Honing Mind, Technique, and Body: The Challenge of Keio's Student "Fencers"

Keio University Athletic Association Fencing Club

2017/09/27

The Keio University Athletic Association celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2017. While the environment surrounding sports has changed dramatically, it has consistently advocated for a "balance of academics and athletics" and has faithfully continued to practice the ideal of "student sports."

Among the 43 clubs currently in the Athletic Association, the fencing club is one that has been strengthening its team in recent years.

Fencing as a competitive sport was introduced to Japan in 1932. It is said to have begun when Tomokiyo Iwakura, who had returned from studying in France, taught it to students at Keio University and other universities. In 1936, the Keio Fencing Club was founded. Since then, as a pioneer among Japanese fencing clubs, it celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2016.

Currently, the team consists of 33 athletes—27 men and 6 women—and 5 managers. Team competitions include the Kanto Student League, the Kanto Student Championships, the All-Japan Student Championships, and inter-university matches such as the traditional Waseda-Keio rivalry. Individual competitions are divided into junior and senior categories, with four tournaments held annually, and the results of the top three tournaments are reflected in the rankings.

Fencing has three disciplines: "foil," "épée," and "sabre." Of these, "foil" is what most people typically imagine when they think of fencing. Only the torso is a valid target area, and there is a "right-of-way" rule, which gives priority to the fencer who initiates the attack. In "épée," on the other hand, the entire body from head to toe is the target, there is no right-of-way, and the first to land a touch wins, making it the simplest discipline. Finally, "sabre" is a dynamic discipline that, in addition to "thrusts," is the only one to include "cuts."

Women's team captain Natsumi Nishikubo (a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Policy Management) joined the fencing club after enrolling at Keio Shonan Fujisawa Junior High School, when she happened to accompany a friend and was invited by the club's advisor. She continued fencing through junior high, high school, and university, growing into the team's ace, placing 8th in the women's épée division at the 2016 All-Japan Student Championships. "It's a sport where it takes time to see results, so there were many times I had to be patient, but thanks to the foundation I built in junior high and high school, I've been able to achieve results in university. In addition to diligently training my body every day, I also practice things like improving my concentration in daily life to strengthen my mental game," says Nishikubo.

Yuya Hirano (a second-year student at the Faculty of Policy Management), who has won the Japanese Junior Olympics and competed in the World Junior Championships, came to Keio University for his university studies. "When I was choosing a club in junior high, I decided to try fencing precisely because it seemed difficult. It was tough at times—training muscles you don't normally use and the unique practice methods—but since there are few competitors, there were also advantages, like being able to participate in major tournaments right away. There are also many opportunities to see top-level athletes compete up close, and I think it's a sport unlike any other," says Hirano.

This March, at the 2017 Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships held in Thailand, Hirano was part of the Japanese team that won the men's épée team event. "Competing on a big stage has really strengthened me mentally. At the same time, I've also come to understand that you can't win on mental strength alone. That's why I try to first set a big goal and then work backward from there, tackling smaller goals day by day," says Hirano.

Nishikubo and Hirano, both students at the Faculty of Policy Management, spend their days rushing from their classes at Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) to the Mamushidani Fencing Dojo at Hiyoshi Campus. Hirano feels a sense of purpose unique to the Athletic Association, saying, "There's a sense of unity and accomplishment in working together toward a single goal. We also value the process of getting to the result." Nishikubo adds, "The Keio University Fencing Club has many people who truly embody the balance of academics and athletics, working hard at things other than fencing. Many students study abroad, and I think there's a lot of international exchange," perfectly embodying the Keio University Athletic Association's approach to sports.

The strong vertical connections are also a major appeal, they say. "We're grateful that alumni come to watch and support our practices on weekends. I feel that the Keio connection will be significant even after we enter the workforce," says Nishikubo.

With all disciplines confirmed for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, expectations are high for the Japanese fencing world to win medals. Attention is also focused on Karin Miyawaki (a third-year student at the Faculty of Economics), a member of the Keio University Fencing Club and the women's foil national team.

Miyawaki says she was active and loved sports from a young age. Her introduction to fencing came through her sister, who is five years older. "After my sister started elementary school, she said she wanted to do kendo, but there was nowhere nearby to learn... By chance, there was a fencing class, so my mother suggested she try it, saying it was like a foreign version of kendo. As I went with her to and from practice, I naturally started fencing myself around the age of five," says Miyawaki.

At first, however, fencing was just one of her many lessons. But in the fourth grade, she won the national championship, and in the fifth grade, she began to distinguish herself, competing in overseas tournaments as a member of the Japanese national team. Miyawaki looks back on this time as when "a hobby turned into a specialty," and she decided to focus solely on fencing. "I hated losing, so competing was fun..." she says, becoming more and more absorbed in fencing.

She also chose to attend Keio Girls Senior High School for the sake of fencing. "I had been attending a different private school from elementary school and loved it, but I took the high school entrance exam so I could devote the time I would have spent on university entrance exams to fencing. Seeing my sister, who had attended Keio University from the Yochisha Elementary School, and sensing its liberal atmosphere was also a big factor," says Miyawaki.

She was selected for the senior national team in her second year of high school and has since traveled extensively for overseas competitions. Her days were spent heading straight to the National Training Center in Kita City, Tokyo, after school to practice. She says that what made her start thinking about the Olympics was Yuki Ota, who won a silver medal in the individual event at the Beijing Olympics and a silver medal in the team event at the London Olympics.

"At the time, I thought the Olympics were a high-risk, high-return world, so I was scared to say out loud that I was aiming for them. But Mr. Ota trained every day with the premise of how to win a gold medal at the Olympics, and seeing that made me realize how naive my thinking was. I still wanted to aim higher as a fencer, so I started to see the Olympics as a more immediate goal," says Miyawaki.

She says Ota advised her to write down detailed goals on paper about how to improve herself in the limited time before the Olympics. "He was someone who deserved to win his medals. I was very inspired by him," says Miyawaki. After that, she won a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games (Nanjing, China) in her third year of high school and marked 2nd in the world junior rankings, growing into a fencer who attracts attention both at home and abroad.

At university, she enrolled in the Faculty of Economics, seeking an environment where she could deepen her knowledge and education in science subjects, which she excels at, while also being able to concentrate on her competitive activities. She honed her skills while balancing her studies, aiming for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but unfortunately, she says she fell just short in the selection race.

"I couldn't earn enough points in the early stages of the selection race, and although I tried various things through trial and error, the gears just didn't mesh. I only decided to aim for Rio shortly before the selection race began, so I think I lacked both preparation and experience," says Miyawaki.

However, this bitter experience of falling short of her goal became a firm step toward the Tokyo Olympics four years later. She watched the Rio de Janeiro Olympics from the stands and says that seeing Ota lose in the first round made her realize "the terror of the Olympics, which is different even from the World Championships." That's why she says, "I no longer casually say that I'm aiming for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. I've been training under a new coach since this year, and I feel that things are moving in a good direction. I want to be sure to produce results in the new season starting in October."

This March, at the 2017 Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships held in Thailand, she placed 3rd in the women's foil individual event. She also contributed to the women's foil team's victory.

With continuous practices and away matches, there are times when she cannot make it to the university as often as she would like. However, Miyawaki spares no effort in balancing her studies, saying, "At university, everything is your own responsibility. I'm keenly aware that things will get tough if I don't manage myself properly."

On the other hand, she says that because she has always enjoyed studying and reading, she feels the joy of learning even within her limited time. "The appeal of general education courses is that you can freely choose from a wide range of academic fields. Unlike my studies up to high school, the content is specialized and interesting, and I don't find studying for exams to be a burden," says Miyawaki.

Regarding the fencing club, she says, "Actually, university is the first time I've belonged to a club. It's also the first time I've had upperclassmen and underclassmen. When I compete in student matches, it's a fresh feeling to have teammates cheering for me, and it's reassuring to know I have a place to come back to."

When asked about the good things about Keio University, she immediately replies, "There are three." "First is that you can freely manage yourself, and there's an environment where you can concentrate on what you want to do. Second is the depth of vertical and horizontal connections. The sense of belonging is very strong, so I feel a sense of unity, like 'my teammates are cheering for me.' The third and final thing is the joy of being able to make my teammates happy and give back to everyone who has supported me by achieving results as a member of Keio University," says Miyawaki.

Fencing is a sport that becomes deeper the more you do it. "I'm not physically large, nor am I particularly athletic. But in fencing, if I polish the tactical aspects and my mental strength, I can still win. There's also the hard-to-understand right-of-way rule, and it's a sport where various elements are intricately intertwined, so I think everyone can fight by developing their own strengths," says Miyawaki.

Apart from her own goals, such as the Tokyo Olympics, she also hopes that the world of fencing will become more exciting as a student sport. "I hope more people will start fencing casually. It's a sport that's hard to understand just by watching, so I really hope many people will try it for themselves," says Miyawaki.

While keeping an eye on Miyawaki's success, we also have high hopes for the continued progress of the Keio University Fencing Club.

Keio University Athletic Association Fencing Club ( http://www.uaa.keio.ac.jp/club/fencing/ )

*All affiliations and academic years are as of the time of the interview.