From Tuesday, April 21 to Saturday, April 25, 2026, the season finale event, the S.LEAGUE 25-26 GRAND FINALS, was held over five days at Ichinomiya Beach in Ichinomiya, where the fate of the entire season was decided.

At this event, the Grand Champions for the Men’s Shortboard, Women’s Longboard, and Masters classes — titles that had remained undecided until the very end — were finally crowned, bringing the season to its dramatic conclusion across every category.

In addition to the Shortboard, Longboard, and Masters divisions, a special event titled the Sawakami Team Challenge Ichinomiya was also held, creating new highlights that went beyond the traditional competitive format.

The opening day of the competition featured challenging conditions, with lingering typhoon swell producing overhead waves alongside strong winds. Throughout the event period, wave sizes consistently remained above chest-high, and despite some difficult conditions at times, the competitors battled it out in solid surf.

The venue also featured vehicle displays and test-drive experiences presented by BMW, attracting large crowds of visitors throughout the event.

Alongside the competition, a special event titled the S.LEAGUE BEACH COMMONS was also held during the tournament period. Taking place from April 23 to 25 within the same Ichinomiya Beach area as the Grand Finals, the event created a space where visitors could experience surfing-centered lifestyles and culture through booths and exhibitions presented by various brands and manufacturers.

As a new initiative that could be enjoyed alongside the competition itself, the event drew significant attention from both surf fans and general visitors alike.

Minami Nonaka claims her second victory of the season with a dramatic comeback.

The Women’s Shortboard Final saw a matchup between Minami Nonaka and Cocona Kawase.

The two faced each other once again after previously meeting at the WSL QS4000 Baler International Pro 2025 held in the Philippines last November.

The early stages of the heat were controlled by Kawase. She opened with a 6.00-point ride and followed it up with a 4.25-point score, quickly securing two solid waves. Carefully reading the conditions, she selected her waves with precision and maintained a composed, consistent rhythm throughout the heat.

Meanwhile, Nonaka managed a 5.00-point ride on her third wave, but still required a 5.26 to take the lead. In the latter half of the heat, however, she found a strong set wave and attacked a steep section with a sharp vertical approach. Despite being a single-maneuver ride, she delivered a critical and highly committed performance in the most powerful part of the wave, earning 6.75 points and completing a dramatic comeback.

Kawase responded by improving her backup score to 4.65 points, but it was not enough to regain the lead.

Holding onto her advantage until the buzzer, Minami Nonaka secured her second victory of the season, following her win at the Round 3 event in Kamogawa.

Dominant performance on home waves — Hiroto Ohhara claims victory.

The Men’s Shortboard Final featured a showdown between Hiroto Ohhara and Joe Azuchi.

Amuro took control early in the heat, putting together solid scores of 4.75 and 4.25 points to establish the lead.

Meanwhile, Ohhara responded with a 6.00-point ride on his third wave, but afterward spent a long stretch waiting patiently for the right opportunity.

In the latter half of the heat, however, Ohhara posted a 6.75-point ride to take the lead. Then, with less than two minutes remaining — just as he had mentioned in a pre-event interview that he “wanted to land an air” — he delivered an impressive ride featuring an air reverse, earning an excellent 8.25-point score.

Azuchi was pushed into a combination situation and was unable to recover before the heat came to an end.

In front of his home crowd at Ichinomiya Beach — a place he himself described as “his backyard” — Hiroto Ohharasecured a brilliant victory.

Yuji Nishi captures his first-ever S.LEAGUE championship title.

The battle for the Men’s Shortboard Grand Champion title came down to a showdown between brothers Yuji Nishi and Keijiro Nishi.

The title race between the second son, Keijiro, and the third son, Yuji, of the Nishi family became one of the defining storylines of the event.

For Yuji Nishi, reaching the Final would have guaranteed the championship outright. However, if he were eliminated before the semifinals, Keijiro would still have a chance to overturn the standings depending on his own result.

The younger brother, Yuji, entered the water first. Having struggled with injuries throughout the season and unable to compete consistently, he faced Yuta Tsukamoto in what marked his comeback event. The heat unfolded in Tsukamoto’s favor from the beginning. Yuji fought back but was unable to complete the comeback and was eliminated.

As a result, the fate of the championship was left in the hands of his older brother, Keijiro.

Keijiro then faced Reo Inaba. Riding a newly changed surfboard setup, Keijiro quickly built momentum with sharp, high-speed surfing, extending his lead early and eventually pushing Inaba into a combination situation. At that stage, victory appeared all but secured.

But in the closing moments, the heat dramatically shifted. Inaba attacked a left-hand wave with two explosive re-entries that threw massive spray, earning 7.35 points. He escaped the combination situation and reduced the required score to 6.15 points.

Then, with less than one minute remaining, Inaba found another left-hander. Finishing with a powerful and fast two-turn combination, he posted a 6.55-point ride to complete a stunning last-minute comeback victory.

With Keijiro eliminated at that stage, Yuji Nishi was officially crowned Grand Champion for the first time in his career.

Hirona Yoshikawa wins a close battle to claim victory — securing the S.LEAGUE championship title.

The Women’s Longboard Final featured a high-level showdown between Hiroka Yoshikawa and Natsumi Taoka, two surfers who have both produced strong results on the international tour.

With strong onshore winds creating rough surface conditions, it proved to be a challenging heat for longboarding. Taoka struck first, linking a stylish hang five into smooth maneuvers before riding all the way through to the inside section. The impressive ride earned her 7.00 points and the early lead.

Yoshikawa quickly responded by putting together two solid scores of her own to regain control of the heat. Taoka then answered back with a 6.00-point ride, reclaiming the lead and leaving Yoshikawa needing a 7.83-point score for another comeback.

But midway through the heat, Yoshikawa shifted the momentum once again. Delivering a highly polished and complete performance, she earned 8.50 points to move back into first place.

As the heat entered its final moments, Taoka was given one last opportunity to turn things around. Needing a 6.68, she caught the final wave of the heat, creating a tense situation where the score would only be revealed after both surfers had returned to the beach. In the end, the ride was scored a 6.23 — just short of the requirement.

With that, Hirona Yoshikawa secured the victory.

Yoshikawa had already officially clinched the S.LEAGUE championship title when she advanced through Round 1 of the event. Combined with her Japan Professional Surfing Association Grand Champion titles, this marked the seventh major title of her career.

Kai Hamase achieves total domination with victories in every event of the season.

The Men’s Longboard Final featured a matchup between Kai Hamase, who had already secured the S.LEAGUEchampionship title before the final event, and Shohei Akimoto.

One of the biggest storylines heading into the final was whether Hamase could complete a “perfect season” by winning every single event.

From the very beginning of the heat, Hamase took control. He opened with an outstanding 8.67-point ride, immediately establishing dominance.

Akimoto responded with scores of 4.00 and 4.50 points on his opening two waves, but afterward struggled to improve his total and was unable to shift the momentum back in his favor.

In the latter half of the heat, Hamase raised the level even further. Posting an impressive 9.20-point ride, he extended his lead dramatically and pushed Akimoto into a combination situation before the heat came to a close.

With the victory, Kai Hamase completed a remarkable achievement — winning all five events of the season to secure a perfect championship run.

With victory as the only path, Mineto Ushikoshi rises to the top to claim the S.LEAGUE championship title.

The battle for the Masters Men’s Grand Champion title came down to three surfers: Keiji Yamada, Daigo Funahashi, and Mineto Ushikoshi.

Yamada entered the final event in a position where a finish of second place or higher would secure the championship on his own. Meanwhile, both Funahashi and Ushikoshi faced the pressure of needing an outright victory to claim the title.

As the event progressed, Funahashi was first eliminated in Round 3. Then Yamada was knocked out in the semifinals, finishing the event in seventh place overall. At that point, the situation became clear: if Ushikoshi won the event, he would become Grand Champion.

The Final featured Takayuki Wakita, Masakazu Kono, Yasuaki Higashikawa, and Ushikoshi.

Right after the start of the heat, Kono found a right-hand wave and posted 7.33 points to take the early lead. Wakita and Higashikawa also responded with scores in the five-point range, creating a tightly contested battle.

Amid that pressure, Ushikoshi — knowing that only victory would be enough to secure the title — delivered a 6.33-point ride to move into first place.

As the heat entered its closing moments and time began to run out, Ushikoshi found another wave with less than two minutes remaining and earned 6.87 points. Improving his top score and extending his lead, he held on through the final buzzer.

With the event victory, Takato Ushikoshi also secured the season championship title.

It marked another remarkable achievement in his career — adding a second S.LEAGUE title to the championship he had previously won during the Japan Professional Surfing Association era.

The fact that he once again captured the title under “must-win” conditions, just as he had the previous year, further highlighted his exceptional mental strength and competitive ability.

Reaching the top through teamwork — Channel Islands Surfboards claims victory.

Held on the fourth day of the event, with the Final taking place on the last day, the special competition Sawakami Team Challenge Ichinomiya served as the closing showdown of the tournament.

Based on the regulations of the S.LEAGUE, the event was contested in a team format consisting of four surfers and one coach per team.

In addition to official brand teams, a total of nine teams participated, including teams representing the NSA, NSSA, and host-area wildcard squads. The format, which demanded strategy and teamwork unlike standard individual competition, became one of the event’s biggest highlights.

The Final featured a matchup between The RLM rubber and Channel Islands Surfboards Supported by Maneuverline.

Representing Channel Islands Surfboards were Shun Murakami and Minatsu Ishida, while The RLM rubber fielded siblings Hiroto Mori and Maika Mori.

In the Final, each team was allowed a maximum of nine waves, while priority was shared among teammates. The winner was decided by the combined total of the team’s best two waves.

Right after the start of the heat, Ishida of Channel Islands Surfboards caught a left-hand wave and posted 7.00 points with a powerful carving turn followed by a sharp re-entry, immediately creating momentum for the team. Murakami followed with a ride that connected from the outside all the way through to the inside section for 6.17 points, before later improving with a 7.50-point ride to take over the top score and extend the lead significantly.

Meanwhile, The RLM rubber faced an uphill battle. Hiroto Mori responded with a 5.70-point ride on a right-hand wave, allowing the team to escape the combination situation, but they still required a difficult 8.73-point score to take the lead.

In the closing moments, the decisive wave they needed never arrived, and the heat came to an end.

With that, Channel Islands Surfboards Supported by Maneuverline secured the victory.

Toward the next season — the 2026–27 tour begins this July.

With the conclusion of the S.LEAGUE 25-26 GRAND FINALS, the entire 2025–26 S.LEAGUE season has officially come to an end.

The next 2026–27 season is set to begin this July.

The opening event of the S.TWO Shortboard series, the Oarai Pro-Am Open, is scheduled to take place from July 2 to 4 (with July 5 as a backup day) at Isoba Point in Oarai.

The opening round of the S.ONE Tour will follow from July 8 to 12 (backup day July 13) as the 30th Ibaraki Surfing Classic Kawarago Pro at Kawarago Beach in Hitachi.

Meanwhile, the S.TWO Longboard event is scheduled for July 25 to 26 (backup day July 27) at Top Sunte Shita in Hokota.

With the start of a new season, the next chapter of competition is about to begin once again.

Sawakami S.LEAGUE 25-26 GRAND FINALS Ichinomiya Results

Men’s Shortboard

1st: Hiroto Ohhara
2nd: Joe Azuchi
3rd: Yuta Tsukamoto, Roi Kanazawa

Women’s Shortboard

1st: Minami Nonaka
2nd: Cocona Kawase
3rd: Minatsu Ishida, Kokoro Baba

Men’s Longboard

1st: Kai Hamase
2nd: Shohei Akimoto
3rd: Masaya Tsukamoto, Kainosuke Oguma

Women’s Longboard

1st: Hirona Yoshikawa
2nd: Natsumi Taoka
3rd: Rika Ichikawa, Yoriko Sakakibara

Masters

1st: Mineto Ushikoshi
2nd: Masakazu Kono
3rd: Takayuki Wakita
4th: Yasuaki Higashikawa

Special Event – Sawakami Team Challenge Ichinomiya

1st: Channel Islands Surfboards Supported by Maneuverline
2nd: The RLM rubber
3rd: Team ICHINOMIYA

Text by Asako Mizuno / Photos courtesy of S.LEAGUE