1,400 people gather in Sendai, All Japan University Kendo Open Tournament to open on the 14th

https://mainichi.jp/kendolive/open/k2024

　The 18th All Japan University Kendo Open Tournament (organized by the All Japan University Kendo Federation, supported by Mainichi Newspapers and others, sponsored by NAX JAPAN and JP Logistics) will be held on the 14th and 15th at Kamei Arena Sendai in Sendai City. Approximately 1,400 kendo practitioners from Japan and abroad will gather in Sendai, to compete and showcase the results of their daily practice.

　The Open Tournament, which aims to promote and develop university kendo, has been held as a national tournament since 1999. Initially held biennially, this will be the 18th tournament, characterized by its open participation allowing all registered students of the All Japan Student Kendo Federation to compete. In recent years, it has opened its doors to overseas universities, and this tournament has 18 participants from countries including the United States, South Korea, and Hungary.

　The tournament consists of two categories by gender: individual competition for "2nd Dan and below," and team competition (3-person) for "3rd Dan and above." Both categories will hold a tournament to determine the champion among the competitors and teams that advance past the preliminary league in first place.

　On the Mainichi Newspaper, we will provide information on tournament pairings and participating contestants through a special event site. In addition to coverage articles and photo specials, we will also utilize vertical videos that are easy to view on smartphones to fully convey the appeal of student kendo. After the tournament, we will sequentially offer free archive streaming of all 95 matches from the men's/women's "3rd Dan and above" final tournament.

　Please look forward to the earnest matches of student kendo practitioners who dedicate their youth to a single strike.