Every year in Budapest, Hungary, the National Kendo Teams Gathering (NKTG) brings together national teams for what feels like a full rehearsal ahead of the European Championship. Only men’s and women’s national teams participate. The event runs for two days with round-robin shiai. Around 200 participants from 15 countries took part, including players and referees. Roughly 120 men (mostly 2–6 dan) and 70 women (mostly 1–5 dan) competed across the weekend. Referees also use NKTG as a valuable chan