The 58th All Japan Women’s Student Kendo Championships (sponsored by the Mainichi Shimbun and the All Japan Student Kendo Federation), which will determine the best individual student kendo player in Japan, will be held on the 29th at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo.

In the women’s competition, there was a surprise as Yoshina Kawai (4th year) from Tsukuba University, who won the previous tournament, and Yuzuki Inohara (3rd year) from Chuo University, who came in runner-up, missed out on the right to compete in the Kanto Women’s Student Championships. The main contenders for the championship are Haruna Mizukawa (4th year) from Hosei University, who is aiming to return to the title for the third time in two years, and Masaki Yamamoto (4th year) from Tsukuba University, who won the Kanto Championships for the first time.

Mizukawa was aiming for the first ever All Japan three consecutive victories, but lost in the second round last time. This year, he lost to Yamamoto in the Kanto finals, but the match was a close call. He was also selected as a representative for Japan for the World Championships (July) along with Kawai, and has plenty of ability and achievements.

Yamamoto, who will be competing in the All Japan Championships for the first time, has been polishing her favorite return techniques and has a wider range of techniques. Kana Minematsu (4th year) from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, who won the Kyushu Championships, has experience as a student team champion, and Hinako Kasa (4th year) from the University of Tsukuba has placed third in the All Japan Championships for three consecutive years, so she has a strong foundation. Rika Kadota from Meiji University, who placed third in the Kanto Championships despite being a first year student, is also a player to look forward to.