The All Japan Open Weight Judo Championships held every year on April 29th is the most prestigious domestic judo tournament in Japan. Having been to 4 different editions of the event as well as a fair number of national tournaments in Japan, the All Japan Open Weight Championships is without a doubt the one I look forward to more than any others. The open weight format, old-school rules, as well as utilizing only one mat for the entire tournament create an atmosphere that is one of a kind. Yasuhiro Yamashita famously won this tournament 9 times in a row in an era where one could easily make the argument that the All Japan Championships was more competitive than the Olympics.
The way athletes are selected are by competing in a prefectural tournament, followed by a regional tournament. The only exception to this is Tokyo’s tournament, which does not require a regional tournament due to the number of athletes that participate in that event (140 in 2016’s edition).
The Shimane Prefectural Championships were held Sunday, February 5th at the Shimane Prefectural Budo Hall. Shimane is the second least populated prefecture in Japan and as such, the level of competition is not as competitive as in other areas. There is only 1 major university, and no semi-pro teams, so the top competitors come from the police department, prison guards or high schools. Despite this, there is still plenty of good judo in Shimane. The top high school in the area (Kaisei High School) finished in the top 8 at last summer’s national high school championships, and their current star player, Sosuke Matsumura is currently one of the top high school players in the country.
The next stage of the process will take place on March 5, at the Chugoku Region Judo Championships, where the top 2 will get a ticket to Tokyo. Please enjoy some matches from the 2017 Shimane Prefecture Judo Championships.
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