23/07/2026
Auckland Kendo Club members recently competed at the 16th New Zealand National Kendo Championships, hosted by Yōshinkan Kendo Club over the Matariki weekend.
A total of 11 competitors and 5 sensei represented AKC at this prestigious event.
The National Championships are held only once every three years, making this a particularly significant occasion. This year's championships were made even more special as they were held in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the New Zealand Kendo Federation. We understand that dojos from across the country worked incredibly hard in preparation for this milestone event, contributing to the high standard of competition throughout the tournament. For several of our members, this was their very first opportunity to compete at a National Championships. We planned well in advance, trained hard, and worked together as a team towards this goal.
We are proud to say that our efforts resulted in outstanding achievements!
With only up to seven competitors permitted to represent each club in the men's and women's individual divisions respectively, our members had to earn their places through dedication, commitment, and performance. We believe everyone fought with great spirit and determination, and the results achieved were truly well deserved.
Here are our results and achievements:
Women's Individual Open:
1st place: Rina Kobayashi
2nd place: Shiho Kamata
3rd place: Yoko Maruyama
Women's team:
1st place: Auckland Kendo Club (Yoko, Shiho, Rina, Nicole Creegan)
Men's team:
3rd place: Auckland Kendo Club
(Kento Tanimukai, Pawel Szymonczyk, Jonathan Chang, Justin Chang, Hiroto Maruyama, Ashimu Suggate, Kaden Marzuki)
Kate Division:
2nd place: Auckland Kendo Club (Kento & Pawel)
Veterans:
3rd place: Yoko
Fighting Spirit Award: Pawel
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our coaches, Oscar Sensei and Kirk Sensei, for their ongoing support, guidance, and motivation. Their dedication to our development, particularly in the months leading up to the championships, played a significant role in our success.
AKC is also very proud to have provided five dedicated referees (Alan sensei, Ken sensei, Oscar sensei, Kirk sensei and Brent sensei) who represented our club and officiated throughout the two-day event. Their contribution was invaluable to the smooth running of the championships.
We would like to give special recognition and thanks to all Auckland Kendo Club members not only those who competed, but also those who trained alongside us and supported us throughout our preparation!
A very special thank you goes to Mario Marzuki, whose support throughout the Championships was greatly appreciated. Thank you for being there for our team and contributing to such a memorable event!
Lastly, thank you to Yōshinkan Kendo Club for hosting such a fantastic event. Although only two weeks have passed since the championships, our members have continued training without pause and are already looking forward to the next event, Rembuden Kendo Taikai, to be held in early September.
We look forward to seeing everyone again at future tournaments and continuing to grow together through Kendo!