Miyazaki Era Starts Together with the Reform of the All Japan Kendo Championship

 

There was an entry restriction of being "6th dan or higher" in the All Japan Kendo Championship from 1984. It was because of opinions from high-grade players that "targeting Kendo" is prevalent, which is too focused on winning. People felt the championship had lost its energy. The restriction continued for six years, but it was lowered to "5th dan or higher" in 1990. 

The judgment system that was being used until then has changed at the same time to the two-round. All of the restrictions get abolished later. It is also the year when two rounds were used after the glorious stage until then abolished. Many 5th dan players got kicked out due to the entry restriction of 6th dan or higher, and Masahiro Miyazaki was one of them. He had just become 6th dan in 1990.

He already had the record of winning 2nd place in the Police Championship, and he was also selected and participated in the World Kendo Championship held in Korea two years ago. However, he couldn’t participate in the All Japan Kendo Championship, and he wasn’t well-known. 

In other words, Miyazaki's existence was demonstrating the absurdity of not having the right to participate in the All Japan Kendo Championship while being selected to represent Japan. 

Many players in their 20s were participating in the championship for the first time. However, players who had made it to the best four, apart from Miyazaki, were veterans like Shirakawa Masahiro who is 35 years old, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Masahiro Goto who is 33 years old, a faculty in Akita, and Shosaku Maehara who is 36 years old, Kagoshima policeman.  

Shirakawa had a record of winning 3rd place in the Police Championship, but the member and Maehara were unexpected members who had no noticeable records.

Miyazaki had beaten Matsumoto Masashi (Kagawa policeman), who is of the same age as him, in the first match. Then, he had advanced to the semifinal by beating Araya Makoto (Osaka policeman) and veteran Sato Tadahiko (Saga policeman), who were participating for the first time as 5th dan. Then, he advances to the final by beating above mentioned Maehara with a head stroke who had become the eye of the typhoon in this championship by beating Terachi Tanetoshi, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.   

The final with Shirakawa had become a short match that is seldom seen in the All Japan Kendo Championship history. Even before a minute of the game, Miyazaki had pushed down Shirakawa’s tip of the shinai and got an Ippon by targeting the head. Then, in the second round, he didn’t slow down with his attacks and targeted the head again. Miyazaki’s overwhelming speed had left a clear and strong impression on audiences. Miyazaki was 27 at the time. 

A champion in his 20s came out for the first time in 10 years in this championship.

And next, he wins the championship consecutively for the first time in the history of the championship, and the Miyazaki era starts where he wins the championship six times, which is all-time best.