School. Although he had achieved numerous impressive results on major stages since then, he had repeatedly fallen just short of the top prize. Now, with the distinction of becoming the inaugural Asia Oceania individual champion, Ohira Shoshi will look to make his mark once again as a member of Team Japan at next year’s World Kendo Championships.
Ohira Shoshi (Tokyo Metropolitan Police)
OHIRA: “I entered the tournament absolutely determined to become champion. International players have different styles from those we encounter in Japan, so I competed while being very careful about when and how I executed each technique. I have had many results where I came just one step short of winning, so I am very happy that I was finally able to claim a title. But I do not want to be satisfied with this result. I will start again from the beginning and work hard so that I can win both the All Japan Kendo Championship and the World Kendo Championships.”
Kimura Keito (Osaka Prefectural Police)
KIMURA: “I am extremely frustrated. Ohira and I are close in age, and we have been training together at national team training camps ever since the previous World Kendo Championships. I was able to fulfill the minimum responsibility expected of me as a member of Team Japan, but not being able to win at the very end is something I need to work on going forward.”
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