The 22nd Canadian National Kendo Championships brought together kendoka from across the country on August 8–9, 2026, at the BCIT Burnaby Campus in Burnaby, British Columbia, for two exciting days of national-level competition.
Athletes competed across individual, club team and provincial team divisions, representing kendo clubs and communities from across Canada. From the opening matches on Saturday morning through the final provincial team competitions on Sunday, the weekend showcased excellent kendo, spirited competition and tremendous camaraderie.
The Canadian Kendo Federation was also honoured to welcome Daiki Kiwada Sensei, Kyoshi 8 Dan, Head Coach of the Canadian Men’s National Team, and Yoshinari Sasagawa Sensei, Kyoshi 7 Dan, as distinguished guests from Japan. Their participation in the Championships and surrounding seminars made the weekend especially memorable for our Canadian kendo community.
Congratulations to all of our champions, medalists and Fighting Spirit Award recipients.
Event Photos
Photos from the 22nd Canadian National Kendo Championships have been generously made available by Tero Patana through his Kendo Photography page.
We are grateful to Tero for his outstanding coverage of the Championships and for capturing so many memorable moments from the weekend.
View the full photo collection here: Kendo Photography – Tero Patana
Individual Championships
Women’s Individual
| Champion | Natasha Fracassi | Shidokan Kendo & Iaido Club |
| 2nd Place | Hiyori Tominaga | Renbu Kendo Dojo |
| 3rd Place | Juneko Kurahashi | Renbu Kendo Dojo |
| 3rd Place | Akiko Fukushima | Vancouver Kendo Club |
Open Individual
| Champion | Shion Miyashita | Renbu Kendo Dojo |
| 2nd Place | Rogerio Asato | Vancouver Kendo Club |
| 3rd Place | Bill Kim | Renshin Kendo Dojo |
| 3rd Place | Kienta Yoshimura | Renbu Kendo Dojo |
Masters Individual
| Champion | Kyoko Miyata | Manitoba Kendo Club |
| 2nd Place | Joon Young Suk | U.B.C. Kendo Club |
| 3rd Place | Jakob Schmidt | Youshinkan Dojo |
| 3rd Place | Gabriel Schor | Shidokan Kendo & Iaido Club |
Club Team Championships
Women’s Club Team
Champion – Renbu Kendo Dojo
Harumi Ara, Juneko Kurahashi, Hiyori Tominaga
2nd Place – Etobicoke Olympium Kendo & Iaido Club
A. Tyrell, Ty. Gatal, L. Hoysak
3rd Place – Carleton University Kendo Club
L. Jin, D. Vong, A. Fujimoto
3rd Place – Steveston Kendo Club
E. Chui, A. Chui, L. Tong
Open Club Team
Champion – Renbu Kendo Dojo
Kn. Yoshimura, J. Paik, S. Miyashita, E. Kita, C. Liao, Kz. Yoshimura, D. Udagawa
2nd Place – JCCC Kendo Club
F. Ivanovski, S. Zapanta, J. Asare, I. Ru, R. Kim, F.A. Ivanovski
3rd Place – Etobicoke Olympium Kendo & Iaido Club
K. Atiyota, P. Marko, D. Gao, A. Tyrell, R. Yasumura, Ty. Gatal, L. Hoysak
3rd Place – Toronto Kendo Club
Y. Kushima, L. Kim, T. Miyamoto, D. Soso, K. Miyamoto, R. Li, D. Fu
Provincial Team Championships
Women’s Provincial Team
Champion – British Columbia
Hiyori Tominaga, Harumi Ara, Akari Kobayashi
2nd Place – Quebec
Maria Manea, Alex Thibodeau, Natasha Fracassi
3rd Place – Ontario
Lily Hoysak, Dannie Fu, Eimi Fujimoto
Open Provincial Team
Champion – Ontario
T. Miyamoto, B. Kim, R. Kim, S. Zapanta, D. Lau, K. Kim
2nd Place – British Columbia
C. Liao, E. Chui, Ke. Yoshimura, S. Miyashita, R. Asato, B. Miki
3rd Place – Quebec
A. Zakeri, W. Wong, S. On, E. Mathieu, P. Vu, A. Datsenko
The Fighting Spirit Awards recognize competitors who demonstrated exceptional spirit, determination and quality of kendo throughout their respective divisions.
Fighting Spirit Awards
Women’s Individual
- Joanna Asare – JCCC Kendo Club
- Harumi Ara – Renbu Kendo Dojo
Open Individual
- Taketoshi Miyamoto – Toronto Kendo Club
- Clark Liao – Renbu Kendo Dojo
Masters Individual
- Junko Ariyama – Montreal Kendo Club
- Paul Marko – Etobicoke Olympium Kendo & Iaido Club
Women’s Club Team
- Nadia Stelck – Sturgeon Kendo Club
- Jessica Hou – McGill University Kendo Club
Open Club Team
- Brian Miki – Steveston Kendo Club
- Raymond Kim – JCCC Kendo Club
Women’s Provincial Team
- Jenna Grose – Manitoba
- Hailey Michaelchuk – Alberta
Open Provincial Team
- Seth Stepaniuk – Manitoba
- Ali Zakeri – Quebec
Thank You
The Canadian National Kendo Championships are only possible through the collective effort of our entire kendo community.
The Canadian Kendo Federation extends its sincere appreciation to the BC Kendo Federation, Tournament Organizing Committee, referees, court officials, volunteers, coaches, club administrators, sponsors and community partners whose time and dedication made the weekend possible.
We also thank the many athletes, families and supporters who travelled from across Canada to join us in Burnaby. Whether competing individually, representing a club or wearing the emblems of their province, every participant contributed to the energy and spirit of the Championships.
Congratulations once again to all of our medalists and Fighting Spirit Award recipients, and thank you to everyone who helped make the 22nd Canadian National Kendo Championships a tremendous success.
We look forward to seeing Canada’s kendo community together again at the next National Championships.