KENDOJIDAI 2026.10
Interview: Teraoka Tomoyuki
Photography: Sasai Takamasa
The inaugural Asia Oceania Kendo Championships marked a new chapter in international Kendo. The name etched into history as the first-ever men’s individual champion was Ohira Shoshi of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
“After two frustrating years, I was determined to make the most of this opportunity.”
Ohira reflects on his performance at the inaugural championships and shares his determination as he looks ahead to the World Kendo Championships next spring.
Ohira Shoshi
Joy and Relief at the Asia Oceania Championships
—Congratulations on winning the individual title at the Asia Oceania Kendo Championships. Now that you are the Asian champion, how do you honestly feel?
OHIRA: I was very happy, and at the same time, I also felt a sense of relief. This was actually my first individual title since high school. I had confidence in the amount and quality of Keiko I had been putting in, so finally being able to turn that work into a result made the victory all the more rewarding.
As for the sense of relief, I think that came from the pressure of representing Japan. Winning this championship made me feel as though some of that pressure had finally been lifted.
—Preparations are currently underway for next year’s World Kendo Championships, and I understand that 15 candidates remain in contention for the Japanese men’s national team. Among those candidates, did you expect to be selected to represent Japan at the Asia Oceania Kendo Championships?
OHIRA: I was confident that if I was selected, I could deliver results. At the same time, I wasn’t sure whether I would actually be chosen. Last year, I wasn’t able to qualify for the All Japan Kendo Championship, and I also failed to advance to the later stages of the National Police Individual Kendo Championship. I was well aware that things had not been going the way I wanted.
Even as a candidate for the Japanese national team, I feel a real sense of urgency because I know I am right on the borderline when it comes to making the final selection.
—Under those circumstances, it was announced at the press conference in March that you had been selected as one of the nine members of the Japanese team. How did you approach your preparations for the championships after being selected?
OHIRA: Once I had been selected, I wanted to make sure I was in the best possible condition for the championships. As we went through successive national team training camps, I could feel myself becoming more mentally prepared and focused. Each day, I approached Keiko by constantly asking myself what I could do to improve.
Once it was confirmed that I would compete in the individual competition, I also placed greater emphasis on physical conditioning, knowing that I would have to fight a number of matches in order to make it all the way to the title.
—There had been some talk before the championships that no one would compete in both the team and individual events. In the end, you competed only in the individual event. How did you feel about that?
OHIRA: To be honest, I did want to compete in the team event as well. But there were also candidates for the Japanese national team who did not have the opportunity to compete at these championships at all. With that in mind, I felt that all I could do was give everything I had in the role I had been given.
—You and Kimura of the Osaka Prefectural Police were selected to compete in the individual event. You are only a year apart in age and often share a room at national team training camps. Do you see Kimura as someone you are particularly conscious of as a competitor?
OHIRA: I think we are rivals, but at the same time, we have been fighting alongside each other throughout the national team training camps and at the World Kendo Championships, so having him there as a teammate was very reassuring.
We had been saying to each other, “Let’s meet in the final,” as we worked toward the championships. I was genuinely happy that we were actually able to make that happen.
Seeing the Rising Level of Kendo Across the Region
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