Early Rounds and Dominant Preliminaries
Meiji entered the tournament as a seeded entry following a successful run earlier in the year at the All-Japan Student Judo Championships in June, where the program captured the overall team crown. Five competitors secured wins by ippon to power a 7–0 sweep.
Takahashi Kano set the tone by scoring a waza-ari with a seoi-nage to secure the opening bout.
Though Sue-tsugu Harumichi dropped a subsequent match by ippon via o-soto-gari, Okuda Taichi quickly steadied the roster by drawing a disqualification penalty from his opponent. Takeshita Tomoya and three subsequent teammates then reeled off four consecutive ippon victories, sealing a 6–1 rout to advance to the semifinal round.
The early bouts unfolded in a tense, even stalemate until Takeshita dropped a decision after yielding a yuko score, leaving Meiji trailing 0–1 with only the vice-captain and captain matches remaining.
Captain Naoto Izawa rescued the team’s championship hopes in the vice-captain bout. Working extensively in groundwork, Izawa repeatedly hunted for hold-down pins, maintaining relentless pressure despite his opponent scrambling clear. He ultimately broke through for a combined ippon victory, pulling Meiji level in individual match wins and securing advancement on criteria, to reach the final for the first time in two years.
Kokushikan Claims the Title in Final
The title clash turned on late scores. Takahashi dropped a narrow contest when he conceded a yuko with just 11 seconds remaining on the clock.
With Meiji facing a deficit, the five matches from the second-string to the vice-captain ended in draws. Izawa launched multiple attacks in search of a throw, but the Kokushikan defense held firm. That left the outcome resting on Sato Sei. Searching for a late score to turn the tie, Sato pressed forward before conceding a yuko via o-soto-gari with 35 seconds remaining.
Sato continued to attack until the final bell, but the deficit held. Kokushikan secured the 0–2 team victory, leaving Meiji with the runner-up trophy. Izawa acknowledged the weight of falling short in his final collegiate team appearance, stating that he desperately wanted to carry the team to the top of the podium.
Reflections from the Captain
Reflecting on the tournament, Izawa noted that the squad carried high expectations. “This was my final team tournament as a student, and with three titles on the line, I approached it with the determination to win no matter what,” Izawa said. “I took the mat with the mindset of securing points to lead the team to victory, so finishing as runners-up leaves a deep sense of regret.”
Looking at the trajectory of the program, Izawa expressed confidence in the underclassmen tasked with taking over the leadership mantle. “While it hurts not to finish with a championship, the current Meiji team has reached a point where simply placing in a tournament is not enough—aiming for the national title is the baseline expectation,” Izawa said. “I truly believe the younger members who experienced this heartbreak will use it to secure redemption next year. I hope they protect the atmosphere we built and keep chasing the top.”
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