Yohei
Takeshita 竹下 洋平

2021.02.05

Seeking strength while moving steadily forward in the endless path of the sword

As a special kendo trainee in Oita Prefectural Police’s riot squad, Yohei Takeshita has achieved excellent results at numerous competitions. He has also been selected as a member of the national team for the World Kendo Championships. An athlete blessed with top-class offensive capability in today’s kendo world, Takeshita said, “I want to cling to victory in my performance. I am committed to victory, and will hone and polish my style to add depth to it.”

A world that determines the result in a few tenths of a second

Takeshita won second place at the All Japan Police KENDO Championship 2014. “Though there was a difference in skills, I gained confidence from that competition. Fighting strong opponents, I learned about the attitude and concept of kendo.” The following year, he came in third at the All Japan KENDO Championship and had since shown stable strength.

In 2018, Takeshita was picked for the national team and won the team title at the World Kendo Championships. “There was an atmosphere in which it was believed that Japan can never lose in kendo, which created the greatest pressure I had ever felt. There was only a slight difference in ability, and I was puzzled by my opponent who took a completely different approach to fighting from conventional ones,” Takeshita recalled. After he experienced the diverse swordplays of international athletes, who “would strike wherever there was space,” a powerful style of kendo like a pushing contest, he developed a renewed awareness of “ki ken tai no icchi (the harmony of spirit, sword, and body)” and “zanshin (the continuation of awareness)” that are pursued by Japanese kendo.

I’ve never thought of myself as being strong

As a third grader, Takeshita took part in his debut competition. Though he lost in the first round, he began to think about what was needed to win. “Identify and analyze your opponent’s style and use your tricks on him. If you have a high level of physical ability, you can stick to your style, but that was not the case for me. I learned how to keep an advantageous distance by delaying my timing just a little bit,” said Takeshita.

In kendo, the result is determined in a moment. As he learned, “A skilled player doesn’t always win. You can pull off a major upset win depending on your mental condition and concentration at the time.” In his second year of high school, Takeshita won third place in the team event at the National Sports Festival, and went on to Meiji University. “Until high school, I had my mentors who took care of me. But in university, I needed to think on my own to get better. I went through the hardest training I had ever had, and it allowed me to challenge my own limits.”

Takeshita said, “I’ve never thought of myself as being strong.” Analyzing what he lacks makes him “aware that I haven’t practiced enough, or that I don’t have enough muscle, technique or knowledge.” He overcomes his weaknesses one by one and makes steady efforts. “I feel pleasure when I can do what I couldn’t do before and expand the reach of my kendo.” His immediate goal is to be the “best in Japan,” but “there is no end in kendo,” he said. To be the best in Japan may be a mere transit point for him.

Yohei Takeshita’s philosophy

Overcome weaknesses one by one and make steady efforts.