Youth Dedicated to 0.01 Seconds! A Hot Summer on the Tatami. The "48th National High School Championship" for Competitive Karuta

The Japan Karuta Association (Headquarters: Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo; President: Hideo Matsukawa), in conjunction with the National Federation of High School Cultural Clubs, the Tenji Seitoku Educational Foundation, and the Shiga Prefecture Karuta Association, will host the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Competitive Karuta: 48th National High School Championship" on July 19 (Sun) and 20 (Mon), 2026.

This year's prefectural preliminaries saw the emergence of first-time qualifiers who achieved their long-cherished dream of reaching the national tournament, breaking the streak of an absolute champion who had dominated for years. There were also dramatic stories of traditional schools defending their honor and new stars making their mark.

Fifty-nine representative schools that have triumphed through these rigorous preliminaries will compete for the top spot among 401 schools nationwide in the "Team Competition," while "Individual Competition" will see skilled players from across the country vie for supremacy. Once again, the sacred ground of karuta, Omi, will be the stage for the passionate battles of high school students.

Scenes from the 47th Championship Team Competition

Overview of the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Competitive Karuta: 48th National High School Championship"

[Date and Time]

July 18, 2026 (Sat) Combination Draw 4:00 PM - Team Competition Opening Ceremony 4:40 PM -

July 19, 2026 (Sun) Preliminary Rounds 9:00 AM - Finals 6:00 PM (scheduled)

July 20, 2026 (Mon) Individual Competition Round 1 9:45 AM -

*An awards ceremony will be held after the competition concludes. The schedule may shift due to the progress of the competition.

[Venue]

Omi Gakukokan (1-1 Jingumachi, Otsu City, within Omi Jingu Shrine) and 4 other venues in the city.

[Organizers]

Japan Karuta Association / National Federation of High School Cultural Clubs / Tenji Seitoku Educational Foundation / Shiga Prefecture Karuta Association

[Supervisors]

Japan High School Karuta Federation / National Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Karuta Committee of the National Federation of High School Cultural Clubs

[Sponsors]

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology / Shiga Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture Board of Education / Otsu City and Otsu City Board of Education / NHK Otsu Broadcasting Station / The Yomiuri Shimbun / Biwako Otsu Tourism Association

[Patrons and Cooperators]

Goshioseikyō Co., Ltd. / Rakuten Group, Inc. / RISO Education Group Co., Ltd. / Kyoei Mutual Fire and Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. / EL ROSE Co., Ltd. / STARRISE Judicial Scrivener Corporation / PRETZ

[Tournament Cooperation]

Chihayafuru Fund

[Tournament Page URL]

https://www.karuta.or.jp/highschool/

*Scenes from July 18 (Sat) and 19 (Sun) are scheduled to be live-streamed on YouTube.

Details of the broadcast can be found on the tournament page above.

A Deep Player Pool Holds the Key to Victory! Four Schools with Three A-Rank Players Attract Attention

The team competition, where victory is decided by the number of wins among five players per team, is truly the "Koshien of Competitive Karuta." While a player's rank doesn't always directly translate to results, the depth of the player pool and the breadth of strategic options offer significant advantages, making the presence of A-rank players (4th dan and above) a strong asset. This year, four schools, each boasting three A-rank players, which is rare nationwide, will participate, drawing considerable attention.

Ichikawa High School (Chiba Prefecture)

This is their third consecutive year representing Chiba Prefecture since their debut two years ago, in only their second year since the club's formation. They reached the quarterfinals last year and aim for even greater heights.

Rakunan High School (Kyoto Prefecture)

This marks their 19th appearance in the national tournament, the first in three years. Expectations are high for the revival of this traditionally strong school.

Shitennoji High School (Osaka Prefecture)

After their debut last year, they have secured the top spot in Osaka Prefecture for the second consecutive year, carrying their momentum forward.

Kurume University Affiliated High School (Fukuoka Prefecture)

They have emerged victorious from the fiercely competitive Fukuoka Prefecture preliminaries, earning their first-ever berth in the national tournament (also a notable first-time participant).

From Last Year's Champions Aiming for Consecutive Wins to New Challengers Overcoming Preliminary Hurdles

In the prefectural preliminaries, there were dramatic developments where schools challenged and unseated previous representatives and traditional schools aiming for consecutive wins. These are the schools to watch in this year's tournament.

Urawamisono Girls' High School (Saitama Prefecture)

They achieved their second victory in seven years last year. With a solid lineup, six out of eight members are from last year's championship team, and they aim for consecutive titles.

Komaba High School (Tokyo Metropolis)

In the highly competitive Tokyo preliminaries, they consecutively defeated last year's Tokyo representatives, Shirahata High School and Kantodaiichi High School, reclaiming the representative spot for the first time in two years.

Otani High School (Kyoto Prefecture)

This is their third consecutive appearance. They have steadily improved, reaching their first quarterfinals last year. In this year's preliminaries, they narrowly defeated Rakunan High School, which boasts three A-rank players, to become the first representative of Kyoto Prefecture.

Nanzan High School for Girls (Aichi Prefecture)

In the Aichi Prefecture preliminaries, they won a thrilling match against the formidable Prefectural Asahigaoka High School, which had won the tournament for four consecutive years, securing their ticket to the national tournament for the first time in 13 years.

From a Feat in Their First Year to Challenging Traditional Schools: Six Unique First-Time Participants

This year's team competition will feature six schools making their national debut after triumphing through their respective rigorous preliminaries. Please pay attention to their matches as they carve out new history.

Sakata Higashi High School (Yamagata Prefecture)

In the Yamagata Prefecture preliminaries, they narrowly defeated Prefectural Higashisakuragakka High School, which had won the prefectural tournament for four consecutive years. This is a remarkable achievement, reaching the national tournament in their first year since the club's formation.

Kajiki High School (Kagoshima Prefecture)

In the Kagoshima Prefecture final, which was a rematch from last year, they faced the absolute champion Prefectural Tsurumaru High School, which had won the prefectural tournament for 41 consecutive years and holds the record for the most national tournament appearances. They avenged their loss from last year, winning 3-2 to achieve their long-cherished first appearance in the national tournament.

Shibuya Education School Shibuya High School (Tokyo Metropolis)

National Osaka University of Education Affiliated High School Tennoji Campus (Osaka Prefecture)

Akashi High School (Hyogo Prefecture)

Kurume University Affiliated High School (Fukuoka Prefecture)

Competitive karuta involves reacting to cards as soon as the poems are recited, competing in a world of 0.01 seconds. Please come and witness the passionate battles waged by high school students who gather in Omi, honing their skills daily and carrying the bonds of friendship in their hearts.

List of Representative Schools

*For prefectures with a large number of participating schools in the preliminaries, two spots are allocated. *In prefectures with two participating schools, 1 indicates the first representative and 2 indicates the second representative.