JKfan - Monthly Karate Magazine 2023/5

Japanese KARATE Kids.
Photo collection

In Japan, the first national tournament for elementary school students was held in 2001. That tournament was
the All Japan Boys and Girls Karate Championships, abbreviated as Zensho. Approximately 2,400 top athletes
of regional tournaments from 47 prefectures in Japan compete as representatives to determine the unified
champion for each grade from first to sixth. The events include kata for boys and girls, and kumite for boys
and girls.
Their technique rises with each passing year and is as good as an adult's.
Another national tournament for elementary school students was newly organized in February of this year
due to the expansion of the karate population among elementary school students. It will continue to be held in
the future.
The tournament is sponsored by the Sports Agency, Japan's national organization, and Nippon Life
Insurance, a Gold Partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This sponsor symbolizes the
excitement of karate for elementary school students.
This tournament included individual competitions, team kumite, and team kata events.
In the team kumite, competitors of different ages form a team and fight. In the team
competition, the upperclassmen take the team's leadership and lead the underclassmen. It is
also a tournament to deepen the bonds among the participants through karate.
This page contains a collection of photos from the competition.