Tohoku derby (東北ダービー) refers to matches played between professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

clubs of Tohoku region,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. This area consists of six prefectures and such clubs include Vanraure Hachinohe, Iwate Grulla Morioka, Vegalta Sendai,

Blaublitz Akita is a Japanese professional association football team based in Akita, Akita Prefecture. In 2014 they entered the J3 League after previously playing in the Japan Football League, the third tier of the Japanese association football league system. ...

, Montedio Yamagata,

Fukushima United FC is a Japanese football club from Fukushima City, the capital of Fukushima Prefecture. They play in the J3 League, Japan's third tier of professional football. History The club was founded in 2006, by the merger of ''FC Pelada Fukushima'' and ...

, and Iwaki FC. Historically, the most significant are games which were played between Vegalta and Montedio ( Michinoku derby), the two most successful of Tohoku's football clubs. The Blaublitz vs Montedio derby is called

Ōu Honsen The Ōu Honsen (奥羽本戦, ''Main battle of Ōu'', a pun on the Ou Line railroad traversing the prefectures) is a footballing rivalry played between Blaublitz Akita and Montedio Yamagata, both professional J.League teams from the citie ...

and played in the former Dewa Province. The Nambu derby is a football rivalry between Vanraure and Grulla, both teams are based in old Nambu domain territory. The Fukushima derby is the match in the Prefecture, between Fukushima United and Iwaki FC.

Tohoku derby Akita vs Sendai

The Tohoku derby Akita vs Sendai, also referred to as the Kurikoma derby, is a footballing rivalry played between

and Vegalta Sendai, both professional

J.League The , officially is Japan's professional football league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League of the Japanese association football league system. J1 League is one of the most successfu ...

teams from the cities in the Tohoku,

.　The latest meeting between the two sides took place on 3 May 2023, and ended in a draw attracting a crowd of 15,026.

Historical Background

The sports rivalry between Akita and Sendai likely originated from the Boshin Civil War and battles that lasted for months, which later expanded into football and basketball. On 4 July

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

, 12 Sendai feudal retainers in their lodgins were killed by impetuous young samurai from Akita and their heads were mounted for display on

Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal a ...

's bridge in Kubota, Akita. This incident caused the Akita War. Sendai had been the largest municipality in the Ōshū, on the other hand, Akita had been the capital of Ushū with the Ōu's largest port of Tsuchizaki.

Stadiums

The game is usually hosted at

Soyu Stadium Soyu Stadium, formerly known as , is an athletic stadium in Akita, Akita, Japan. Located approximately 3 kilometers from the city center, the Akita Yabase Stadium is a multi-use facility opened in September 1941. It has been renovated several time ...

and Yurtec Stadium Sendai. The two stadiums are approximately 170 km (106 miles) apart.

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

is the largest city in the Ou region and the venues draw large home attendance.

Past results

Sendai overwhelmed the derby with 11 victories against Akita's 1 in the official meetings. Statistics as of 3 May 2023

Tohoku Soccer League

In 1980s TDK SC based in Nikaho, Akita joined the Japan Soccer League 2 and were relegated from the second tier. The derby was first contested in 1991 when

club, Tohoku Electric Power, was promoted to

Tohoku Soccer League is a Japanese football league covering the Tōhoku region, the 6 prefectures of Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata. It is one of the nine Japanese Regional Leagues, the fifth and sixth league levels in the Japanese association ...

. The two teams did not play each other in the league again until the 2022 J2 League season after Sendai's relegation.

Emperor's Cup Tohoku Preliminaries

The derby was also played twice in the Emperor's Cup Tohoku Preliminaries.

Zensha Tohoku Preliminaries

J2 League

The clubs met again in the

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

, after Sendai got relegated from

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

, the top tier. The series occurs twice a year, with each team hosting one match. Both sides have met a total of 3 times which resulted in 1 victories for Sendai, 2 draws, and 0 victories for Akita in the second tier.

Friendlies

Players who have played for both clubs

* Ryutaro Iio (S: 2019–2020, A: 2021-) * Shingo Kumabayashi (S: 2006–2007, A: 2013–2015) * Satoshi Otomo (S: 2000–2002, A: 2006) *

Toshio Shimakawa is a Japanese footballer who plays for J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operat ...

(S: 2009–2013, A: 2012–2015)

Tohoku derby Akita vs Iwate

The Tohoku derby Akita vs Iwate, also known as the Kita-Tohoku derby, the Ōshū Kassen, and Michinoku Mitsudomoe, is a local derby contested between the Japanese

's two north-Tohoku-based clubs,

and Iwate Grulla Morioka. It is also a confusing fact that the

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

of Iwate's ex-manager and president is Akita. Derby spectators wore Yutaka-Akita-faced cardboard masks on 13 August 2022.

Stadiums

The game is usually hosted at

and Iwagin Stadium. The two stadiums are roughly 90 km (56 miles) apart. New

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

night lighting equipments were set to be installed at Iwasuta in 2020.

Past results

There have a been a total of 22 matches between both the teams with Akita and Morioka winning fifteen and five matches respectively and two games ended in a draw. Statistics as of 12 May 2023

Tohoku Soccer League

The derby was first contested in 2005 when Morioka club was promoted to

1st division.

J3　League

The clubs met again in the newly formed

J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of . It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan. The third-tier nationwide league is a relatively recent development in Japanese football with a first attempt ...

in 2014.

J2　League

The most recent meeting saw Akita win 1–0 in August 2022 at the Iwagin Stadium. The two teams are currently separated due to Iwate's relegation from the J2 League at the end of the 2022 season.

Friendlies

They have competed more than 4 practice games together.

Players who have played for both clubs

* Shuhei Fukai (A:2016-2018, I: 2019) *

Takumu Fujinuma is a Japanese football player. He plays for SC Sagamihara. Career Takumu Fujinuma joined J1 League club Omiya Ardija in 2016. On April 12, 2017, he debuted in J.League Cup (v Kashiwa Reysol). In July, he moved to Tochigi SC , commonly referr ...

(I:2018, A: 2019) * Futoshi Harada (I:2005, A: 2006) *

Hiroki Kotani Hiroki Kotani (born July 11, 1971) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 3-12-4 , Masashi Takeda , KO (punch) , Zst: Zst 12 , , align=cent ...

(I: 2018, 2020, A: 2019) * Taro Sugahara (I: 2007–2008, 2014, A: 2009–2010, 2013) * Masashi Wada (A:2019, I: 2021-)

Tohoku derby Akita vs Iwaki

Football matches between

and Iwaki FC are described as the Tohoku derby Akita vs Iwaki. It is a match between two cities located in Northeast region. This rivalry is also known as Iwaki derby, stretching back to Iwaki, Akita ( Yurihonjo) and Iwaki, Fukushima's historical Iwaki clan connection.　Iwaki's Riku Saga was raised in Katagami, Akita青森山田出身！仙台大の嵯峨理久が、“先輩”松尾佑介と“親友”高橋壱晟から受けた「アドバイス」
- qoly、2021年1月4日（2022年1月1日閲覧） and Yukihito Kajiya of Blaublitz played for Iwaki Astron FC in his youth.

Venues

The game is usually hosted at

and Iwaki Greenfield Stadium. The two stadiums are approximately 312 km (194 miles) apart. Greenfield was renovated to meet J.League stadium standard in 2023. New spectator seats, new night lighting towers, large video equipment, doping inspection room and press seats were installed and total renewal costs were JPY 1.7 billion.

Past results

Statistics as of 2 July 2023

J2　League

The derby was first played on 14 May 2023 when Iwaki club was promoted to

. The match was televised by NHK throughout two prefectures utilizing the On-set virtual production.

Friendlies

They have competed more than 4 practice games together.

Players who have played for both clubs

* Kyowaan Hoshi (I: 2022, A: 2023-)

Tohoku derby Akita vs Fukushima

Tohoku derby Akita vs Fukushima, also referred to as the Michinoku Mitsudomoe, is an inter-Tohoku soccer rivalry between

and

. Akita was promoted to J2 League and the matches were discontinued in 2020.

Keita Saito is a Japanese football player for Blaublitz Akita. Career Saito joined J3 League club Fukushima United FC in 2015. On 8 November 2015, he netted a hat-trick, the first of his career, in a 3–0 win over J.League U-22 Selection. In 2016, h ...

, Hayate Take and Hiroto Morooka suited up for both sides.

Attendance records

The record for a Blaublitz home match is 10,607, set on 25 March 2018, when the Fukushima United defeated Akita 1–0 with a goal by Nildo at Yabase Athletic Stadium.

Venues

The game is usually hosted at

and Toho Stadium. The two stadiums are roughly 223 km (135 miles) apart. Toho is the largest athletic stadium in the prefecture and four 54-meter-tall

-bulb light steel towers are installed to Tousuta in 2022.

Past results

There have a been a total of 19 matches between both the teams with Akita and Fukushima winning eleven and five matches respectively and three games ended in a draw. Statistics as of 12 May 2023

JFL

The two clubs faced each other for the first time in 2013 when

Fukushima City is the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the northern part of the Nakadōri, central region of the prefecture. , the city has an estimated population of 283,742 in 122,130 households and a population density of . Th ...

club was promoted to Japan Football League.

J3 League

Emperor's Cup

The derby was also played once in the

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...

. Akita ripped apart Fukushima to win 3–0 in the match, Shimakawa, Hirai and Makiuchi all scored.

Friendlies

They have competed more than 6 practice games together.

Players who have played for both clubs

* Shoma Kamata (A: 2020, F: 2021) * Hiroto Morooka (F: 2019–2022, A: 2023-) *

(F: 2015, A: 2020-) * Hayate Take (F: 2018–2019, A: 2021-) *

Yuji Wakasa is a Japanese football player for Fagiano Okayama. Career After attending the Nippon Sport Science University, Wakasa chose to sign for Fukushima United FC in December 2017. He immediately found space in the starting eleven in the opening game o ...

(F: 2018–2019, A: 2020–2022) * Yu Yanagihara (A: 2006, F: 2008–2010, 2011–2013)

Tohoku derby Akita vs Hachinohe

Football matches between

and Vanraure Hachinohe are described as the Tohoku derby Akita vs Hachinohe. It is a match between two cities located in Northern Tohoku region. This rivalry is also known as Kita-Tohoku derby.

Venues

The game is usually hosted at

and

Prifoods Stadium is a football stadium in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. It was formerly known as Daihatsu Stadium. Since April 2019 it has been called Prifoods Stadium for the naming rights by Prifoods. It is one of the home stadium of football club Vanraure Hachin ...

. The two stadiums are approximately 151 km (94 miles) apart.

Past results

Statistics as of 12 May 2023

J3　League

The derby was first played on 30 June 2019 when Hachinohe club was promoted to

Emperor's Cup

The derby was also played once in the Emperor's Cup.

Friendlies

They have competed more than 2 practice games together.

Players who have played for both clubs

* Mizuki Aiba (A: 2020–2021, H: 2023-) * Shuhei Fukai (A: 2016–2018, H: 2020) *

Keita Hidaka is a Japanese footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Tokyo United. Career Montedio Yamagata Hidaka made his official debut for Montedio Yamagata in the J. League Division 2, J. League Cup on 10 September 2014, against Sagan To ...

(A: 2016–2018, H: 2019) * Shintaro Kato (A: 2022, H: 2023-) *

Daiki Koike is a Japanese football player for Vanraure Hachinohe. Career After attending Toyo University, Koike joined Blaublitz Akita in January 2019. Club statistics ''Updated to 15 December 2021''.Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポー� ...

(A: 2019–2020, H: 2022) *

Masashi Kokubun is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a midfielder for Vanraure Hachinohe is a football club based in Hachinohe, a city in the southeastern part of Aomori Prefecture in Japan. They currently play in the J3 League. The name Vanraure ...

(H: 2018–2020, 2022- A: 2021) * Naoyuki Yamada (A: 2013–2021, H: 2022-)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tohoku derby Tōhoku region Blaublitz Akita Vegalta Sendai Iwaki FC Fukushima United FC Football derbies in Japan Sport in Miyagi Prefecture Sport in Aomori Prefecture Sport in Akita Prefecture Sport in Iwate Prefecture Sport in Yamagata Prefecture Sport in Fukushima Prefecture Vanraure Hachinohe Sport in Akita (city) Sport in Morioka Sport in Sendai TDK