About
The tournament
The Kasahara Cup is an international kendo tournament organized each year since 1984 in honor of Kasahara Toshiaki sensei, the first Secretary of the ZNKR (Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei) and the IKF (International Kendo Federation). Kasahara sensei played a crucial role in the development of kendo in Switzerland.
In 1972, his son, Kasahara Hiroaki sensei, then 22 years old and kendo 4th Dan, stayed in Switzerland for two years as the first Japanese Kendo professor directly send by the ZNKR.
The tournament, organized for more than 20 years in Geneva by the kendo section of the Shung Do Kwan Budo, gathers about 150 participants from all over Europe. In 2019, the 33rd edition gathered French, Italian, Japanese, English and of course Swiss kenshis. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the 34th edition of the Kasahara Cup will take place this year on September 24 and 25 at the Bout-du-Monde stadium, near the city center.