The 12th All-Japan Tournament Championship (that we misnamed Japanese Cup in the past) was held in Kakegawa on November 24-26, 2006.

The format of the All Japan Tournament Championship is very original.  It is based on a preliminary round made of one optional.  Based on the preliminary round, the top 8 faced each other one-on-one in quarter finals of a tournament by direct elimination in a form similar to a tennis tournament.  The winners of the quarter finals then meet in the semi finals.  Finally, the winners of the semi finals face each other in the final.  This format of competition was applied to the senior competition as well as age groups from 9-10 to 17.  A 2-trick competition was also held.   

Some of the most prominent Japanese internationals at this 12th All-Japan Tournament Championship did not compete as they were competing at the 8th World Cup Final in Birmingham that was scheduled on the same date as the Japanese Cup.  The absentees included Yasuhiro Ueyama, Tetsuya Sotomura, Takayuki Kawanishi, and Daisuke Nakata in the men's, as well as Hiromi Hanmoto and Yoko Seto in the women's.

In the men's competition, All-Japan Tournament Championship title holder Shunsuke Nagasaki, 19, retained his title by convincingly dominating the competition.  Nagasaki had won last year's competition by individually beating 2005 World medalists Tetsuya Sotomura and Yasuhiro Ueyama.  This year, Nagasaki simply delivered the four best routines of the competition, performing a 15.50 pt tariff.  Nagasaki obtained 40.20 pts in the preliminary round, 40.40 pts in the quarter finals where he eliminated Ryota Shimada, 40.50 pts in the semi finals where he beat his most dangerous rival, Japanese international Masaki Ito, and 41.20 pts in the final. Nagasaki met Takashi Sakamoto in the final where Sakamoto performed a routine that was not as good as his preceding routines.  In the quarter finals, Sakamoto had obtained 38.60 pts and eliminated 14-year-old prodigy Subaru Shintani.  Keita Sugai was the other semi finalist.  Hideyasu Ishikawa had taken the last spot for the quarter finals with his 15.20 pt routine, but crashed in the quarter final. 

The level in the women's was very consistent with 10 ladies performing 10.00+ pt routines, and 20 athletes obtaining 32.00+ pts.  However, 6-time Japanese Champion Haruka Hirota, 22, dominated the competition thanks to a superior difficulty (12.00 pts).  She cruised through the preliminary round with 37.00 pts.  She then edged Mina Terada in the quarter finals, before convincingly winning her semi-final against Asami Fukuo, and the final.  Hirota obtained 36.80 pts in the final.  Kazuyo Minato reached the final where she obtained 34.30 pts.  She had beaten Kiyouko Nakagawa, who had taken the 2nd place of the preliminaries, in the semi finals. 

The 17+ age group competition was won by 2006 Indo-Pacific Champion Tomoyuki Baba in the men's and 2006 Indo-Pacific Champion Naoko Nishida in the women's.  The 15-16 age group competition saw the victories of the promising Katsufumi Tasaki in the men's and Manami Teramae in the women's.  The 13-14 age group gold medals were taken by Kentarou Tsuji in the men's and the impressive Sana Yamada in the women's, who competed a 10.50 pt routine. 

All age group competitors and the senior competitors were facing each other in a 2-trick competition where the top 8 faced each other The young Sana Yamada won the 2-trick competition in the women's.  In the men's, as expected Takashi Sakamoto, who competed a 17.00 pt routine in 2005 won the competition by beating Masaki Ito in the final.

Women's Preliminary Round
1. Haruka Hirota 37.00 (12.00)
2. Kiyouko Nakagawa 34.30 (10.30)
3. Naomi Nishioka 34.00 (10.30)
4. Kazuyo Minato 33.80 (10.00)
5. Mika Futagi 33.80 (10.30)
6. Asami Fukuo 33.70 (10.30)
7. Nao Kawajiri 33.40 (10.40)
8. Mina Terada 33.20 (10.30)
9. Yukari Hata 33.10 (09.50) 
10. Haruka Nakata 33.00 (09.10) 

Women's Quarter Finals
- Mika Futagi 33.70
- Kazuyo Minato 34.50

- Nao Kawajiri 32.50
- Kiyouko Nakagawa 34.40

- Asami Fukuo 33.50
- Naomi Nishioka 31.80

- Mina Terada 34.20
- Haruka Hirota 35.40

Women's Semi Finals
- Kazuyo Minato 34.50
- Kiyouko Nakagawa 34.30

- Asami Fukuo 31.30
- Haruka Hirota 35.50

Women's Finals
- Kazuyo Minato 34.40
- Haruka Hirota 36.80

Men's Preliminary Round
1. Shunsuke Nagasaki 40.20 (15.50)
2. Keita Sugai 37.70 (14.60)
3. Masaki Ito 37.40 (13.90)
4. Subaru Shintani 37.30 (13.10)
5. Takashi Sakamoto 37.30 (15.00)
6. Kazuma Takahashi 37.20 (14.60)
7. Hideyasu Ishikawa 37.20 (15.20)
8. Ryota Shimada 36.90 (12.70)
9. Tomoyuki Baba 36.90 (14.00)

Men's Quarter Finals
- Takashi Sakamoto 38.60
- Subaru Shintani 36.50

- Hideyasu Ishikawa 01.80
- Keita Sugai 31.90

- Kazuma Takahashi 37.50
- Masaki Ito 38.20

- Ryota Shimada 35.80
- Shunsuke Nagasaki 40.40

Men's Semi Finals
- Takashi Sakamoto 37.70
- Keita Sugai 27.10

- Masaki Ito 38.60
- Shunsuke Nagasaki 40.50

Men's Finals
- Takashi Sakamoto 36.20
- Shunsuke Nagasaki 41.20

Women's 2-Trick Final
Sana Yamada beats Mina Terada.  3rd: Kiyouko Nakagawa and Mika Futagi

Men's 2-Trick Final
Takashi Sakamoto beats Masaki Ito.  3rd: Shunsuke Nagasaki and Kazuma Takahashi

In other recent news, Naomi Nishioka won the Osaka Open held last week in Osaka.  She obtained 94.20 pts thanks to a 35.00 pt final routine (10.50 pt tariff).  Kouji Maeyama won a men's competition where the overall level was not very high.  Subaru Shintani crashed in the final whereas Yasuhiro Ueyama did not compete as he was preparing the World Cup Final.

AcrobaticSports.com would like to thank Dr. Max Vercruyssen, Director of the Hawaii Academy, and Mr. Yukinori Miyata, Japanese national team coach currently with the Hawaii Academy, for their input and rectification.

Link to the detailed results

Link to the detailed results of the Osaka Open