J. F. Oberlin’s men’s kyūdō team reached the pinnacle of success by winning the 61st All-Japan University Kyūdō ?za Championships, held at Ise Shrine on November 22 and 23. The championships were held in tournament format, with the nation’s best ten university kyūdō teams competing. J. F. Oberlin’s men’s team handily defeated Tōkai University in the first round and Ritsumeikan University in the semi-final round, pitting them in the final round against the team representing the Tōhoku area, Fukushima Prefecture’s Higashi Nippon International University. In that final round, J. F. Oberlin’s men hit the target with 144 of their 160 shots, compared to their opponents’ 137 of 160, and the title was theirs.

Yoshihiko Ishiyama, the coach of the men’s kyūdō team, said, “It’s our first ?za crown in the 43 years since the university’s kyūdō club was founded. They really did a great job. This has been an amazing year.” Shunsuke Nagasawa, a fourth-year student in the College of Health and Welfare and the captain of the team, said, “We came to the championships with the intention of winning, and we’re overwhelmed with emotion at having achieved our goal. We’re just a bit disappointed that we couldn’t hit the target as many times as we hoped to. Next year in our league competitions [at which the ?za teams are decided], I expect even better results from our members.”

In addition to winning the team championship, several club members were singled out for individual honors. Daisuke ?tsuka, a third-year student in the College of Health and Welfare, was chosen as Top Competitor, and both Nagasawa and Ayumu Naitō, a second-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences, were named Outstanding Competitors.