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The Story Behind Zenshin Event

2019 - The Beginning of It All

Zenshin Event originates from Matsumae/Danish Open, an annual sporting event organized by Vejle Judo Club in collaboration with Judo Denmark and Tokai University.

The Matsumae/Danish Open conference, now known as Zenshin Event, began in 2019 and is held every other year, alternating between being associated with the Danish Open and the Matsumae Cup, and is supported by the Embassy of Japan in Denmark.

2019 - Matsumae Cup Business

The very first Matsumae Event took place in 2019 at Food House in Vejle and brought together around 45 participants. This first event laid the foundation for what later developed into Matsumae Event — a platform for collaboration, cultural exchange, and innovation between Denmark and Japan.

2023 - Matsumae Cup Business

The first year after Covid-19 marked a new beginning for Matsumae Event and brought together more than 100 participants from various companies, research institutions, and public organizations.

It was also the debut year for the exhibition area, where participants showcased their products and innovations, and the first time the event was held at AI Innovation House — laying the foundation for future growth and collaboration.

2024 - Danish Open Business

Once again held at AI Innovation House, the 2024 event brought together 120 participants from companies, research institutions, and public organizations. This year, the program was excitingly expanded with an extra day dedicated to company visits, where a Danish-Japanese delegation explored opportunities for collaboration. 

It was also the first year we had the honor of welcoming Denmark’s Minister for the Elderly, Mette Kierkgaard, as part of the visit — a milestone that highlighted the growing recognition and importance of the event.

2024 - "Matsumae Event"

In 2024, the decision was made to officially adopt the name Matsumae Event. To support future growth, a dedicated association was established, making it possible to develop several themes under the Matsumae umbrella — Matsumae Culture, Matsumae Business, and Matsumae Sport.

This marked an important step towards building a stronger and more versatile platform for cultural exchange, innovation, and collaboration.

2025 - Matsumae Event 25

Matsumae Event 2025 was the largest and most diverse edition to date. The event brought together more than 680 school students and over 200 participants for an engaging Cultural Day, creating connections across languages and traditions. On the business side, more than 250 professionals, researchers and business leaders from over 100 organisations, companies and associations took part in two inspiring business days.


This was also the first year with a dedicated cultural branch — Matsumae Culture — which included Japanese culture workshops for school students and a Japanese film festival at the Lido Cinema. The business programme featured a conference, a morning meeting with local and international professionals, and company visits, while martial arts once again played a central role. The event was honoured by visits from Denmark’s Minister for Senior Citizens, Mette Kierkgaard, and Jais Valeur, former CEO of Danish Crown.

2025 - "Zenshin Event"

Matsumae Event changes its name to Zenshin Event in connection with the expiration of the contract for the sports event Matsumae Cup.

2026 – Zenshin Event

2026 marks the first year without an associated sports event, giving Matsumae Event the opportunity to sharpen its focus and better align with the business community and the school calendar — and it will now be held in September. This year’s program focuses on Business and Culture.

The cultural program is being expanded with a Japanese film festival, school workshops on Japanese culture, as well as a special surprise that has not yet been revealed. The business program continues its development and offers a conference with two parallel tracks, company visits, and another inspiring morning meeting for professionals.