It’s finally that time again! The Men’s All Japan Open Weight Championships are set to commence in a little over a week. Though I love all competitions, this is the one I look forward to the most. As with many judoka of my generation, watching Toshihiko Koga make it through to the finals of the 1990 edition was one of the most awe-inspiring performances I have ever seen. I have been hooked on this tournament ever since.
Two years away from perhaps the most important judo tournament for the Japanese since 1964, the prospect of being an Olympian when it is held in Tokyo in 2020 has elevated the overall level to heights we haven’t seen for a long time. Japanese judo really went into decline after the 2008 Olympics, culminating in a dismal performance at the 2012 London Olympics. This generation is on a completely different level and gold medals in Tokyo are all but guaranteed. The question is simply, how many will there be?
Within this contest are a number of stories that will play out next week. The brackets are attached with some notable athletes highlighted in red. The following is a synopsis of the athletes and the stories that will unfold in a week’s time:
#1 Ojitani – The 2-time defending champion is seeking a third consecutive title and fourth overall, that would solidify him as the top athlete in this tournament. However, he has not been able to solidify himself as the top athlete in the category by any means. With recent losses to Hisayoshi Harasawa last year and Yusei Ogawa earlier this month, he needs to win convincingly at this tournament to earn a spot on the world championships team. If he squeaks by on penalties or has trouble here, I think the slot will be given to Ogawa.
#6 Kamikawa – Kamikawa, the 2010 Open Weight World Champion will once again make his bid for the title that has eluded him thus far. Now one of the oldest players in the tournament, his abilities are unquestioned, but he’s always underachieved, even going back to his days as a high school phenom. Still, Kamikawa possesses some of the most attractive judo among the heavyweights in Japan. His style is a throwback to the days of Yamashita and Saito.
#8 Kentaro Iida – His domination as a high school student had many predicting he would be the next Kosei Inoue or Keiji Suzuki. A protege of Koichi Iwabuchi, the legendary sensei of the likes of Keiji Suzuki, Satoshi Ishii and Yohei Takai, Iida oozes class but has not made the transition into the university ranks that some had predicted. If all goes as planned, he will meet Kamikawa in the round of 16.
#11 Yusei Ogawa – Fresh off his victory in the All Japan Selection Tournament at the beginning of this month, Ogawa should be fully confident that he can win again here. However, he may have the toughest road into the final, and I predict that he will be one of the first major contenders to be upset. The upset will come from either #14 Kakita, or # 16 Ota.
#13 Soichi Hashimoto – The -73kg world champion will make his open weight debut, following in the footsteps of Shohei Ono, last year. Hashimoto is no slouch in open weight contests and has ample experience from his days at Tokai University. The problem for him is that he is set for a likely first match up with #14 Kyohei Kakita, a veteran and perennial contender in this tournament. Kakita is a bad match up for Hashimoto and unfortunately, I think Hashimoto is in for a quick day.
#21 Sanshiro Murao – Murao leads a trio of strong young athletes who qualified as high school students, but he is the one who I think will have the biggest impact in years to come. In fact, I think he will be the next Olympian for Japan in the -90kg class. He has all the tools to be a superstar and his only weakness is his lack of strength in comparison with the seniors. That will come in time. He looks set for a round of 32 matchup against another young superstar, #19 Takaya Yamaguchi, who is now in his first year of university at Nihon University. However, I think both of their days will end when they face #16 Hyoga Ota, winner of the recent Ekaterinburg Grand Slam.
#22 Ryu Shichinohe – Shichinohe has struggled as of late, and thus was not even considered for the upcoming world championships. As one of the oldest competitors on the Japanese national team, this year must be one of his last chances if he is to win the open weight title. He struggled in the qualifiers, only managing a 5th place finish in the Kyushu region, so it is hard to know what to expect. We do know that if he has a good day, he is as good as anyone in Japan but he needs a win here like fish need water. If he does not make it into the later rounds, then I suspect he will be dropped from the national team in favor of younger athletes coming up.
#27 – Hisayoshi Harasawa – Harasawa has been in the news a bit lately for announcing his resignation from his trade team JRA, leaving an excellent coaching staff and training partners for a world of the unknown. He will seek to qualify for the 2020 Olympics as an unattached athlete, and is in the hunt for sponsors at the moment. All the heavyweights must be feeling a lot of pressure as there is no clear-cut favorite in the +100kg category and Harasawa is just one of many who could be chosen for the games. His first major test will come against -100kg competitor, Yusuke Kumashiro, who had a magnificent tournament at the Tokyo Championships, which is nearly as difficult as the All Japan tournament.
#33 – Hirotaka Kato – The former champion of this event always puts on a good match with his unusual range of techniques. At 33 years of age, he is always a darkhorse for the tournment, and I think he will be the one to put an end to Naohisa Takato’s dreams of being the first lightweight champion in history. Kato though, faces a tough first match against #34 Takuto Kimura, who had a breakthrough tournament in qualifying for this event.
#35 – Naohisa Takato – Takato, the current world champion in the -60kg category received a special invite for this tournament. I don’t recall hearing of anyone entering as an -60kg athlete. Masato Uchishiba did it twice as a -66kg competitor and failed to win a match in both attempts. Though I think Takato has no realistic chance of winning the whole tournament, he has a very good chance to win his first matchup. His first matchup will be against one of two competitors who are both slightly past their prime, and while they were great in their day, I think there is a very good possibility Takato comes out on top. His third round match against either Kato or Kimoto will be darn near impossible for him to win, and that’s where the fairy tale will end.
#41 Daiki Nishiyama – The 2-time world silver medalist seems to be past his prime, but has still put up some very impressive results as of late. He has never faired well in this tournament, but by luck of the draw, if he can get past #38 Kokoro Kageura, then anything is possible. It would be nice to see him have a good go here before the curtain is called on his career.
Well, there you have it. That is my roundup of next weeks event. Oh, and I think Ojitani will defend his title.
