name	Kyokushin Karate
focus	Striking
hardness	Full-contact; Competitions include kicks to the head, but not hand strikes to the head
country	Japan
creator	Masutatsu Oyama (Choi Yeong-Eui)
parenthood	Various, mainly Gōjū-ryū, also including Shotokan, Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.
famous pract	Terutomo Yamazaki, Sonny Chiba, Akira Masuda, Georges St. Pierre, Andy Hug, Bas Rutten, Manvel Gamburyan, Dolph Lundgren, Glaube Feitosa, Francisco Filho, Bobby Lowe, Hajime Kazumi, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Tiger Schulmann, Shokei Matsui, Semmy Schilt, Ewerton Teixeira, Glen Murphy, Ryo Chonan, Andrews Nakahara, Katsunori Kikuno, Sean Connery }}

is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Korean-Japanese karate master, who was born under the name Choi Young-Eui (). Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth". Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has had international appeal (practitioners have over the last 40+ years numbered more than 12 million).

Kyokushin has influenced many of the "Full-Contact" schools of karate, emphasizing realistic combat, physical toughness, and practicality in its training curriculum. The Knockdown karate competition system pioneered by Kyokushin has been adopted by many different karate styles and organizations. Other martial arts organizations have "spun off" from Kyokushin over the years, with some changing the combat repertory by adding various techniques, such as grappling, but continuing with the same philosophy of realistic and practical training methodology.

History

Origin

The following is a brief overview of the early life of Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama.

The founder of International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan, Masutatsu Oyama, was born Choi Yong-i on June 4th, during the Japanese Occupation.

As a young child, Oyama enjoyed fighting and watching others fight. His childhood was spent in Manchuira, China where he learned Shaolin techniques from a Chinese seasonal worker named Lee. Oyama refers to Lee as his first teacher.

In 1938, he emigrated to Japan and studied Okinawan Karate under Gichin Funakoshi, eventually gaining 2nd dan. Later, Oyama also trained under Yoshida Kotaro, a famous Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu/Yanagi-ryu Aiki-jujutsu master, from whom he received his ''menkyo kaiden'' – an older form of grade, a scroll signifying mastery. This scroll is still on display at the honbu (headquarters) dojo in Tokyo.

Also, upon the advice of his mentor and a member of the National Diet, Matsuhei Mori, around this time the young master took his Japanese name, Masutatsu Oyama, the name he would use for the rest of his life. After World War II, Oyama began his training in Goju Ryu karate under a Korean master in Japan, So Nei Chu, who ran a dojo in Tokyo with the famous goju teacher Gogen Yamaguchi. He would finally attain 8th Dan in Goju Ryu Karate. Another influence from the Goju school was Masahiko Kimura. Although fulfilling the role of assistant karate instructor at the dojo Oyama trained at, Kimura was primarily a famous champion of judo, who defeated Hélio Gracie of Brazilian Jiujitsu (aka. Jujitsu) fame. Kimura encouraged Oyama to take up judo so that he would have an understanding of the art's ground techniques. Kimura then introduced Oyama to the Sone Dojo in Nakano, Tokyo, where he trained regularly for four years, eventually gaining his 4th Dan in this discipline.

It was after this time that Oyama first retreated into the mountains for one of his well-known solitary training periods, the so-called ''yamagomori''. He undertook two such retreats lasting a total of almost three years, in accordance with the ascetic traditions of many of the great warriors of Japan through the centuries. During these periods of isolated retreats spent in training, Oyama engaged in intense ''shugyo'', or spiritual discipline.

In the early 1950s, Oyama traveled to the USA visiting 32 states.

In 1953, Oyama resigned from Goju ryu and opened his own independent karate dojo, named "Oyama Dojo" in Tokyo, but continued to travel around Japan and the world, giving martial arts demonstrations (including bare-hand challenges). His first 'Oyama dojo' was a vacant lot in Mejiro, Tokyo. In 1956, he moved the dojo into the ballet studio attached to Rikkyo University. Oyama's own curriculum soon developed a reputation as a tough, intense, hard-hitting, and practical style which he named "Kyokushin" in a ceremony in 1957. As the reputation of the dojo grew, students were increasingly attracted by the opportunity to train there, arriving from across Japan and beyond, and their numbers continued to grow.

In 1964, Oyama moved the dojo into a building he refurbished, not far from the ballet studio at Rikkyo. Oyama also formally founded the "International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan" (commonly abbreviated to IKO or IKOK), in order to organize the many schools that were by then teaching Kyokushin Karate.

1964 to 1994

After formally establishing the Kyokushinkaikan, Oyama directed the organization through a period of expansion. Oyama hand-picked instructors who displayed ability in marketing the style and gaining new members. Oyama would choose an instructor to open styles in another town or city in Japan. The instructor would move to that town and usually demonstrate his karate skills in public places, such as at the civic gymnasium, the local police gym (where many judo students would practice), a local park, or conduct martial arts demonstrations at local festivals or school events. In this way, the instructor would soon gain students for his new dojo. After that, word of mouth would spread through the local area until the dojo had a dedicated core of students. Oyama also sent instructors to other countries such as the Netherlands (Kenji Kurosaki), Australia (Shigeo Kato), the United States of America (Tadashi Nakamura, Shigeru Oyama and Yasuhiko Oyama, Miyuki Miura) and Brazil (Seiji Isobe) to spread Kyokushin in the same way. In addition, numerous students began to travel to Japan to train with Oyama, consequently returning to their country to spread the art. In 1969, Oyama staged ''The First All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships'' which took Japan by storm and Terutomo Yamazaki became the first champion. All-Japan Championships have been held at every year. Also in 1975, ''The First World Full Contact Karate Open Championships'' were held in Tokyo. World Championships have been held at four-yearly intervals since.

Divided organization since 1995

Upon Oyama's death, several groups broke away from the International Karate Organization (IKO) Honbu, primarily due to personal conflicts over who should succeed Oyama as chairman. As a supposed will was proven to be invalid in the family Court of Tokyo in 1994, any claim to that will indicating the true intention of Oyama was nullified. Before his death, Oyama named no one as his successor although many now claim to be the rightful leader of his organization.

Kyokushin today

Existing as a single organization under the leadership of the founder, Mas Oyama, the Kyokushin organization divided into several groups after the Master's passing, each claiming their own authority as representing the original Honbu.

Oyama's widow died in June 2006 after a long illness. According to the Japanese legal system, the Custodian of Oyama's intellectual property and legacy is the youngest of his daughters, Kikuko (also known as Kuristina) who now oversees the management of the original IKO Honbu, although not directly involved in karate teaching.

Dojo Kun (Training Hall Oath)

In some dojos, the Dojo kun is recited at the end of each training session. Students must learn the dojo kun and have a full understanding of its customs. The training oath is as follows: # We will train our hearts and bodies for a firm and unshaking spirit. # We will pursue the true meaning of the martial way so that in time our senses are alert. # With true vigour we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self denial # We will observe the rules of courtesy respect our superiors and refrain from violence. # We will follow our religious principles and never forget the true virtue of humility # We will look up towards wisdom and strength not seeking other desires # All our lives through the discipline of karate we will seek to fulfil the true meaning of the Kyokushin way

The Kanji and its Meaning in Kyokushin

Kanji is the representation (using Chinese characters) of the word Kyokushinkai, which is the name of the ryu or style. Translated, "kyoku" means "ultimate", "shin" means "truth" or "reality" and kai means "to join" or " to associate". In essence Kyokushinkai, roughly translated, means "Ultimate Truth". This concept has less to do with the Western meaning of truth; rather it is more in keeping with the bushido concept of discovering the nature of one's true character when tried. One of the goals of kyokushin is to strengthen and improve character by challenging oneself through rigorous training.

Techniques and training

Kyokushin training consists of three main elements: technique, forms, and sparring. These are sometimes referred to as the three "K's" after the Japanese words for them: kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring).

Technique (waza)

The Kyokushin system is based on traditional karate like Shotokan and Goju-ryu. Many techniques used in Kyokushin Karate are not found in other styles of karate.

In Kyokushin the instructor and his students all must take part in hard sparring to prepare them for full contact fighting. Unlike some forms of karate, Kyokushin places high emphasis on full contact fighting which is sometimes done without any gloves or protective equipment. This apparent violence is tempered because bare-handed punches to the head are not allowed. This reduces the risk of both immediate and long-term head injury. However, knees and kicks to the head and face are allowed.

In the earliest Kyokushin tournaments and training sessions bare knuckle strikes to the face were allowed but resulted in many injuries, thus students were forced to withdraw from training. Oyama believed that wearing protective gloves would detract from the realism that the style emphasizes. Therefore, it was decided that hand and elbow strikes to the head and neck would no longer be allowed in training and competition. Furthermore, many governments don't allow bare knuckle strikes to the head in sanctioned martial arts competitions. The vast majority of Kyokushin organizations and "offshoot" styles today still follow this philosophy.

Technically, Kyokushin is a point and circle style, incorporating a successful blend of the linear techniques of the powerful Shotokan karate and the more circular movements of Goju-ryu with its strong Chinese influence. Shotokan and Goju-ryu were the two styles of karate Oyama studied before creating Kyokushin's style. However, Oyama studied Shotokan for only a couple of years before he switched to Goju-ryu where he got his advanced training under his primary mentor, So Nei Chu. These influences are reflected in Kyokushin where the training and kata for early ranks closely resembles Shotokan but gradually becomes closer to the circular techniques and strategies of Goju-ryu the higher one progresses.

Kata

Kata is a form of ritualized self-training in which patterned or memorized movements are done in order to practice a form of combat maneuvering. According to a highly-regarded Kyokushin text, "The Budo Karate of Mas Oyama" by Cameron Quinn, long time interpreter to Oyama, the kata of Kyokushin are classified into Northern and Southern Katas. For a further classification we need to look closer at each kata and their creator.

Northern

The northern kata stems from the Shuri-te tradition of karate, and are drawn from Shotokan karate which Oyama learned while training under Gichin Funakoshi. Some areas now phase out the prefix "sono" in the kata names.

Taikyoku sono ichi

Taikyoku sono ni

Taikyoku sono san

The Taikyoku kata was originally created by Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate.

Pinan Sono Ichi

Pinan Sono Ni

Pinan Sono San

Pinan Sono yon

Pinan Sono Go

The 5 Pinan katas, known in some other styles as Heian, was originally created, in 1904, by Ankō Itosu, a master of Shuri-te and Shorin ryu (a combination of the shuri-te and tomari-te traditions of karate). He was a teacher to Gichin Funakoshi. Pinan (pronounced /pin-ann/) literally translates as ''Peace and Harmony''.

Kanku Dai

Some organizations have removed the "Dai" from the name, calling it only "Kanku", as there is no "Sho" or other alternate Kanku variation practiced in kyokushin. The Kaku kata was originally known as Kusanku or Kushanku, and is believed to have either been taught by, or inspired by, a Chinese martialartist who was sent to Okinawa as a ambassador in the Ryuku kingdom during the 16th century. Kanku translates to "Sky watching".

Sushiho

The Kata Sushiho is a greatly modified version of the old Okinawian kata that in Shotokan is known as Gojushiho, and in some other styles as Useishi. The name means "54 steps", referring to a symbolic number in Buddhism.

Bassai-dai (only used in some kyokushin organizations)

A very old Okinawian kata of unknown origin, the name Bassai or Passai translates to "to storm a castle" It was originally removed from the kyokushin syllabus in the late 50ies, but was reintroduced into some kyokushin factions after Masutatsu Oyamas death and the resulting fractioning of the organization. Naihanchi (known as Tekki in Shotokan) (only used in some kyokushin organizations) This kata is a very old Okinawian kata with unknown origin. It is generally classified as belonging to the Tomari-te traditions. The name Tekki translates to "iron horse" but the meaning of the name Naihanchi is "internal divided conflict". It was originally removed from the kyokushin syllabus in the late 50ies, but was reintroduced into some kyokushin factions after Masutatsu Oyamas death and the resulting fractioning of the organization.

Unique

Sokugi Taikyoku sono ichi

Sokugi Taikyoku sono ni

Sokugi Taikyoku sono san

These three kata were created by Oyama to further develop kicking skills and follow the same embu-sen (performance line) as the original Taikyoku kata. Sokugi Taikyoku (pronounced /sock-gee, ty-key-yok/) literally means ''Kicking Taikyoku''. Taikyoku translates as ''Grand Ultimate View''. They were not formally introduced into the Kyokushin syllabus until after the death of Masutatsu Oyama. They are now found in most kyokushin factions.

Southern

The southern kata stems from the Naha-te tradition of karate, and are drawn from Goju Ryu karate, which Oyama learned while training under So Nei Chu and Gogen Yamaguchi.. Two exceptions are "Tsuki no kata" which originates from Seigokan goju ryu where it was created by Seigo Tada under the name "Kihon tsuki no kata", and the Kata "Yantsu" which originates with Motobu-ha Shito ryu, where it is called "Hansan" or "Ansan".

Gekisai Dai

Gekisai Sho

Gekisai was created by Chojun Miyagi, founder of Goju Ryu karate. The name means "attack and smash"

Tensho

Tensho was originally created by Chojun Miyagi. The name means "revolving hands"

Sanchin

Sanchin is a very old kata with roots in china. The name translates to "three points" or "three battles". The version done in kyokushin is most closely related to the version Kanryo Higashionna (or Higaonna), teacher of Chojun Miyagi, taught (and not to the modified version taught by Chojun Miyagi himself).

Saifa (Saiha)

Originally a Chinese kata. It was brought to Okinawa and karate by Kanryo Higshionna. Its name translates to "smash and tear down".

Seienchin

Originally a Chinese kata, regarded as very old. It was brought to Okinawa and karate by Kanryo Higshionna. The name translates roughly to "grip and pull into battle".

Seipai

Originally a Chinese kata. It was brought to Okinawa and karate by Kanryo Higshionna. The name translates to the number 18, where 18 is 3x6 which have significances in Buddhism.

Yantsu

Yantsu originates with Motobu-ha Shitoryu, the name translates to "keep pure"

Tsuki no kata

This kata was created by Seigo Tada, founder of the Seigokan branch of Goju Ryu. Its name means simply "punching kata".

Unique

Garyu

The kata Garyu, is not taken from traditional Okinawan karate but was created by Oyama and named after his pen name (Garyu =reclining dragon), which is the Japanese pronunciation of the characters 臥龍, the name of the village (Il Loong) in Korea where he was born.

Ura Kata

Several kata are also done in "''ura''", which essentially means all turns are done spinning around. The URA, or 'reverse' kata were developed by Oyama as an aid to developing balance and skill in circular techniques against multiple opponents.

Taikyoku sono ichi ura

Taikyoku sono ni ura

Taikyoku sono san ura

Pinan sono ichi ura

Pinan sono ni ura

Pinan sono san ura

Pinan sono yon ura

Pinan sono go ura

Sparring (kumite)

Sparring, also called kumite, is used to train the application of the various techniques within a fighting situation. Sparring is usually an important part of training in most Kyokushin organizations, especially at the upper levels with experienced students.

In most Kyokushin organizations, hand and elbow strikes to the head or neck are prohibited. However, kicks to the head, knee strikes, punches to the upper body, and kicks to the inner and outer leg are permitted. In some Kyokushin organizations, especially outside of a tournament environment, gloves and shin protectors are worn. Children often wear headgear to lessen the impact of any kicks to the head. Speed and control are instrumental in sparring and in a training environment it is not the intention of either practitioner to injure his opponent as much as it is to successfully execute the proper strike. Tournament fighting under knockdown karate rules is significantly different as the objective is to down an opponent. Full-contact sparring in Kyokushin is considered the ultimate test of strength, endurance, and spirit.

Self defense

Also known as Goshin-jutsu, the specific self defense techniques of the style draw much of their techniques and tactics from Mas Oyama's study of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu under Yoshida Kotaro. These techniques were never built into the formal grading system, and as kyokushin grew increasingly sport oriented, the self defense training started to fall into obscurity. Today it is only practiced in a limited number of dojos.

Culture

Grading

Colored belts have their origin in Judo, as does the training 'gi', or more correctly in Japanese, 'dōgi' or 'Keikogi'. In Kyokushin the order of the belts varies in some breakaway groups, but according to the Honbu of Oyama, the kyu ranks and belt colors are as follows: {| cellspacing="0" |- | ||align=center|Lowest |- |Mukyu || style="width:75%; background:White; border:1px solid gray;" colspan="21"| || White |- | |- |10th Kyu || style="background:Orange;" colspan="21"| || Orange Belt |- | |- |9th Kyu || style="background:Orange;" colspan="19"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Orange;"| || Orange With Black Stripe |- | |- |8th Kyu || style="background:Blue;" colspan="21"| || Blue Belt |- | |- |7th Kyu || style="background:Blue;" colspan="19"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Blue;"| || Blue With Black Stripe |- | |- |6th Kyu || style="background:Yellow;" colspan="21"| || Yellow Belt |- | |- |5th Kyu || style="background:Yellow;" colspan="19"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || Yellow With Black Stripe |- | |- |4th Kyu || style="background:Green;" colspan="21"| || Green Belt |- | |- |3rd Kyu || style="background:Green;" colspan="19"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Green;"| || Green With Black Stripe |- | |- |2nd Kyu || style="background:Brown;" colspan="21"| || Brown Belt |- | |- |1st Kyu || style="background:Brown;" colspan="19"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Brown;"| || Brown With Black Stripe |- | |- |1st Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="19"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 1st Dan |- | |- |2nd Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="17"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 2nd Dan |- | |- |3rd Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="15"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 3rd Dan |- | |- |4th Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="13"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 4th Dan |- | |- |5th Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="11"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 5th Dan |- | |- |6th Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="9"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 6th Dan |- | |- |7th Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="7"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 7th Dan |- | |- |8th Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="5"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 8th Dan |- | |- |9th Dan || style="background:Black;" colspan="3"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 9th Dan |- | |- |10th Dan || style="background:Black; width:60%;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || style="background:Yellow;"| || style="background:Black;"| || Black Belt 10th Dan |- | ||align=center|Highest |} Note: Mukyu of the white belt literally means "no grade"

Each colored belt had two levels, the second being represented by a stripe at the ends of the belt. The white belt however, does not represent any level and is only meant to hold the 'gi' in place. As such, the white belt is used by practitioners who are not yet graded. The belt system under Mas Oyama followed this order since the 1960s with the exception of the yellow (red) belt, which was incorporated only in the last year of his life, replacing the earlier used white belt with one and two red stripes for the same kyu grades.

Whilst some groups also use red belts for high dan grades, it is not the norm and Oyama himself did not follow this practice in his dojo or organization, always wearing a wholly black belt himself.

There are many ideas of how the belt colors in the martial arts came to be, some more romantic than others. One quaint tale says that students of a karate school would be given a white belt. The students' belts would gradually become stained darker from use and eventually a person who was of a high standard and who had trained for a long time would then have a black/brown/dirt colored belt. This is an inspiring way to encourage students to train harder, and might have its basis in truth since martial arts practitioners as a general rule don't wash their belts after training. However, no evidence exists of this, so there is no hard and fast rule according to the Japanese and romantic notions of the belt containing the training spirit and hard toil of years of training are generally invented in the West. The tradition of only sparingly washing the belt is more likely based on the more practical reason that belts tend to lose their color if washed too often. The first actual known use of colored belts as a grade system in Japanese martial arts was in the late 19th century to early 20th century when Kanō Jigorō borrowed the color system from a swimming certification system used in schools at the time, and introduced them in his newly founded art of Judo to replace the complicated traditional menkyo diploma system used for licensing/grading in older Japanese arts.

Perhaps the most widely read and respected interpretation of the fundamental psychological requirements of each level is found in the book, The Budo Karate of Sosai Masutatsu Oyama, written by former interpreter to Sosai Masutatsu Oyama, Cameron Quinn. Kyokushin karate has a belt grading system similar to other martial arts. The requirements of each level vary from country to country, some far stricter and more demanding than others. For example, in some countries in Europe, the grading for each level requires the student to complete the entire requirements for each level up to the rank being tested. So the student attempting first degree black belt will do all the Orange belt requirements, THEN all the blue belt requirements (including repeating the orange belt requirements) and so on. The free fighting (kumite) requirements for first degree black belt also ranges from ten rounds to forty rounds, depending on the region, usually at a very high level of contact and with no protective gear other than a groin guard and mouth guard. It is not so much the number of fights but the intensity of the effort that defines the grading. Some areas don't even have formal gradings per se, instead presenting the student with their new rank in training after the instructor feels that he/she has reached that level and is capable of all the requirements.

The belt assigned to each student upon commencing training is a white belt. With each successful grading attempt the student is awarded a kyu ranking, and either a stripe on his current belt or a new belt colour altogether. Grading, or promotion tests, include calisthenic and aerobic training, kihon (basics), ido geiko (moving basics), goshinjitsu (self defence), sanbon and ippon kumite (three and one step sparring), kata (prescribed series of movements/forms, sometimes described as a form of moving meditation), tameshiwari (board, tile or brick breaking) and kumite (contact free fighting). Achieving a 1st dan black belt, or shodan, can take anywhere from four but often six to ten years of training. A belt may be awarded only by a teacher after a grading, some lower grades, e.g., yellow stripe or yellow, can be assessed in a local dojo by an instructor, after 2 or 3 grades, you will have to wait until a "grading" usually only performed approximately 4 times a year or at martial arts camps where there are shodan and above gradings, and 50 man kumite also are performed on rare occasions. At the highest ranks (6th dan and above) tests are performed by international committee, or, as is more common in the post-Mas Oyama era, presented honorarily. Nobody can achieve a 10th degree black belt for this was a special honor created only for the Sosai (Oyama).

Each belt has a different number of fights required for the rank sparring for grading starts at white belt. Of all aspects, it is the strong and spirited contact kumite that most defines the Kyokushin style, and it is this aspect that has always brought the style the most respect. The one thing that usually defined the Kyokushin black belt was the spirit, strength and courage of the kumite.

The number of rounds required may increase or decrease after Shodan, again depending on the region. 40 rounds of hard contact sparring is required as part of a grading or as part of a special training requirement, is no easy feat and involves non-stop fighting of one and a half hours or more. It is a test of fortitude as well as skill.

Competition and tournaments

Tournament competition is an important part of Kyokushin, and most Kyokushin organizations sponsor local, national, and international competitions. Kyokushin tournaments are held throughout the year on every continent in the world, but the largest are held in Japan where they are televised on Japanese television and draw crowds of thousands. Tournaments are organized as either weight category or open tournaments. The Kyokushin World Tournaments are known as the Karate Olympics.

Kyokushin culture believes that accepting a "challenge" represents a Kyokushin practitioner's commitment to the principles of the art. One way to participate in a challenge, in which a Kyokushin student tests his/her courage and desire to defeat one's adversary, is through tournament competition.

Most Kyokushin tournaments follow "knockdown karate" rules in which points are awarded for knocking one's opponent to the floor with kicks, punches, or sweeps. Grabbing and throwing are generally not allowed in Kyokushin tournaments. When they are, they are legal only if performed in less than a second. Hooks are usually legal if performed for a 'split second.' Arm or hand strikes to the head, face, neck or spine are usually not permitted, but kicks to the head are allowed. If, however, the opponent turns his back while the opponent is throwing a technique, there is no penalty. Outside of Japan straight kicks to the front of the knee are usually disallowed. Knock-outs do sometimes occur and minor to moderate injuries are common, but serious injuries are rare. The most common injuries are concussions, broken clavicles, and fractured limbs and sternums. Many Kyokushin tournaments follow an "open" format that allows competitors from any martial arts style, not just Kyokushin, to enter and compete.

Multi-man Sparring

In addition to the number of rounds of kumite as mentioned above in the Grading section, a special tradition of Kyokushin has been the 50- and 100-man kumite. The 100-man kumite was designed as a special test for advanced practitioners of the art. In these extreme examples of kumite, the subject of the test fights 50 to 100 opponents (depending on the test) in rapid succession, usually two-minute bouts separated by one-minute rest periods. The subject has to "win" (i.e., not get knocked-out) in at least 50-percent of the bouts in order to be deemed as passing the test. One example of someone who successfully completed the 100-man fight is Miyuki Miura. Reportedly, only 17 people have successfully completed the 100-man fight. There is a trend these days of dojos and organizations around the world to run their own 100-Man Kumite in their own country with their own students as opponents. Only 100-man kumite tests conducted by Honbu are recognized and recorded. Masutatsu Oyama is reported to have completed a 300-man fight over 3 days. See Sosai or Masutatsu Oyama.

Influence on other styles and sports

Kyokushin has had an influence on many other styles. The knockdown karate competition format is now used by other styles. Karate styles that originated in Kyokushin, such as Ashihara Karate, Budokaido, Godokai, Enshin Karate, Seidō juku, Musokai, Shidōkan and Seidokaikan, are also knockdown styles and use slight variations of the competition rules.

A few styles (Kansuiryu Karate and Byakuren) originated independently of Kyokushin and have adopted the competition format.

Kokondo is derived from Kyokushin, albeit without competition.

Some styles originating in Kyokushin (Jushindo, Daido Juku, Kudo, Zendokai) have changed to mixed martial arts rules.

Kickboxing has been seen as a natural progression for kyokushin competitors and many of Japan's top kickboxers have started in knockdown karate. The influence of Kyokushin can be seen in the K-1 kickboxing tournament that originated out of the Seidokaikan karate organization, which is an offshoot from Kyokushin.

Kyokushin is the basis of glove karate, a knockdown karate format wearing boxing gloves and allowing punches to the head. Glove karate rules are used in sport karate organizations like Shinkaratedo Renmei and All-Japan glove karate federation.

In popular culture

Videogames

The movesets of Ryu and Ken from Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' franchise are based on Shotokan, the parent style of Kyokushin; Ryu is said to be based on Yoshiji Soeno, a student of Mas Oyama. In Namco's ''Tekken'' series, Jin Kazama is said to travel to Brisbane, Australia to learn karate. At the time of Tekken's creation, Cameron Quinn – a well-known instructor of Kyokushin Karate, Mas Oyama's interpreter, and the author of ''The Budo Karate of Mas Oyama'' – was teaching students such as Garry O'Neill and Walter Schnaubelt at his well-known Kyokushin dojo in the city of Brisbane.

Jin uses the art of Kyokushin Karate in ''Tekken 4'', ''Tekken 5'', ''Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection'', ''Tekken 6'', and ''Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion''; he can be seen practicing Yantsu and Pinan Sono Yon Kata in various demonstration modes in the ''Tekken'' series. Some of Paul Phoenix's moves are derived from Kyokushin Karate. Kadonashi Shotaro and his students from Namco's ''Urban Reign'' use the art of Kyokushinkai. Hitomi from Tecmo's ''Dead or Alive'' series uses the art of Kyokushin Karate in ''Dead or Alive 3'' and ''Dead or Alive 4''; she can be seen practicing the kata Pinan Sono Yon in various demonstration modes in ''Dead or Alive 3'' and ''Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball''. While Hitomi's style of karate is never explicitly stated in-game, the ending credits of ''Dead or Alive 3'' indicate the only karate martial arts consultant for the game is a practitioner of Kyokushinkai.

Jean Kujo, from the ''Virtua Fighter'' series, practices varied forms of full-contact karate, including Kyokushin Karate.

Solara from ''Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects'' is said to practice Kyokushin.

Kyokugenryu Karate is a fictional martial art from SNK Playmore's ''Art of Fighting'', ''Fatal Fury'', and ''King of Fighters'' series. Kyokugenryu (lit. "the extreme style"), which is practiced by Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki, Takuma Sakazaki and Marco Rodriguez/Khushnood Butt, is heavily based on Kyokushin Karate.

''Karate Master Knock Down Blow'' a recent game from Crian Soft that is heavy Kyokushin based.

Movies

A trilogy of films starring Sonny Chiba and directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi were produced in Japan between 1975 and 1977: ''Champion of Death'', ''Karate Bearfighter'' and ''Karate for Life''. Chiba plays Master Oyama who also appears in two of the films.

The James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice", starring Sean Connery, was filmed largely in Japan and featured a karate demonstration by a number of well-known Kyokushin students, including Shigeo Kato (who introduced Kyokushin to Australia and was the original teacher of Shokei Matsui) and the well-known Akio Fujihira who was one of the three fighters who took up the Muay Thai challenge in 1964 and who fought in the ring for many years under the name of Noboru Osawa.

Fighter in the Wind (Korean: 바람의 파이터) is a 2004 South Korean film. It is based on the same title Korean Comic book "Fighter in the Wind" by Hak-gi Bang which is a fictionalised account of karate competitor Choi Yeung-Eui (최영의) who went to Japan during World War II to become a fighter pilot but found a very different path instead. He changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達) and went across the country, defeating martial artists one after another. This film concentrates on the period when he is still young, and developing his famous karate style, Kyokushin. It is very loosely based on Oyama's life and by using Oyama's name and the name of Kyokushin it in fact is quite misleading. However, it has served to introduce Oyama to many Koreans who previously had not heard of him.

TV

Kyokushin was featured on Fight Quest on Discovery Channel as the Japanese Martial Arts Style. Kyokushin was the style of karate featured in an episode of Human Weapon.

Notable practitioners

Hatsuo Royama founder of Kyokushin-kan and only man to reportedly go through the hyakunin kumite twice (not officially recorded).

Terutomo Yamazaki, the first champion of the All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships and retired professional kickboxer

Sonny Chiba

Jon Bluming said by Oyama to be his strongest student, who left Oyama's organization in the 60's and did not return, although he continued to teach a hybrid karate/judo style in his native Netherlands.

Bobby Lowe, Oyama's first international student

Tadashi Nakamura

Hideyuki Ashihara

Steve Arneil, in-charge of Kyokushin Branch in Great Britain, who broke away from the IKO of Oyama and started his own organization.

John Jarvis

Peter Chong, International Committee Member (IKO Matsui) and Asia/Middle East Chairman

Miyuki Miura

Katsuaki Sato, first Kyokushin World Champion and founder of the Sato-juku style.

Howard Collins

Joko Ninomiya

Adnan Tarsha, founder of Kyokushin Karate in Saudi Arabia in 1976.

Dolph Lundgren

Akira Masuda

Andy Hug, the most recognizable K-1 fighter

Michael Jai White

Sam Greco, Karate World Cup Champion 1994, K-1 World GrandPrix 1999 3rd Place

Francisco Filho

Hajime Kazumi

Jacques Chouinard

Glaube Feitosa

Nicholas Pettas, Mas Oyama's last uchi-deshi (live-in student)

Georges St. Pierre, Current and 2-time UFC Welterweight Champion

Mariusz Pudzianowski, 5-time World's Strongest Man, 3-1 in MMA

Bas Rutten, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, 3 time King of Pancrase world champion

Flemming Jinzen, European Kyokushin karate Champion 1982

Ewerton Teixeira

Semmy Schilt, 4-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, reigning K-1 Super-Heavyweight Champion

Peter "The Chief" Graham, professional Australian kickboxer

Glen Murphy actor, 1st dan

Katsunori Kikuno, DEEP 2001 International Lightweight Champion.

Jayson Vemoa World Muay Thai Champion 1998, K-1 trainer to Glaube Feitosa and Ewerton Teixeira

See also

Full contact karate

List of kyokushin techniques

Comparison of karate styles

Masutatsu Oyama

Kick Boxing

Karate

karate kata

References

External links

IKO Sosai Kyokushinkaikan

IKO Matsui – Kyokushinkaikan

International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan – Oyama Family

Kyokushin Union

IKO Matsushima – Kyokushinkaikan

IKO Tetzuka – Kyokushinkaikan

WKO Shinkyokushinkai

Kyokushin-kan International Karate-do Organization – K.I.K.O

IFK – International Federation of Karate

Federal Kyokusinkai Karate Association (Russian)

New Zealand

Australia

Extreme Kyokushin Karate Australia

Norway UFKK Norway

American Kyokushin Karate Organization

Kyokushin Karate Uruguay

KWO – Kyokushin World Federation

Mas Oyama in America

Information Project. Kyokushinkai Karate (Russian)

Category:Kyokushin kaikan

als:Kyokushin Kaikan ast:Kyokushinkai az:Kyokuşinkay bg:Киокушин cs:Kjókušinkai de:Kyokushin Kaikan es:Karate Kyokushin fa:کیوکوشین fr:Kyokushinkai hr:Kyokushin id:Kyokushin kaikan it:Kyokushinkai he:קיוקושינקאי lt:Kiokušin hu:Kjokusin karate nl:Kyokushinkai karate ja:極真会館 no:Kyokushinkai pl:Kyokushin pt:Kyokushin ro:Karate Kyokushin ru:Кёкусинкай sh:Kyokushinkai fi:Kyokushin sv:Kyokushinkai tr:Kyokushin kaikan vi:Kyokushin Karate zh:極真會館

name	Hajime Kazumi
birth name	Hajime Kazumi
nationality	Japanese
birth date
birth place	Kawasaki, Japan
height
weight
style	Kyokushin
years active	}}

is one of Kyokushin's most successful knockdown karate fighters and an instructor of full-contact fighting techniques.

Career

At age twenty Kazumi defeated many top fighters to reach the finals of the All Japan Karate Tournament. Since then Kazumi has never finished outside of the top two places in any tournament. His effective punching and kicking combinations helped him reach the finals of six All Japan Tournaments in a row, winning four of these to break Keiji Senpai's record. He also reached the finals of two World Open Tournaments where he lost to Francisco Filho on boards and Kenji Yamaki, training partner and fellow student of Tsuyoshi Hiroshige's Jonan Branch.

After the defeat by Filho, Kazumi returned to the World Championship after winning the 2nd World Weight Category Tournament in Osaka in 2001 and before claiming an unprecedented fifth All Japan Title in 2002 by beating Hitoshi Kiyama in the finals.

Kazumi has integrated Taiki-ken training into his karate practice, and has modified his fighting style to rely on punching and low kicks instead of the high kicks that are characteristic of Kyokushin karate. This strategy made him a successful fighter, demonstrated by his record of wins.

On 24 November 2002, Kazumi officially resigned from Kyokushinkai (IKO1) to join a new organization led by Hatsuo Royama and his instructor Tsuyoshi Hiroshige. Kazumi's reason for leaving the IKO1 was to "pursue true Budo Karate". He later resigned from the newly established Kyokushin-kan (IKO6/KKI) organisation to become the leader of an independent group of dojos operating in the Tokyo area.

With Tatsuya Iwasaki, Kazumi is the author of ''Shinseki Real Karate Bible'', a manual for instruction of full-contact kumite (fighting) with accompanying DVD. He also produces Internet training videos for full-contact instruction.

Tournament history

7th World Open Tournament 1999 (IKO1) – 2nd Place (Lost to Francisco Filho)

6th World Open Tournament 1995 (IKO1) – 2nd Place (Lost to Kenji Yamaki)

34th All Japan Open Karate Tournament 2002 (IKO1) – 1st Place (Defeated Hitoshi Kiyama)

30th All Japan Open Karate Tournament 1998 (IKO1) – 1st Place (Defeated Yoshihiro Tamura)

29th All Japan Open Karate Tournament 1997 (IKO1) – 1st Place (Defeated Garry O'Neill)

28th All Japan Open Karate Tournament 1996 (IKO1) – 1st Place (Defeated Garry O'Neill)

26th All Japan Open Karate Tournament 1994 – 2nd Place (Lost to Kenji Yamaki)

25th All Japan Open Karate Tournament 1993 – 1st Place (Defeated Yoshihiro Tamura)

24th All Japan Open Karate Tournament 1992 – 2nd Place (Lost to Yoshihiro Tamura)

2nd World Weight Tournament 2001 (IKO1) – 1st Place

1st World Team Cup 1998 (IKO1) – 1st Place (Defeated Brazil)

100 man kumite

Hajime Kazumi completed his 100 man kumite at the new IKO1 Honbu in 1995.

Results were obtained from the official IKO1 site and are as follows:

Time per Kumite 1 minute 30 seconds

Time Started 11:38

Time Finished 15:42

Total Fighting Time 3 hours 20 minutes 40 seconds

Total Spending Time 4 hours 4 minutes

Results 58 wins, 42 draws, no losses

Ippons: 16 (Ippon: 2, Awase-Ippon: 14)

Wins by decision: 42 (Waza-ari: 15)

References

External links

Kazumi Dojo

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Japanese karateka

ko:가즈미 하지메 ja:数見肇