Winner Decided for the 44th G-Cup All Japan Gamaiso (Chinu) Championship!
The 44th G-Cup All Japan Gamaiso Championship was held in Owase, Mie Prefecture, where 31 anglers battled through tough weather conditions.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 01:17
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 17:00
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 14:06 (285h 6m after Collected)
The Stage is Owase, Mie Prefecture
The "44th G-Cup All Japan Gamaiso (Chinu/Black Sea Bream) Championship," co-hosted by Gamakatsu Co., Ltd. and GAMAKATSU PTE LTD, was held from April 5 (Sun) to 7 (Tue), 2026, around the Owase area in Mie Prefecture. A total of 31 participants, including top finishers from regional qualifiers held across the country, seeded anglers, and recommended anglers, took part in the event.
The venue was moved from the previous tournament, making this the first time the G-Cup national tournament has been held in Mie Prefecture. Owase, a holy ground for large Chinu, would normally be hitting its peak season around this time, and solid catches were reported during pre-fishing. However, the area was hit by severe weather just before the event, resulting in difficult competitive conditions marked by swells and sudden drops in water temperature, which caused the fish to be reluctant to bite.
In the qualifying league on the 6th, competitors were divided into eight groups of four (one group had three) to compete. The top angler from each group—a total of eight anglers—advanced to the quarterfinals. Amidst tough matches that even resulted in scoreless draws, the anglers who advanced were Yuji Maki (Imabari Offshore I Qualifier), Koichiro Motoshima (Ushimado Qualifier), Shotaro Shikiji (Susaki I Qualifier), Masayuki Ishimoto (Ieshima Qualifier), Hiroyuki Inokuma (Gamakatsu Recommendation), Takahiro Kato (Oga Qualifier), Hiroshi Nagaoka (Tokuyama Qualifier), and Masakazu Mino (Runner-up seeded angler from the previous tournament). Despite the difficult conditions, the competitors deployed high-level fishing techniques to capture good-sized Chinu. The top qualifier from the league was Motoshima, who scored 23 winning points with 2 wins and 1 draw, marking a total weight of 5,265g.
The key to the quarterfinals was how the anglers assessed the topography of the fishing spots, the wash caused by swells, and the condition of the fish to respond effectively and extract that one crucial fish without missing an opportunity. In tightly contested matches, four anglers—Kato, Ishimoto, Mino, and Motoshima—advanced to the semifinals.
The semifinals also saw the Chinu reluctant to bite, creating a nerve-wracking situation. The match between Kato and Ishimoto ended with no catch for either, so Kato advanced based on his quarterfinal results. In the match between Mino and Motoshima, Motoshima caught a precious single fish just before the end of the match, propelling him to the final stage.
The "44th G-Cup All Japan Gamaiso (Chinu/Black Sea Bream) Championship," co-hosted by Gamakatsu Co., Ltd. and GAMAKATSU PTE LTD, was held from April 5 (Sun) to 7 (Tue), 2026, around the Owase area in Mie Prefecture. A total of 31 participants, including top finishers from regional qualifiers held across the country, seeded anglers, and recommended anglers, took part in the event.
The venue was moved from the previous tournament, making this the first time the G-Cup national tournament has been held in Mie Prefecture. Owase, a holy ground for large Chinu, would normally be hitting its peak season around this time, and solid catches were reported during pre-fishing. However, the area was hit by severe weather just before the event, resulting in difficult competitive conditions marked by swells and sudden drops in water temperature, which caused the fish to be reluctant to bite.
In the qualifying league on the 6th, competitors were divided into eight groups of four (one group had three) to compete. The top angler from each group—a total of eight anglers—advanced to the quarterfinals. Amidst tough matches that even resulted in scoreless draws, the anglers who advanced were Yuji Maki (Imabari Offshore I Qualifier), Koichiro Motoshima (Ushimado Qualifier), Shotaro Shikiji (Susaki I Qualifier), Masayuki Ishimoto (Ieshima Qualifier), Hiroyuki Inokuma (Gamakatsu Recommendation), Takahiro Kato (Oga Qualifier), Hiroshi Nagaoka (Tokuyama Qualifier), and Masakazu Mino (Runner-up seeded angler from the previous tournament). Despite the difficult conditions, the competitors deployed high-level fishing techniques to capture good-sized Chinu. The top qualifier from the league was Motoshima, who scored 23 winning points with 2 wins and 1 draw, marking a total weight of 5,265g.
The key to the quarterfinals was how the anglers assessed the topography of the fishing spots, the wash caused by swells, and the condition of the fish to respond effectively and extract that one crucial fish without missing an opportunity. In tightly contested matches, four anglers—Kato, Ishimoto, Mino, and Motoshima—advanced to the semifinals.
The semifinals also saw the Chinu reluctant to bite, creating a nerve-wracking situation. The match between Kato and Ishimoto ended with no catch for either, so Kato advanced based on his quarterfinal results. In the match between Mino and Motoshima, Motoshima caught a precious single fish just before the end of the match, propelling him to the final stage.