is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

ka from the

Kyokushin Kaikan is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...

(極真会館) and professional

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

. He is the founder of Gyakushin-Kai (逆真会館) and a Director of

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

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 ...

. He presides over the International Budo Karate Organization Gyakushin-Kai from the headquarters of the organization (

honbu Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top ...

) in

Ōmiya-ku, Saitama is one of ten wards of the city of Saitama, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and is located in the northeastern part of the city. , the ward had an estimated population of 119,298 and a population density of 9,300 persons per km². Its total area wa ...

, Japan. His title as head of the Gyakushin-Kai organization is “Kancho” ( Grandmaster - 7th Dan). Yamazaki is a first

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

of the All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships in 1969, and has promoted Kyokushin famous through his accomplishments. Because he fought and defeated

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

boxers, he created a reputation for Kyokushin before the First All-Japan Open Full Contact Karate Championships was held.''Fullcontact KARATE'' (フルコンタクトKARATE), page3-6, page8-11, pp. 14−28, pp. 30–31, fukushodo (福昌堂), October, 1995.''Fullcontact KARATE'', pp. 23–24, pp. 35−36, pp. 40−41, fukushodo, December 1997. Yamazaki is highly skilled at and an

authority In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...

fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

and breaking. When he fought someone, it was usual that he knocked them out without receiving any injuries himself.''Gekkan Hiden''　(月刊秘伝), pp. 4–5, pp. 54–59 BAB Japan, October, 2007. He is nicknamed “The Genius Karate Fighter” or “The Dragon of Kyokushin", and when he was an active fighter, he was the most popular figure of the time.'' Gongkakutōgi'', pp. 44–47, pp. 52–55, Nippon Sports Publishing co.,Ltd, March, 1996. He has shown off his mixed karate and Muai Thai style of fighting at both

full contact karate Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors Sparring, spar (also called Kumite) full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion. History Full contact karate competition comes in several different formats developed for th ...

open championships and

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

, and has been noted internationally as a prominent fighter in karate's history, appearing in

Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine was ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.''Fullcontact KARATE'', p. 6, pp. 8–15, fukushodo, February, 1994.''Gekkann Power Karate'' (月刊パワー空手), pp. 12–15, Power Karate Shuppannsha (パワー空手出版社), November, 1984.

Biography

Early years

Terutomo Yamazaki was born on July 31, 1947, in the village of

Yamato, Yamanashi was a village located in Higashiyamanashi District, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 1,495 and a density of 34.74 persons per km². The total area is 43.03 km². History The village was establ ...

. He began the study of

Kyokushin karate is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...

as a

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

at the headquarters (

) of Kyokushin Kaikan at

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second largest ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, where founder Masutatsu Ōyama taught. Yamazaki practiced with the senior pupils who were Shigeru Ōyama, Yasuhiko Ōyama (both from The World Ōyama Karate in the

- Shigeru is Sōshu and Yasuhiko is Saikō

Shihan is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor". The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process of ...

), Tadashi Nakamura and

Hideyuki Ashihara was a Japanese master of karate who founded Ashihara karate in 1980 with the emphasis on ''Sabaki''. He is often attributed as one of the originators of the ''tai sabaki'' (whole body movement) method. He was known for his weapon skills includ ...

at the time. For two and a half years Yamazaki commuted three hours from his house to the

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

, and reached the rank of

shodan SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) is a fictional artificial intelligence and the main antagonist of the cyberpunk-horror themed video games ''System Shock'' and ''System Shock 2''. Character design SHODAN is an artificial in ...

(1st degree black belt) on April 15, 1967. This was an unusually short time period of only two years because of his level of talent and effort. He reached the rank of

nidan Nidan (sometimes known as Midan or Idan) was a Welsh priest and, according to some sources, a bishop, in the 6th and 7th centuries. He is now commemorated as a saint. He was the confessor for the monastery headed by St Seiriol at Penmon, and ...

(2nd degree black belt) on October 10, 1967. Yamazaki instructed pupils of novice, intermediate and advanced levels at the headquarters of Kyokushin and the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Camp Zama is a United States Army post located in the cities of Zama, Kanagawa, Zama and Sagamihara, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about southwest of Tokyo. Camp Zama is home to the U.S. Army Japan (USARJ), I Corps (Forward), U.S. Army Aviation Batta ...

besides his own practice. He later said that it was good experience for him to instruct at Camp Zama as the pupils of the U.S. Army were larger than Japanese fighters. Several pupils measured over 200 centimeters in height and weighed over 90 kilograms, and practicing with these students led him to develop new ways to fight and knock out larger opponents.

Kickboxing career

Televised

was a huge boom from 1965 to 1975 when it was broadcast on the four TV stations, TBS,

Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

and

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified b ...

all over

. TV Asahi requested a player from Kyokushin in February, 1969, and Masutatsu Ōyama elected Yamazaki and Yoshiji Soeno to enter the competitions. Ōyama also founded a kickboxing gym called ''Kyokushin Gym'' where they practiced kickboxing about two months before entering the kickboxing competitions in April, 1969. Yamazaki fought in the

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division at kickboxing. At the first competition, Soeno fought Kannanpai who was one of the strongest boxers of

and had won over

Tadashi Sawamura was a Japanese kickboxer whose real name was . He was one of the first popular participants in the sport, and enjoyed great fame throughout his career. He is sometimes credited with sustaining the early boom in the popularity of kickboxing.< ...

a half a year before their match. Soeno was defeated by Kannanpai, and the next match was Yamazaki and Kannanpai. Yamazaki gained a knock out win over Kannanpai with a right

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

in the first round. Also one of the strongest boxers of Muai Thai with knockout wins over Sawamura was Samanso from Lumpinee-ranked boxers. Samanso got knocked downs sixteen times from Sawamura, but Yamazaki fought and also knocked out Samanso in the first round.''Fullcontact KARATE'', pp. 48–52, fukushodo, November, 1995. After these fights, Yamazaki wanted to learn Muay Thai because it is a strong and technical

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

. He was able to learn Muay Thai from the coach and the boxers at the matches. As his Muai Thai techniques improved, especially his

front kick The front kick in martial arts is a kick executed by lifting the knee straight forward, while keeping the foot and shin either hanging freely or pulled to the hip, and then straightening the leg in front of the practitioner and striking the targe ...

roundhouse kick A roundhouse kick (also known as round kick or turning kick) is a kick in which the practitioner lifts the knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion, extending the leg striking with the lower part of the shin and/ ...

elbow The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...

and

knee (strike) A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. Styles such as ...

, he included these techniques in his

training. The kickboxing promoters wanted to keep Yamazaki at kickboxing because Yamazaki was a strong and good-looking fighter, and he had been very popular. The promoters presented Yamazaki with good contract terms, but Yamazaki refused the offer, responding that he had never fought martial arts for the money. It was the life style of

bushido is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...

that matters to his thinking. Many offers and persuasions came again and again, and finally he signed to participate in kickboxing matches. But TV Asahi stopped broadcasting kickboxing, and he returned to karate after only one year. He fought ten kickboxing matches with a record of eight knock out wins and two losses (two lost on a decision).

Full Contact Karate Open Championships career

Kyokushin was planning to hold the First All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships at the

Metropolitan Gymnasium in September 1969. It was not only a karate

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

, but

martial artists Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

of various kinds also participated in this competition. Athletes included Gidon Gaddary who was an Israeli

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

player weighing over 100 kilograms; Paul Jackson who was a

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from the

; and three

boxers from Lumpinee-ranked boxers including Birahon, Sakao and Samanso. The competition was fighting against other combative arts. The rules were simple: It was a foul to use a hand or elbow to the face and to attack a man's vital point. The players didn't use any protection. They fought using bare hands, bare knees and bare legs. Before the First All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships, Yamazaki had thought that he had to win this championships at any cost. If he did not become a

at the All-Japan Open Championships, Kyokushin would end there when Yamazaki or Soeno of the Kyokushin's black belt were defeated by another style of karate fighters or other martial artists. Yamazaki admitted that the mental pressure was considerable, but he dealt with the pressures. He fought six matches and won five by

ippon is the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ''ippon-wazari'' contest, usually kendo, judo, karate or jujitsu. In Judo In Judo, an ippon may be scored for a throw, a pin, a choke or a jointlock. For throws, the four ...

(knock out) and one by judgment at this championships tournament, and thus became the first champion of the All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships. Yamazaki also participated in the Second, Fourth and Fifth All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships, winning 2nd place, 4th place and 2nd place, respectively. His karate training had decreased because he graduated

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and began to work as a

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

after the Second All-Japan Open Championships. He had not planned to compete in the All-Japan Open Championships any further and did not enter for the Third All-Japan Open Championships. But Masutatsu Ōyama ordered Yamazaki to participate in the Fourth All-Japan Open Championships because Ōyama knew Yamazaki was very popular. Many of the spectators came to watch Yamazaki's fight, so at the request of Ōyama, Yamazaki returned to competition at the Fourth All-Japan Open Championships in 1972. All concerned in Kyokushin and the mass media were surprised at Yamazaki's performance at the Fifth All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships in 1973 because he didn't have a chance to train sufficiently before the competition. But Yamazaki won five matches by strength and by overwhelming his opponents, and he came to the finals at last. His opposition was

Hatsuo Royama also known by his Korean name of Noh Cho Woong (Hangul: 노초웅; Hanja: 盧初雄) is a master of Kyokushin Karate and was current ''Kancho'' (Director) of the Kyokushin-kan International Organization Honbu, one faction of the International K ...

. Rōyama was a specialist in low

s and he had practiced extensively before this championship. Although Yamazaki was under-trained, the match was almost even, and Rōyama's won only on a decision. The finals was one of the best matches ever at Kyokushin, and the story passed into history down from generation to generation. All concerned in Kyokushin and the mass media said "Yamazaki is a genius" at what he does. Though Yamazaki tried to make time to practice karate while doing television production work, it was very difficult for him to continue training for the All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships. He made a deliberate decision to retire from the All-Japan Open Championships and reported it to Masutatsu Ōyama after the Fifth All-Japan Open Championships. Yamazaki left a steady record of wins in all of the All-Japan Open Championships in which he participated. Yamazaki said “I don't do professional karate. I think that makes

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

dirty. It was good for me only in the Spirit of Kyokushin that had been cultivated for years.” It was a simple retirement.

Recent situation

After retiring from All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships, Yamazaki worked as a producer of

television advertisement A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

s and a

writer, while practicing

himself on his days off. Most of his fame came from

, and there was much demand for him to open a school of karate. Yamazaki consulted with Masutatsu Ōyama and Ōyama obtained clearance for Yamazaki to open a karate

Ōmiya Ōmiya 大宮 is a Japanese word originally used for the imperial palace or shrines, now a common name, and may refer to: People *Ōmiya (surname), a Japanese surname *Ōmiya, or is a female character in ''The Tale of Genji'', an 11th-century nove ...

in 1977. The dojo was managed by volunteers because Yamazaki did not wish to earn money by professional karate. For this reason, the dojo was not called Kyokushin but instead Fuurinkazan (風林火山) from his hometown hero Shingen Takeda. He established a Fuurinnkazan or

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

called International Budo Karate Organization Gyakushin-Kai (逆真会館) in 1995. He continues to manage this organization.

Profile

Fighting

Yamazaki was skilled in advanced techniques and very strong and fast at the basic techniques of

and

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

, as well as the

and the

(

gyaku zuki derives from the verb , meaning "to thrust". The second syllable is accented, with Japanese's unvoiced vowels making it pronounced almost like "ski" (but preceded by a "t" sound). In Japanese martial arts and Okinawan martial arts, ''tsuki'' is u ...

). Yasuhiko Ōyama:''The Champions' Fights-

・ K-1・ USA Ōyama'', pp. 11–23, Bookman Inc., 1998. These techniques were refined by him because he integrated

and

. Yamazaki used his elbows and knees to defend himself. Pupils or fighters who did

kumite Kumite ( ja, 組手, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary. Kumite can be used to develop a partic ...

or fought with him said "We always hurt our hands and legs. Yamazaki has a technique which means defense is offense."

Expert breaking

Yamazaki was not only an expert at

, but also an expert at breaking. All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships and World Full Contact Karate Open Championships included a breaking competition as well as kumite, with players required to demonstrate breaking of cryptomeria boards. The challenge was to break the boards with bare hands, bare

elbows The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...

and bare legs. Competitors could use four types of technique: punching (“

tsuki derives from the verb , meaning "to thrust". The second syllable is accented, with Japanese's unvoiced vowels making it pronounced almost like "ski" (but preceded by a "t" sound). In Japanese martial arts and Okinawan martial arts, ''tsuki'' is u ...

"),

kick A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...

ing (“keri"),　

knifehand strike In martial arts, a knifehand strike is a strike using the part of the hand opposite the thumb (from the little finger to the wrist), familiar to many people as a karate chop (in Japanese, ''shutō-uchi''). This refers to strikes performed with ...

, and

. The winner was decided by the total number of broken cryptomeria boards. Yamazaki broke four boards by punching, seven by kicking, six by knifehand strike and seven by elbow with a total of 24, and won the breaking championship at the Fifth All-Japan Open Championships in 1973. This record was not broken for a while, but it was exceeded in total breaking and reached a new height with Willie Williams, a karateka from the

, at the Second World Full Contact Karate Open Championships in 1979. He broke five boards by punching, six by kicking, eight by knifehand strike, and seven by elbow with a total of 26. Williams won 3rd place in kumite, as well. However, all concerned in Kyokushin and the mass media pointed out that Williams was 196 centimeters in height and 100 kilogram in weight, while Yamazaki was 177 centimeters in height and 62 kilograms in weight with a difference of almost 40 kilograms, while the number of the broken boards was only different by two. Yamazaki proved his skill and talent eminently.

Teaching

Yamazaki was not only a strong fighter but also became a respected teacher. Some fighters who have benefited by studying under Yamazaki are

Katsuaki Satō is the founder and director of Satojuku Karate, also known as Odo (The Champion's Way) karate. The Satojuku ''honbu'' (headquarters) is located in Tachikawa, Japan. Satō was born on April 4, 1946, on Sakhalin, Sakhalin Island, then part of Oc ...

Miyuki Miura is a prominent Japanese master of karate, first practising Shotokan, then Kyokushin, then World Ōyama, and now operating independently.Yussof, S. (''c.'' 2005)Miyuki MiuraRetrieved on March 22, 2010. Early life Miura was born on October 3, 194 ...

Seiji Isobe is Japanese Karate instructor residing in Brazil. He is a member of the IKO1 (Kyokushin Matsui Group)'s international committee and is the General Manager of the South American Regional Federation. He holds a rank of 8th Dan Black in Kyokushin ...

(teacher of

Glaube Feitosa Glaube Araújo Feitosa (born April 9, 1973) is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005, Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was a K-1 World G ...

, Francisco Filho and

Andrews Nakahara Andrews Nakahara (born March 12, 1983) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and kyokushin karateka currently signed with K-1. He made his MMA pro debut against Kazushi Sakuraba at the Dream 2: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 ...

), Howard Collins, Toshikazu Satō (champion of the Eighth All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships),''Gekkann Power Karate'', page48, Power Karate Shuppannsha, March, 1989. Takashi Azuma (champion of the Ninth All-Japan Open Championships),''Gekkann Fullcontact karate separate volume - Masutatsu Ōyama & The Strong men of Kyokushin Kaikan'', page52, fukushodo, 1995.

Makoto Nakamura is a Japanese screenwriter and producer of anime from Saitama, Japan. Anime staff in * '' Tenchi Muyo Movie 3'': Tenchi Forever (1999 film), Opticals * ''Kanon (TV series)'' (2002 TV series), Storyboard (Ep 7, 8, 11), Series Story Editor * ''Mi ...

(Two times champions of the Second and Third World Full Contact Karate Open Championships)''What is Kyokushin?'', page149, Wani Magazine Inc., 1996. and

Shokei Matsui ,Habersetzer, G., & Habersetzer, R. (2004): ''Encyclopédie technique, historique, biographique et culturelle des arts martiaux de l'Extrême-Orient'' (p. 455). Paris: Amphora. ()

. Futoshi Kitanoguchi:''Ichigekinoken-

Shokei Matsui ,Habersetzer, G., & Habersetzer, R. (2004): ''Encyclopédie technique, historique, biographique et culturelle des arts martiaux de l'Extrême-Orient'' (p. 455). Paris: Amphora. ()

'', page75-80, page214, Koudansha, 2005. They are unanimous in their respect for Yamazaki.

Anecdotes

Masutatsu Ōyama often summoned Yamazaki to the headquarters of Kyokushin. Because Yamazaki speaks his mind to everyone frankly, Ōyama liked Yamazaki's personality. Ōyama and Yamazaki had discussed the method of the organizational operation for quite a while before Ōyama's death. After the First World Full Contact Karate Open Championships in 1975, Yamazaki visited Shigeru Ōyama's

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

. Shigeru was the Saikō-

shihan is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor". The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process of ...

(the top instructor) of Kyokushin at that time. Shigeru talked about when Yamazaki practiced with Shigeru's pupils. "My pupils were very surprised to see Yamazaki's

. His footwork is sharp and light. All of his techniques are fast, containing a lot of destructive power, and they thought it looked very fine. One of my pupils who watched the First World Open Championships asked me why Yamazaki did not participate in the First World Open Championships? Female and children pupils are most especially impressed from Yamazaki. They have said to me that Yamazaki is a stronger and better-looking man than

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

Literature

Books

* *

DVDs

* *

Films

Documentary

* ''Strongest Karate (地上最強のカラテ)'', Sankyo Motion Picture Company (三協映画), 1976 * ''Strongest and Last Karate (最強最後のカラテ)'', Sankyo Motion Picture Company, 1980

References

External links

Column "Yamazaki's Fighting Reports

GYAKUSHIN-KAI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamazaki, Terutomo Japanese male karateka Japanese male kickboxers Lightweight kickboxers Welterweight kickboxers Martial arts school founders Karate coaches 1947 births Living people People from Yamanashi Prefecture Kyokushin kaikan practitioners