2021

In March, at the final Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifying event for teams in Sochi, Russia, Japan finished 5th and missed out on qualifying on its own merit. In April, however, Japan’s place in the men’s épée team event was confirmed through the host-nation quota. Selected for the team, he earned his second Olympic individual appearance and his long-awaited first Olympic team event. He finished 10th in the individual event.

In the team event — which had eluded him at Rio 2016 — Japan won its opening match against the United States. Having been substituted during that match, he was unable to fence in the following matches under the special Olympic rules, but the team pulled off a stunning comeback against France, then beat Korea, and defeated the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) in the final to win Japan’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in fencing. As team captain, he never took off his uniform, fighting alongside his teammates and encouraging them throughout — a moment that remains vivid in many memories. That year Japan also became the season’s overall number-one team nation for the first time. After the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, he underwent hernia surgery.