Hashimoto vs Oka: Domestic Supremacy in Takasaki
The spotlight in Japanese gymnastics swings back to Takasaki this week, and once again it lands squarely on two familiar figures: Hashimoto Daiki and Oka Shinnosuke. Same arena, same stakes, but a slightly different edge. This time, it is not just about medals. It is about control of the all-around throne at home.
From Friday (17 April), Takasaki Arena in Gunma Prefecture becomes the centre of the sport in Japan as the All-Japan All-Around Championships 2026 get underway. The event, paired with next month’s NHK Trophy, will shape the national team for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Every routine, every landing, every wobble will echo all the way to Europe.
Hashimoto arrives as the man everyone is still chasing. Reigning world and Olympic champion. Five-time defending All-Japan all-around winner. The standard. He has already joined Uchimura Kohei in a rarefied space by taking three straight world all-around titles, the latest coming in Jakarta last October, where he once again kept Oka at arm’s length.
But this week, there is a twist.
Hashimoto is managing a left-shoulder injury picked up in March. How much it will bite into his difficulty, how much it will test his endurance over six apparatus, remains the one cloud over his campaign. He is still the favourite, still the benchmark, yet no longer untouchable on paper.
The target in front of him is colossal. Uchimura’s mark of 10 consecutive All-Japan all-around crowns looms in the distance, half a decade away. Hashimoto’s sixth would not only inch him closer to that daunting record, it would also send a clear message that even with a compromised shoulder, the domestic gap has not closed.
Oka, though, has other ideas.
Jakarta left a mark on him for all the wrong reasons. A faltering floor exercise at the world championships dragged him down to fifth in the all-around, a harsh reminder that one routine can erase months of preparation. For a gymnast of his calibre, that kind of stage exit lingers.
He comes into Takasaki said to be in sharp form, and the mission is simple: dethrone Hashimoto and claim his first All-Japan all-around title. This is not just about redemption from Jakarta. It is about finally turning promise into a major domestic crown, about proving he can beat the champion over a full programme, not just on isolated events.
If Hashimoto is chasing history, Oka is chasing his moment. Their duel gives the men’s competition its narrative spine: a reigning king with a vulnerable shoulder and a challenger who has waited long enough.
Women's Field
The women’s field has its own storyline, led by a seasoned campaigner who refuses to fade quietly.
Sugihara Aiko, now 26, stands as one of the veterans of Japanese women’s gymnastics, but her gymnastics still carries bite. She won floor in Jakarta, showing she can still produce world-class work when it matters. Last year, she finished runner-up to Kishi Rina at the All-Japans, then surged back to take the NHK Trophy after a 10-year absence from that particular podium.
Her presence in Takasaki adds a different flavour to the championships. Sugihara is not just holding on; she is pushing back, determined to stay in the mix for Rotterdam and to stretch her competitive arc a little further. For younger gymnasts, she is the benchmark. For selectors, she is a proven option in big arenas.
Between Hashimoto’s pursuit of Uchimura’s shadow, Oka’s hunger for a first national crown, and Sugihara’s refusal to step aside, the All-Japan All-Around Championships 2026 carry more than the usual domestic weight. They will decide who boards the plane to Rotterdam.
They might also show whether Japan’s next era belongs to the challengers, or whether the old guard still has a few more titles left to claim.
