1st Shizuoka International Kendo Festival
FUJISAN CUP2027
Kendo Beyond Borders
An international kendo tournament and stay, held in Shizuoka the week after the 20th World Kendo Championship in Tokyo.
Booking is not open yet — pre-register to be the first to hear when entries begin.
June 2027 · Fujieda, Shizuoka, Japan
Our Creed
Through kendo, we meet, we learn, and we build friendships with companions from across the world.
More than winning, it is the bonds we make that matter. Kendo has the power to bring people together — beyond language, beyond borders. At the foot of Mt. Fuji, the symbol of Japan, I hope to see kenshi from around the world gather to test themselves, to share, and to forge friendships that reach across cultures and values. That is my wish for this gathering.
Beneath the sacred mountain
Mt. Fuji has drawn pilgrims for a thousand years. To train within its sight is to train close to the source of the spirit.
A Way, not only a sport
Kendo shares the character 道 — the Way — with the ancient roads of Japan. Each is walked to refine the self.
In the Tōkaidō post-towns
Fujieda and its old post-towns keep the living memory of the great highway — its inns, tea fields and craftspeople.
How the Fujisan Cup unfolds
Two days of keiko, ceremony and competition, open to overseas players, coaches, referees, officials and media.
01Day 1 · Friday afternoonCross keiko
Friendship keiko alongside leading sensei — the world's practitioners cross shinai together for the first time.
- ⊹Photo coming soon02Day 1 · Friday evening
Evening Programme (to be confirmed)
We are considering an evening for kenshi to meet across borders. Whether it takes place, and in what form, is still being decided — we will announce it once confirmed.
Image for illustration03Day 1 · Friday nightStay at a hotel in Fujieda
Rest at a hotel in the city, close to the venue (hotel to be confirmed).
04Day 2 · SaturdayThe Tournament
Team matches in the main hall — a celebration of friendship through the sword.
05Day 2 · Saturday afternoonAwards & commemorative photo
The award ceremony, then a commemorative photograph of every guest together beneath one roof.
Entry & Participation
The festival covers cross keiko, one night at a hotel in the city and tournament entry, with full multilingual support throughout.
- ✓Day 1: cross keiko
- ✓One night at a hotel in the city
- ✓Day 2: tournament participation
- ✓Multilingual support (reception, competition guidance)
- Day plan (no overnight stay)
- Available — fee announced autumn 2026
- Boxed lunch (Day 2)
- Optional — paid separately
- Family accommodation
- Arranged on request — please ask us
- Tournament capacity
- 100 participants
* Participation fees are being finalised and will be announced in autumn 2026, when entries open.
Four days on the old Tōkaidō, before the taikai
June 1 (Tue) – June 4 (Fri), 2027 — four nights from the foot of Mt. Fuji through the festival, with your Fujisan Cup entry included.
The Tōkaidō is the old road that joined Edo and Kyoto. We follow its middle stretch — from the foot of Mt. Fuji to Fujieda — over four days, by private coach, with an interpreter-guide the whole way. Pay respects at Sengen Taisha, step into a sake brewery, print an ukiyo-e with your own hands. Train with local kenshi at dawn, take tea where gyokuro is grown, and walk the post-town streets travellers walked four centuries ago. On the fourth day you arrive at the hall — the road itself is how you arrive ready.
Announced in autumn 2026, when booking opens. The price includes entry to the festival.
Four days on the road
Seisei-an — black-lacquered beams, and the garden beyond Day 1June 1 (Tue)Mt. Fuji, then the old post town
12:50 meet at Shin-Fuji Station. The Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha and the streets before its gate, a tour and tasting at Fuji Takasago sake brewery, Shiraito Falls. In the evening, down to Okitsu — a post town on the old Tōkaidō.
Night: Seisei-an — a hundred-year-old machiya we restored, two minutes from the station
One gold ryō and a sealed letter — the sweet-shop knows what it is worth Day 2June 2 (Wed)A morning in Okitsu, then the sea
Zazen or sutra-copying at a temple in Okitsu before breakfast (optional). The Daimyō Walk — an old-road map, a sealed letter and one gold ryō, spent on the post-town street. An ukiyo-e printing workshop at the Tōkaidō Hiroshige Museum in Yui, lunch at the Kashi-no-Ichi fish market in Shimizu port, then Nihondaira Yume Terrace.
Night: hotel in Shizuoka City
Morning keiko with local kenshi — training or watching, both welcome Day 3June 3 (Thu)Morning keiko, tea country
Morning keiko with local kenshi at Yōkōkan dōjō, in the woods of Shizuoka Gokoku Shrine — join the practice, or watch. Lunch and a bowl of tea at Gyokuro-no-Sato in Asahina, then Ōhatago Kashibaya at Okabe-juku, an inn that served travellers for three centuries. Into Fujieda in the evening.
Night: hotel in Fujieda, walking distance from the hall
Two days of taikai in Fujieda Day 4June 4 (Fri)Fujieda — the festival is yours
A slow morning; luggage goes ahead by coach. Around noon, check-in at Fujieda City Gymnasium. In the afternoon the Fujisan Cup 2027 opens — your entry is already part of the journey. Festival day two follows on June 5.
Night: hotel in Fujieda — the festival night included (check-out June 5)
Three things on this road
Morning keiko at Yōkōkan
A dōjō in the woods of Shizuoka Gokoku Shrine. Join the practice with local kenshi — your bōgu travels with us on the bus. Watching is welcome too.
Mt. Fuji, all four days
The World Heritage Centre, Sengen Taisha, Shiraito Falls, Nihondaira — the mountain is somewhere in view the whole way.
The Tōkaidō and tea
Yui as Hiroshige drew it, gyokuro country in Asahina, the inn quarter of Okabe-juku. The road at its own pace.
- ✓Entry to the Fujisan Cup 2027 (June 4–5) — compete or watch, no extra fee
- ✓4 nights — a night in our restored machiya, then hotels, and the festival night in Fujieda
- ✓Private coach throughout, with space for bōgu
- ✓8 meals (3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners)
- ✓All listed experiences and entries, and the morning keiko arrangement
- ✓An interpreter-guide for the whole journey
- Start / finish
- June 1, 12:50 Shin-Fuji Station / June 4, the festival hall
- Capacity
- 40 (minimum 15 to operate)
- Booking opens
- Autumn 2026
The full itinerary, conditions and priority registration are on the KAIDO JOURNEY tour page. Venues and lodgings are confirmed in the final itinerary sent before departure.
See the full tour — kaido-japan.comWhen, where and how
- Festival days
- June 4–5, 2027 (Fri–Sat)
- Optional pre-festival tour
- June 1 (Tue) – June 4 (Fri), 2027 · 4 nights (incl. festival night) · from Shin-Fuji Station
- Venue
- Fujieda City Gymnasium & Budokan, Shizuoka
- Accommodation
- A hotel in Fujieda, close to the venue (to be confirmed)
- Nearest airports
- Tokyo (Haneda / Narita) or Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport
Getting from Tokyo
The Fujisan Cup follows the 20th World Kendo Championship in Tokyo. Travel between Tokyo and Shizuoka is arranged independently — Shizuoka is roughly one hour from Tokyo by Tōkaidō Shinkansen. Detailed guidance will be sent to registered guests.
Details are subject to final confirmation before booking opens.
Be the first to know
Booking is not open yet. Leave your details and we will contact you the moment entries begin — and tell you about the optional pre-tournament tour.
Good to know
When does booking open?+
Not yet. This page is an early announcement so you can save the date. Entries are expected to open in autumn 2026 — register your interest and we'll contact you first.
When are the matchups decided?+
How the matchups are decided is still being worked out. It will be announced with the official guidelines, sent first to those who have registered their interest.
How are the matches contested, and how many can take part?+
Three-person team matches (dantai-sen). The tournament capacity is 100 participants. If you do not have a full team of three, let us know when you pre-register — we can help match individual entrants into teams.
Who can take part? Is there a rank requirement?+
The festival welcomes kendoka from dojos around the world. Eligibility and any rank guidance will be confirmed with the official entry details; pre-register and we will send them to you first.
What about equipment (bogu and shinai)?+
Equipment guidance, including any rental and support options, will be shared with the official entry details. Pre-register and we will send them to you first.
How do I get from the Tokyo championship to the festival?+
Travel between Tokyo and Shizuoka is arranged independently — about one hour by Shinkansen. We'll send guidance to registered guests. The venue and hotel are within walking distance of each other.
Can my family come?+
Yes. Accommodation can be arranged when you register, and family members are welcome to watch at the venue.
What is the optional pre-tournament tour?+
An optional guided tour for festival participants — meet at Shin-Fuji Station 12:50 on 1 June (Tue) and arrive at the venue on 4 June (Fri), with four nights in total including the festival night. Mt. Fuji and the old Tōkaidō, morning keiko at Yōkōkan dōjō, a night in a restored machiya in Okitsu, and the Daimyō Walk. Entry to the festival is included; the price will be announced in autumn 2026, when booking opens — full itinerary and applications at kaido-japan.com/en/journey.
Is there support in English and other languages?+
Yes — multilingual reception, competition guidance and interpreters are provided throughout the festival and the tour.
How much does it cost?+
Participation fees are being finalised and will be announced in autumn 2026, when entries open. Pre-register and we will send the full details to you first.
From dojos across Europe
Paris, Zürich, Lausanne, Luzern. Short portraits filmed in dojos across Europe — one person, one word. No narration, no questions on screen. Only the person in front of the camera.
- #01
Kōken-chiai
Jean-Pierre Labru
BUDO XI, Paris
- #02
Ikigai
Daniel Antoni
BUDO XI, Paris
- #03
A Beautiful Kendo
Joud Bouaita
BUDO XI, Paris
Who brings the festival together
The festival is hosted by the Fujisan Cup 2027 Executive Committee, led by Chair Hiroshi Urushibata. Together with co-hosts KAI Inc. and the Shizuoka Sport Commission, it delivers international hospitality and the stay programme. The honorary leadership and supporting organisations are being finalised and will be announced shortly.
Organiser & Co-hosts
- Organiser
- Fujisan Cup 2027 Executive Committee
- Co-hosts
- KAI Inc.Shizuoka Sport Commission
Organising team
Honorary leadership
A kendo festival that connects with the world — from Shizuoka.
The Fujisan Cup 2027 welcomes sponsor companies and organisations on an ongoing basis. Help us bring kenshi from around the world to Shizuoka — let us make it happen together.
Sponsorship enquiries