The All Japan Futsal Championship, which decides the best kendo in Japan, was held for the first time in two years, and Ibaraki representative Kenshiro Matsuzaki won the championship for the first time.
Last year's tournament was canceled due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and this year's Kendo All Japan Championship was held at the Mashima Sports Arena in Nagano City at the same time as the women's tournament.
Since police officers from all over the country did not participate in this year's tournament from the perspective of infection prevention, more than 70% of the athletes participated for the first time, and 64 men and women each competed in a tournament format.
Of these, the 22-year-old fourth-year college student, Matsuzaki, advanced to the final following the previous tournament, and played against Raita Murakami, a faculty member of the Osaka national team and a senior at the university.
In the 3rd minute of the game, Matsuzaki decided on his favorite "face", and immediately after that, he decided on a "small hand" that he had been polishing, and won his first victory with "two wins".
Matsuzaki said, "I was reminded of the wall of the final last time, so I wanted to overcome this. I'm glad I kept my motivation during the self-restraint period."
On the other hand, for girls, Atsuko Morooka, who participated for the first time in the second year of university of Tokyo, won the final with Rina Yamazaki, who is a senior of high school in the third year of Miyazaki, and also won the first victory.
Morooka said, "I don't really feel it at all. As a challenger, I was conscious of playing a match that I wouldn't regret. I want to make use of this reflection point for the next tournament."