Shinobi Trial's 'Long Night Cup' Entry List Announced, Kiryu Eyes Third Straight Title — Guild Receives Britan's First-Ever Request to Compete
The Patrol Guild announced on the 7th the entry list for November's Shinobi Trial 'Long Night Cup.' Iori Kiryu, 29, the previously reported two-time defending champion, is entered for a third straight title — and the guild also revealed, for the first time, that it has received a request to compete from someone claiming to represent a covert-patrol group in Britan. Screening has not yet begun, and whether foreign participation will actually happen remains undecided.
Shinobi Trial is a nighttime obstacle event scoring speed and stealth together through the number of times a competitor triggers presence-detection sensors; as previously reported, the "Long Night Cup" is held in November and the "Short Night Cup" in June. In the entry list the Patrol Guild announced on the 7th, previously reported covert patrol officer Iori Kiryu, 29, of the Iga lineage, is listed under her two-time defending champion title. "I say it's my job not to be heard, but in competition I also have to pick up on the presence of the side that does get heard," Kiryu said. "I'm happier about running the usual night course again this year than about any number like three in a row."
According to the guild, during this year's entry period it received, for the first time, an inquiry from someone claiming to represent a covert-patrol equivalent group in Britan — not asking to watch, but to compete. A guild spokesperson said, "We've turned down every overseas request to observe up to now, but this is the first time anyone has asked to compete. Given how famous we've become abroad as 'ninja,' as previously reported, I suppose it was only a matter of time before a request like this came in."
The guild said no screening procedure for evaluating a foreign applicant's skill or qualifications currently exists, and took the position that "we have no intention of deciding anything hastily in time for this year's Long Night Cup. Rushing to accept it, and flatly refusing it, both go against how this guild operates." Asked about the possibility of "first-ever foreign participation" previously flagged in these pages, guild head Soichiro Koka, 64, said, "I always say don't call us ninja, and then I always answer the reporters anyway — but this isn't something I can answer on the spot. I'd like to have something decided by next year's Short Night Cup," suggesting a cautious outlook for realizing it at this November's event.
A fellow longtime entrant alongside Kiryu, as previously reported, said, "If a foreign competitor really comes, their whole culture of erasing presence is probably different, and I'd like to see it. But this year I'm focused on my own run first." A longtime spectator who has followed Shinobi Trial since their student days voiced some unease about the change: "Part of what makes this sport good is that the results just show up every year without any rules explained. I worry that going international might mean more explaining."
The guild says it will continue exchanging written correspondence with the Britan side for now. This November's Long Night Cup itself is expected to proceed with domestic competitors only, as previously reported, with discussion of a screening procedure aimed at next year's Short Night Cup.
