is a style of

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

originating in Japan. It is a style of

stand-up fighting In martial arts and combat sports, stand-up fighting is hand-to-hand combat between opponents in a standing position, as distinguished from ground fighting. Clinch fighting is stand-up grappling. Fighters employ striking, including striking ...

and is rooted in a

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Japanese , officially the International Karate Organization. Previously, this institution was known as the

Oyama Dojo 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-J ...

. Since 1964, the style has continued to spread to more than 120 countries, becoming one of the largest martial arts organizations in the world, and in Japan itself.

History

Founding

Initially,

Masutatsu Oyama , more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese ...

had opened his first official dōjō - the

- in 1953, in a small building behind

Rikkyo University , also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan. Rikkyo is known as one of the six leading universities in the field of sports in Tokyo (東京六大学 "Big Six" — Rikkyo University, University of ...

to teach Goju-ryu style of traditional

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

. Subsequently, Oyama's Karate theory would deviate from Goju-ryu and would form into his own style. His instruction was distinguished by goals improving the strength in the actual battle by performing a

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 par ...

that directly hits the opponent's body with a thrust or kick. This was unlike the other schools of Karate at the time."Reviving Legend" Oyama Dojo "Reader" (First Edition) Nippon Sports Publishing Co., Ltd. (Original January 14, 2000). ISBN 4930943272. Over the next ten years, Oyama built his organization and demonstrated his karate around the world to spread it. Around 1956, Oyama would rename his school the "Oyama Dojo". In early days of the dojo, Oyama would not take the duty of teaching newer students. Instead, (a Shotokan teacher from

Gakushuin University is a private university in Mejiro, Toshima Ward, Tokyo. It was re-established after World War II as an affiliate of the Gakushūin School Corporation. The privatized successor to the original Gakushūin University (or "Peers School") was est ...

Karatedo Club), Masashi Ishibashi, Ichiro Minamimoto (both Goju-ryu practitioners from Karatedo Club of

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of Japan's leading private universit ...

) and others would teach the newcomers to Oyama's dojo. Later,

Kenji Kurosaki is a Japanese martial arts instructor, specializing in Full-Contact Karate and Kickboxing. He is a 7th Dan Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate and operates various martial schools focusing in different arts. He is most well known as a pioneer of Fu ...

also became a teacher in the school. On December 6, 1959, was the first person to practice at the Oyama Dojo that was granted a black belt (first dan), and was listed as the first in the official yearly promotion register of the Kyokushin Kaikan. In April 1964,

Mas Oyama , more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese ...

established the 'International Karate Organization Kyokushin kaikan' (commonly abbreviated to IKO or IKOK) under the umbrella of the Kyokushin Scholarship Foundation. Upon formation, Eisaku Sato acted as chairman and Matsuhei Mori as the vice chairman, with Oyama as the director (later president). Oyama directed the organization through a period of expansion. In June of the same year, the headquarters dojo (later the general headquarters) was completed in

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 larges ...

Toshima is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, ...

, Tokyo. Oyama hand-picked instructors who displayed ability in marketing the style and gaining new members. Oyama would choose an instructor to open a new dojo. The instructor would move to that town and demonstrate his karate skills in public places. After that, word of mouth would spread through the local area until the dojo had a dedicated core of students. Kyokushin sought to expand its presence with contact with other martial arts disciples, interaction with other groups, matches, assimilation of martial arts technique. Oyama also sent instructors to other countries such as the Netherlands (

), Australia (Mamoru Kaneko and Shigeo Kato), the United States ( Miyuki Miura, Tadashi Nakamura,

Shigeru Oyama was a karate practitioner and instructor who operated a dojo in New York for half a century. He taught Kyokushin karate for many years before forming his own organization World Oyama Karate in 1985. He was hand-picked by Mas Oyama, karate mas ...

and Yasuhiko Oyama),

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

(

Steve Arneil Steve Arneil (29 August 1934 – 2 July 2021) was a South African-British master of Kyokushin karate.Yussof, S. (2010)Steve Arneil: Founder of the IFKRetrieved on 13 March 2010. He learned directly from Masutatsu Oyama and was a senior instruct ...

), Canada (Tatsuji Nakamura) and Brazil (

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 Kyokushi ...

) to spread Kyokushin in the same way. Many students, including Steve Arneil, Jon Bluming, and Howard Collins, traveled to Japan to train with Oyama directly. Kyokushin also sought to develop a close connection with VIPs and celebrities, focusing on a mass media strategy to increase fans and gain students. In 1969, Oyama staged ''The First All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships'' and

Terutomo Yamazaki is a Japanese karateka from the Kyokushin Kaikan (極真会館) and professional lightweight kickboxer. He is the founder of Gyakushin-Kai (逆真会館) and a Director of Karate in Japan. He presides over the International Budo Karate Organizatio ...

became the first champion. All-Japan Championships have been held at every year. In 1975, ''The First World Full Contact Karate Open Championships'' were held in Tokyo. At its peak, Oyama was alive in the 1990s, with branches set up in each prefecture, with more than 1,000 official branch dojos in 123 countries around the world, and a scale of 12 million members.

Splintering organizations

Even before Mas Oyama's death in 1994, there have been several organizations that broke off from Oyama's IKO. In 1980, the Dutch Kyokushin instructor

Jon Bluming Johannes Cornelius Bluming (6 February 1933 – 17 December 2018) was a Dutch martial artist, instructor and actor. Known as a pioneer in variety of martial arts, Bluming held 9th dan in Judo, 10th dan in Karate and 10th dan in Hapkido. He was a ...

would exit the IKO organization to establish the BKK (Budo Kai Kan) in 1980. In 1991,

lead exodus of British Karate Kyokushinkai from IKO, to establish IFK - the International Federation of Karate.Shuriway Karate & Kobudo Resource Website: Steve Arneil Hanshi – Kyokushinkai
(c. 2004). Retrieved on 14 March 2010.
(2004). Retrieved on 13 March 2010.
(c. 2008).

The IKO crisis

In April 1994, Oyama died of lung cancer at the age of 70 without naming a successor, leaving Akiyoshi Matsui in charge of the IKO. This has brought much political and economic turmoil to the Kyokushin worldwide, leading to fragmentation of the organization at the national and international level. After Mas Oyama's death, the International Karate Organization (IKO) split into two groups, primarily due to personal conflicts over who should succeed Oyama as chairman. One group led by Shokei Matsui became known as IKO-1, and a second group led by Yukio Nishida and Sanpei became was known as IKO-2. The will was proven to be invalid in the family Court of Tokyo in 1995. There were claims that near the end of his life, Oyama named Matsui (then ranked 5th ''dan'', and clearly junior in rank to several senior instructors) to succeed him in leading the IKO. However this claim has been disputed with Oyama's family and Matsui himself.Singapore Oyama Karate-Do Kyokushinkaikan: Kancho Shokei Matsui
Retrieved on 21 December 2009.
Retrieved on 21 December 2009. At present there are now several IKO organizations, such as IKO1 ( Shokei Matsui), IKO2 Shinkyokushinkai (

Kenji Midori is a Japanese martial artist. He is an instructor of the Full-contact Karate. He has an 8th Dan black belt in World Karate Organization Shinkyokushinkai. Career Midori was a student of Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin kaikan. He lost in th ...

), IKO3 (Y. Matsushima), IKO4 (T. Tezuka).

Techniques and training

Kyokushin Karate 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 ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practise ...

(formalized sequences of combat techniques), and

(sparring).

Kata

Kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practise ...

is a form of ritualized self-training in which patterned or memorized movements are done in order to practice a form of combat maneuverings. 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 Kata. 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 was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Karate, Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, ...

. The southern kata stems from the Naha-te tradition of karate, and are mostly drawn from Goju-ryu karate, which Oyama learned while training under So Nei Chu and Gogen Yamaguchi. One exception may be the kata "Yantsu" which possibly originates with Motobu-ha Shito-ryu. There is also Ura Kata - Several kata are also done in "''ura''", which essentially means all moves are done in mirrored form. The ''ura'', or 'reverse' kata, were developed by Oyama as an aid to developing balance and skill in circular techniques against multiple opponents.

Sparring (kumite)

Sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debat ...

, also called

, 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, techniques and spirit.

Self-defense

Also known as Goshin Jitsu, 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 karate itself grew increasingly sport-oriented, the self-defense training started to fall into obscurity. Today it is only practiced in a limited number of dojos. However, the proper Kyokushin Karate techniques are extremely effective when it comes to self-defense in any type of fight due to its full body contact fighting style.

Grading

Colored belts have their origin in Judo, as does the training ' gi', or more correctly in Japanese, ' dōgi' or ' Keikogi'. The example below uses the rank structure used by Kyokushin Karate's West Los Angeles Branch although the order of belt colors does vary between Kyokushin groups. For example, 10th & 9th kyus in some groups wear orange belts, while in other groups they wear red belts instead. ;Kyu ranks ;Dan Ranks

Competition formats

Numerous tournaments are arranged by several Kyokushin organizations. Some of the most prestigious tournaments are: *

Kyokushin World Tournament Open World Open Karate Championship is the largest competition in Kyokushin Karate. This tournament is arranged every fourth year in Tokyo. Rules All world open tournaments operate under knockdown karate rules which involve standup bareknuckle fight ...

* Kyokushin World Cup in Weight Categories * Kyokushin All Japan Openweight Tournament * Kyokushin All Japan Open in Weight Categories * Kyokushin European Openweight Championships * Kyokushin European Championships in Weight Categories

Internationally

The style has international appeal with practitioners have over the last 40 years numbered more than 12 million.

United States

Bobby Lowe opened the first Kyokushin dojo outside of Japan in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

in 1957.Yussof, S. (2005)
Sosai Mas Oyama 1923–1994
Retrieved on 1 February 2010.
Retrieved on 1 February 2010. After Lowe, Oyama ordered Miyuki Miura, Tadashi Nakamura,

and Yasuhiko Oyama to establish Kyokushin Dojos in mainland United States.

United Kingdom

Kyokushin Karate was introduced to

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Originally from

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countr ...

, Arneil initially intended to establish his Kyokushin Dojo there, but was requested by Mas Oyama to go to the United Kingdom to help establish Kyokushin karate there. Subsequently, he and his wife traveled to London in 1965.Yussof, S. (2010)
Steve Arneil: Founder of the IFK
Retrieved on 13 March 2010.Travers, P., & Travers, V. (2005)
Hanshi Steve Arneil (9th Dan)
Retrieved on 14 March 2010. British Kyokushinkai Karate was founded in 1965 after the return of Steve Arneil and Bob Boulton from Japan, where they studied Kyokushinkai in the Tokyo Hombu. Thanks to the deep knowledge and efforts of Shihan Steve Arneil (now 10th dan), the British organization has achieved great success.

Canada

Kyokushin was introduced to Canada by Tats Nakamura in 1992 at Vancouver, British Columbia. There have been practitioners in Vancouver, BC, Canada since the late 70s/early 80s where it was referred to as Kyokushinkai and operated independently. Some known black belts are Tom Blaney, Andy Puusepp, and Shawn Ho. Stu Corrigal (6th or 7th degree black belt) is the current representative in Canada for Kyokushin Karate.

Australia

Kyokushin was introduced Mamoru Kaneko and Shigeo Kato.

Netherlands

Kyokushin was introduced to Netherlands by

and

. On January 2, 1962, Jon Bluming, on behalf of Masutatsu Oyama, creates the first European karate association, called the NKA (Netherlands Karate Association). Under his leadership, the new school quickly gained strength and popularity. In the late 1970s, Jon Blooming leaves the leadership of the organization to his students, and he himself creates a new organization, ''Kyokushin Budokai'' Karate. Kyokushin is integral part of Dutch martial arts scene, as it laid foundation for "Dutch-style Kickboxing", advocated by entities like

Mejiro Gym Mejiro Gym is a kickboxing gym headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The gym is considered the "birthplace" of Dutch kickboxing. History Mejiro Gym was founded in 1978 by Jan Plas, a Dutch kickboxer who learned kickboxing from Kenji Kuros ...

and

Chakuriki Gym Chakuriki Gym is a kickboxing gym and headquarters of the International Chakuriki Association located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is also known as Dojo Chakuriki, Pancration Chakuriki, and Chakuriki Amsterdam. Founded in 1972, it is one of ...

Germany

There are various associations at national level in Germany today, including the KKD (Kyokushinkai Karate Germany) and the DKO (German Kyokushin Organization) and the IKOK-D (International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan Germany). These are not automatically in the IKO1 on an international level, so the IKOK-D is in the IKO1 (Kyokushinkaikan Honbu) and the DKO in the WKO/IKO2 (Midori).

Switzerland

Switzerland is significant for being the homeland of Andy Hug, regarded as one of the best Kyokushin fighters of all time.

Brazil

Kyokushin was introduced to Brazil by

. Isobe had been operating a Kyokushin Dojo in Fukui, established on September 20, 1972 - when Mas Oyama offered Isobe the mission of promoting and setting up a dojo network in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

. That same year, Seiji Isobe permanently moved to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and became the head of Kyokushin in South America. IKO1 (headed by Shokei Matsui, in which Isobe represents Brazil at international level) and Seiwakai Karate (headed by Ademir da Costa) are the most prominent styles of Knockdown Karate in Brazil.

Poland

Andrzej Drewniak is credited for bringing Kyokushin to Poland. Fascinated by karate, he founded the first Polish Karate Kyokushin section at AZS in Krakow in 1972. In 1974 he became the Polish middleweight champion in kyokushin karate. In the same year he went to a training camp in the Netherlands, where he passed the 1st dan exam, becoming the first Polish holder of a black belt and the title of Kyokushin karate sensei. In 1979, he became a co-founder of the Polish Karate Association, of which he has been a long-term vice-president. Thanks to the support of Loek Hollander, the president of the European Karate Kyokushinkai Organization, he received an annual scholarship and an invitation to Japan, but only after six years, secretly from the political and sports authorities, he managed to go to Tokyo. At the end of his stay in Japan, he obtained the 4th dan, after 15 months of training under Sosai Masutatsu Ōyama, where he was the only Polish uchideshi. Most Kyokushin karate clubs, regardless of their affiliation to world organizations, are also concentrated in the Kyokushin Commission of the Polish Karate Association (KK PZK / Komisji Kyokushin Polskiego Związku Karate) under which inter-organizational competitions of the rank of the Polish Championships and the Macro-region Championships are held. The "World Oyama Karate"-style, founded by Shigeru Ōyama (10th dan) - has its largest concentration of practitioners in Poland, with largest number of clubs in the world. After Shigeru Ōyama retired from the leadership of the organization, hanshi Jan Dyduch (8th dan) from Krakow became the director of the organization (OYAMA International Karate Federation), who is also the leader of the Polish organization.

Hungary

In Hungary, István Adámy and Kálmán Furkó are credited for establishing Kyokushin in the country. In 1977, István Adámy received the 1st Dan Black in Kyokushin and was appointed branch leader of Hungary by IKO. Kálmán Furkó obtained his first dan degree in 1978 and became a shihan in Szolnok in 1984. The development of domestic Kyokushin started in 1976. By the mid-1980s, there were nearly ten thousand practitioners of Kyokushin Karate in Hungary. Since then, Kyokushin has been one of the most popular karate styles in Hungary. István Adámy and Kálmán Furkó worked together until the political problems in IKO, following death of Mas Oyama. Since then, they have been on separate paths, but working towards the same goal. Hungary is particular for hosting the Ibutz Oyama Cup, which was held three times between 1983 and 1986 at the National Sports Arena in Budapest.Ibutz Oyama Cup
''kyokushinresults.com'' Viitattu 19.8.2017 The tournament was held in three different weight classes. Kyokushin founder Masutatsu Ōyama first visited Hungary in 1983 and was also involved in overseeing the next two tournaments.

Romania

Russia

The founder of Kyokushinkai karate in the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nati ...

is . While in Poland on a business trip, Tanyushkin met Andrzej Drewniak in Krakow and began to practice karate with him. After some time, having learned about the existence of Kyokushinkai style karate, Tanyushkin and Drewnyak wrote a letter to Masutatsu Oyama and, on his instructions, began to cooperate with the President of the European Kyokushinkai Organization, Loek Hollander. Tanyushkin opened the first section of Kyokushinkai in the USSR in Moscow in 1973. By the end of the 1970s, a school had formed in the country with representatives in all major regions. After the almost 10-year ban on karate was lifted in 1989, Tanyushkin established the Kyokushinkai Federation of the USSR. The creation of such a federation was a huge step forward for the development of martial arts in the USSR. During the period of work of the national organization, Kyokushinkai karate entered the country's sports classification system as an official sport (1990), and development reached the international level. In 1993, the Kyokushinkai Federation of Russia was one of the first to join the new International Karate Federation (IFK), headed by Hansi Steve Arneil (now 10th dan). On behalf of IFK, on the basis of the Russian national organization, the Eurasian Committee (EAC) was created, representing IFK in the territory of the former USSR. It was headed by S. Stepanov (now 5 dan Kyokushin-kan). The Committee existed until 1998, having held 6 international class "A" tournaments during this time. After the death of Masutatsu Oyama in 1994 and the split of the Kyokushinkai, from the late 90s, other Kyokushin Federations began to develop in Russia, representing various international organizations. Now in Russia they are working: * Federation of Kyokushin Karate of Russia (FKKR), representing the World Shinkyokushinkai Organization, WKO, led by

* Russian National Federation of Kyokushinkai Karate (RNFKK), representing the International Kyokushinkai Organization, IKO, led Shokei Matsui * Federation of Kyokushinkaikan of Russia (FKR), representing the International Kyokushinkai Organization, IKO, led by Shokei Matsui (until 2013 - Federation of Kyokushinkai Karate of Russia) * Russian Kyokushinkai Federation (FKR), representing the International Kyokushinkai Federation, IFK, led by

л * Federation of Kyokushinkan Karate of Russia (FKKR), representing the International Organization of Kyokushinkau, KI, led by

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 ...

These five Federations are united in the Kyokushin Association of Russia, accredited by the Ministry of Sports and headed by Yu. P. Trutnev (currently Vice Prime Minister of the Government of Russia, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far East). Some of these organizations (in particular, the Kyokushin Federation of Russia, the Russian Kyokushinkaikan Karate Union, etc.) are members of the All-Style Karate Federation of Russia. In addition, some of these organizations (in particular, the Russian Kyokushin Association, the Russian Kyokushin Karate Federation, the Russian Kyokushin Karate-do Federation, the Russian Kyokushin Federation, the Russian Kyokushin Federation, etc.) are members of the Russian Union of Martial Arts.

Lithuania

Large majority of Kyokushin Clubs in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

belong to Kenji Midori's WKO Shin-Kyokushin (formerly IKO-2) organization. Currently, there are two IKO-1 clubs Samurajus in Marijampolė and IchiGeki Sports Club in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

Bulgaria

Spain

Singapore and SEA

Kyokushin was introduced to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and of most of

South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

by Shihan Peter Chong.Kim, A., & Quek, D. (2003)
Singapore Oyama Karate-Do Kyokushinkaikan: Biography of Shihan Peter Chong
Retrieved on 27 December 2009. Chong had established the first Kyokushin Dojo in Singapore in 1968, which was not registered with the Singapore Karate Association at the time.

Iran

Iranian Kyokushin fighters have been successful in top-level competition. In particular, Iran is highly successful in

hosted by IKO3 / Matsushima Group.

Kyokushin Organizations and derivative styles

International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan headquarters

Kyokushin Organizations

After Oyama's death, several different Kyokushin organizations began to emerge in Japan and beyond.

International Karate Organization

Internationally, the name of the original organization is carried by multiple organizations: * IKO Mas Oyama Kyokushinkaikan (IKO Sosai Kyokushinkaikan) - an organization run by the Oyama family who inherited it from the late

, the founder of Kyokushin Kaikan. The current CEO is , with chief instructors being Kancho Yoshikazu Suzuki and shihan Susumu Miyake (7th dan). The European coordinator was Shihan Neagoie Horatiu (5th Dan) from Romania. * IKO Kyokushin-kaikan / Kyokushin Matsui Group (IKO-1) - the largest and most important Kyokushin karate organization in terms of bringing together the largest number of practitioners, clubs and countries in the world. Founder and current CEO is Kancho Shokei Matsui (8th dan). The chairman of the international committee is shihan (9th dan), members of the committee are also

(8th dan) from Brazil, Kenny Uytenbogaardt (8th dan) from South Africa, and Katsuhito Gorai (7th dan) from USA. * IKO Matsushima (IKO-3) - established in 1998, it is led by . * Kyokushin Karate Tezuka Group (IKO-4) - founded by Toru Tezuka, led by Yoshimichi Mori. * All Japan Kyokushin Union / Kyokushin Rengōkai (IKO-5 Kyokushinkaikan) - a union of independent organizations, dojos, schools of individual shihan and sensei. Currently, the chairman of the organization is (8th Dan) from Japan, with Shigeru Tabata (8th Dan) as his deputy. * IKO Kyokushinkaikan Sakamoto Group - established by . Currently, it does not belong to any organization, and is conducting its own activities in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Tochigi, Gunma, Fukui in Japan, and overseas in Vietnam, Iran, Pakistan, India, Chile, etc. * IKO Kyokushinkaikan World So-Kyokushin (shortened to "So-Kyokushin") - led by * IKO World Kyokushin Kaikan - is a general incorporated association established in 2018 by the Kyokushin Kaikan in the Kyushu area. Led by * IKO World Zen-Kyokushin - led by

Other major Japanese organizations

Other Japanese Kyokushin organizations that do not use the official name "IKO" and "Kyokushinkaikan". * NPO World Karate Organization Shinkyokushinkai (aka "WKO", also formerly IKO2) - led by

. * IBMA Kyokushin Kaikan Masuda Dojo - headed by Akira Masuda. * KWU (Kyokushin World Union) ShinKyokushin - an organization founded on October 12, 2011. It was established to replace the Kyokushin-Kan Alliance founded by

. The original Kyokushin-kan was established by

following his displeasure with Shokei Matsui's leadership of IKO1. With the help of Hiroto Okazaki and others, Royama established the Kyokushin-kan International Honbu in December 2002. The goal of the organization is to follow "Kyokushin's original spirit which Oyama envisioned." * Kyokushin Budo Karate Organization Kyokushin Kenbukai - lead by Masahiro Kaneko.

Major organizations outside Japan

* IFK (International Federation of Karate) - Established by

and British Karate Kyokushinkai (BKK) in 1991, following an exodus from Oyama's IKO. * KWF (Kyokushin World Federation) - founded by Shihan Loek Hollander (10th dan) from the Netherlands, serving as the honorary president of KWF for years, who died on February 16, 2020. The current president of the organization is shihan Antonio Pinero (9th dan) from Spain, and the vice president is Hristo Traikov (7th dan) from Bulgaria. * IBK (International Budokai Kan) - founded by former IKO member

. Originally BKK (Budo Kai Kan) from 1980, the name was changed to IBK in 1996. Advocates "Kyokushin Budokai", which focuses on

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force ...

, with emphasis on

Judo is an unarmed 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 Nipponica, "Judo") ...

-like throws. * Internationale Budo Kai - headed by

Gerard Gordeau Gerard Gordeau (born March 30, 1955) is a Dutch former Savateur, Karateka, Kickboxer, and mixed martial artist. He is the 1991 World Champion Savate and holder of the Dutch Champion Karate title for 8 consecutive years, but foremost known intern ...

(9th dan), in Poland as the Polish Federation Budokai Karate Institute (IBK) - headed by shihan Artur Więzowski (6th dan) from Ciechanowiec. * IKAK (International Karate Alliance KyokushinRyu), founded by Peter Chong. * IKU (International Kyokushin Union), founded by former IKO member David Farzinzad. * IBU (International Budokai Union) KyodoKyokushin, founded by Kancho Maciej Misiak * IKA (International Kyokushinkai Association), founded by former IKO member Carlos Costa. * IKKF (International Kyokushinkai Karate Federation), founded by former IKO member Teyub Azizov. * WKB (World Kyokushin Budokai), an organization that complies with IBK rules, is led by Pedro Roiz. * IBKO (International Budo Karate Organization), an organization founded on November 21, 2011, led by Tomokichi Anzai.

Derivative styles

Kyokushin has had an influence on many other styles: * Ashihara Karate - founded by Hideyuki Ashihara. Places emphasis on

and

Tai Sabaki is a term from Japanese martial arts and which relates to 'whole body movement', or repositioning. It can be translated as ''body-management''. It is a term used widely in and very important in kendo, jujutsu, aikido, judo, karate and ninjutsu ...

. * Enshin Karate - competitive variant of Ashihara Karate, founded by Jōkō Ninomiya. * Seidokaikan - traditional full contact karate derived from Kyokushin by Kazuyoshi Ishii. Seidokaikan organized the first professional full contact karate tournament named the Karate World Cup. The Karate World Cup had special extension rounds; if the judge's decision was deadlocked after an extension round, the rules then allowed face strikes with fighters donning boxing gloves (kickboxing). The founder would later establish the Professional Kickboxing promotion

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

. * Seidō juku - founded by Tadashi Nakamura, the main dojo is located in New York, USA. * Satojuku - established by Katsuaki Sato in 1977. It is a similar style to Kyokushin, but emphasizes precise knockdown techniques over techniques designed to injure or "knock-out" one's opponent. Describing his art in 1987, Satō wrote, "Odo means the way champions must behave. It is based on humane feelings and courtesy, on being honorable, on being devoid of selfishness or bias. It is the antithesis of any martial art that relies only on force to conquer an opponent."Sato, K. (1987)
Forward (''sic'') from ''Odo no Karate''
(August 1987). Retrieved on May 14, 2010. * Shidōkan - founded by Yoshiji Soeno. * Seiwakai - founded by Ademir da Costa, this style style is mainly based in Brazil. Seiwakai is characterized as an aggressive style, with a fighting strategy aimed at achieving victory by knockout. * World Oyama - established by

in the United States. The entity is currently headed by his younger brother, Yasuhiko Oyama, who operates out of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

. Has a significant presence in Poland, where the organization is headed by Hanshi Jan Dyduch (8th Dan). * Sei Budokai - headed by Hanshi Leonardo Voinescu (8th dan Sei Budokai, 4th dan Judo) from

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. The honorary president is hanshi Dave Jonkers (9th dan Sei Budokai, 9th dan Ashihara Karate, 5th dan Judo) from the Netherlands, and the honorary technical director is shihan Semmy Schilt (6th dan Ashihara Karate, 6th dan Sei Budokai) from Netherlands. Kokondo is derived from Kyokushin, albeit without a strong focus on competition with the emphasis rather on realistic goshin-jutsu (self-defense). Some styles originating in Kyokushin (Jushindo,

Kūdō is a Japanese hybrid martial art. It is a full-contact combat sport that aims to achieve both safety and practicality, a style of mixed martial arts practised with headgear and gloves. It features stand-up striking, with throwing and grappling ...

, Zendokai) have changed to

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

rules.

Influence

Kyokushin has influenced other styles, especially the knockdown karate competition format. Karate styles that originated in Kyokushin, such as Ashihara Karate, Budokaido, Godokai, Enshin Karate, Seidō juku, Musokai, Shidōkan, World Oyama and Seidokaikan, are also knockdown styles and use slight variations of the competition rules. Many top kickboxers such as Andy Hug, Francisco Filho and Masahiro Yamamoto- have started in knockdown karate. The influence of Kyokushin can be seen in the

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 Kyokushin Karate Iran.

In popular culture

Kyokushin Karate has featured in following videogames: * The move sets of

Ryu is a Japanese masculine given name and family name meaning "dragon", "noble", "prosperous", or "flow". Ryū, Ryu, or ryu may also refer to: Fiction * ''Ryū'' (manga), a 1986 series by Masao Yajima and Akira Oze * , a 1919 book by Ryūnosuke Aku ...

and Ken from

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', ''Mega Man'', ''De ...

's ''

Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...

'' franchise are based on Kyokushin. Both character are based notable Kyokushin practitioners from late 60s/early 70s, with Ryu based on Yoshiji Soeno and Ken on

. The characters are influenced on the real-life counterparts' depictions in manga

Karate Baka Ichidai is a Japanese manga drawn by Jirō Tsunoda and Jōya Kagemaru, with the story written by Ikki Kajiwara. The story was inspired by the life of the real-life karate martial artist Mas Oyama. The manga was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazin ...

. * In

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiun ...

's ''

Tekken is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The main games in the series ...

'' series, Jin Kazama uses Kyokushin Karate as his fighting style, starting from

Tekken 4 is a fighting video game developed and published by Namco as the fourth main and fifth installment in the ''Tekken'' series, following the release of the non-canon crossover titled '' Tekken Tag Tournament'' in 1999. It was released as an arcade ...

and subsequent titles. * Shotaro Kadonashi and his disciples from

's '' Urban Reign'' use the art of Kyokushinkai. * Hitomi from the '' Dead or Alive (franchise)'' series uses karate where many moves have roots originating from Kyokushin. * Matsuo Shozan's Hokushinkan Karate School and his disciples' fighting style in PS2 games Garouden Breakblow (2005) and Garouden Breakblow Fist or Twist (2007) are heavily based on Kyokushinkaikan and its founder Oyama Masutatsu 'Sosai'. * 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. * Kyokushin Karate has served as the basis for the Kyokugenryu Karate, a fictional martial art from SNK Playmore's '' Art of Fighting'', ''

Fatal Fury ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system. Games Canon * '' Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terr ...

'', and '' King of Fighters'' series. Kyokugenryu (lit. "the extreme style") and Kyokushin are similar sounding names, and the family patriarch

Takuma Sakazaki is a fighting game, fighting video game trilogy that were released for the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the ''Fatal Fury'' series and is set in the s ...

is modelled after Kyokusin founder Mas Oyama. Besides Takuma, characters Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia,

Yuri Sakazaki is a fictional character from SNK's ''Art of Fighting'' series of fighting games. She first appears in the original ''Art of Fighting'' being kidnapped by Mr. Big, a criminal from the city of South Town. The players, Yuri's brother Ryo and his ...

and Marco Rodriguez/Khushnood Butt use this style. * Torao Onigawara in the arcade game ''

The Fallen Angels (video game) is an unfinished, 1998, 2D versus fighting arcade game developed by the Steel Hearts development team and published by Psikyo. It was Psikyo's second attempt in the 2D versus fighting genre after '' Battle K-Road''. A "complete edition" of th ...

'' is a master of Kyokushin Karate. * ''Ichigeki: Hagane no Hito ''is a 3D fighting game for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

that focuses on the International Karate Organization (also known as IKO 1). The game even features real life Kyokushin athletes of the 90's including Francisco Filho, Kazumi Hajime, Nicholas Pettas and even live video segments of IKO head Shokei Matsui. * ''Karate Master Knock Down Blow'' a recent game from Crian Soft that is heavily based on Kyokushin Karate. A trilogy of films starring Sonny Chiba and directed by

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi is a Japanese film director. Career Born in Nagano Prefecture, Yamaguchi graduated from Waseda University and began working at the Tōei studios in Kyoto. He directed a number of action movie series in the 1970s and has also helmed many TV mo ...

were produced in Japan between 1975 and 1977: ''

Champion of Death , also known as ''Karate Bullfighter'', is a Japanese martial arts film made by the Toei Company in 1975. It was the first in a trilogy of films based on the manga ''Karate Baka Ichidai'' (literal translation: A Karate-Crazy Life), a manga bas ...

'', ''

Karate Bearfighter is a Japanese martial arts film made by Toei Company in 1975 and directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. It is the second installment of a trilogy of films based on the manga Karate Baka Ichidai (literal title: "A Karate-Crazy Life") by Ikki Kajiwara, ...

'' and ''

Karate for Life Karate for Life ( ja, 空手バカ一代 ) is a 1977 Japanese martial arts film about the martial arts master Mas Oyama starring Sonny Chiba. It is to Champion of Death and Karate Bear Fighter and is the third part in the , a series of movie ...

''. Chiba plays Master Oyama, who also appears in two of the films. The

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

movie '' You Only Live Twice'', starring

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

, 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 Akio Fujihira. Kyokushin was featured on ''

Fight Quest ''Fight Quest'' is a television show on the Discovery Channel that had a preview episode air on December 28, 2007 and began airing weekly on January 4, 2008. The show followed Jimmy Smith and Doug Anderson as they travel around the world learnin ...

'' on Discovery Channel as the Japanese Martial Arts Style.Fight Quest, Kyokushin Karate, Season 1, Episode 3. First broadcast January 11, 2008 In the Korean manwha '' The God of High School'', Han Daewi is known for having practiced Kyokushin, and ''

'' appears as Oyama Sugihara's Borrowed Power.

Notable practitioners

Literature

* Masutatsu Oyama. What Is Karate? HarperCollins (1966) ISBN 0-87040-147-5 * Masutatsu Oyama. Vital Karate. Japan Publications Trading company. Tokyo, San Francisco. 1967–1974. ISBN 0-87040-143-2 * Masutatsu Oyama. This Is Karate. Japan Publications. (1973) ISBN 0-87040-254-4 * Masutatsu Oyama. Advanced Karate. Japan Publications (2000) ISBN 0-87040-001-0 * B. Lowe. Mas Oyama's Karate. ISBN 0-668-01140-8 * Michael L. Lorden. Oyama: The Legend, the Legacy. Multi-Media Books (2000) ISBN 1-892515-24-5