Kyokushinkai

The kyokushin (ja 極真) or kyokushinkai (ja 極真会) is a style of Karaté, founded by Masutatsu Oyama (ja 大山倍達), of its true name Choi Young-I. The first Dojo kyokushinkai is created in a district of Tokyo in 1953. It is Shihan Bobby Lowe which exports for the first time the kyokushinkai apart from Japan, with the opening of a dojo with Hawaii. 1964 sees the opening of the first honbu dojo , and it is in fact only on this date that Maître Oyama gives to its style the name of kyokushinkai . Kyokushinkai means in Japanese the “company of the ultimate truth”. Developed by Masutatsu Oyama, starting from the techniques of Japanese karate, the kyokushin is a karate of Full-contact, which stresses the effectiveness in real combat. The legend wants that Oyama has, at the time of demonstrations, fought and put at died of the bulls, without weapon nor protection, but that seems to be a deformation of the actual facts (see the section devoted to the testimony of Jon Bluming in the article on Masutatsu Oyama).

In this school, the students as well as the teacher take share with the engagements. With the differences of the other styles of karate, the kyokushin , in rule general, does not authorize the port of a protection at the time of the engagements. The blows are carried with a maximum force. It is not allowed to strike with the hands in the head of the adversary, on the other hand the kicks and of knee are allowed and certain are of a great power (for example kagate or hiza geri ).

The combat ( kumite ) seniors is held with the K.O without protections and of the tests of “breakage” thenull ones decide between. For the children, the juniors and the women, adequate protections are obligatory.

Regional, national and European competitions are organized throughout the year in the two disciplines which are the competitions kumite and kata .

The symbol of the kyokushinkai is the Kankū , whose origins come from the Kata . Kankū results literally in “Contemplating the sky”. This kata starts while raising the open hands with the inches and the indices which are touched. The attention is then directed towards the center of the hands, in order to unify the spirit and the body. The points of the kanku represent the fingers and mean the finality. The thick part represents space between the hands and means the infinite one, the depth. The interior and external circles mean continuity and the circular motion.

In Japan, then throughout the world, Masutatsu Oyama knew to make known the kyokushin with the publication of the book Vital Karate , then of a true encyclopedia of three works: What is Karate , This is Karate and Advanced Karate , where the various aspects of the work of the kyokushin are analyzed and detailed.

For most hardened of its karate experts, Maître Oyama established a test that each one can present when it wishes it - Hyaku Nin Kumité - the test of the hundred engagements.

The Japanese penmanship of the word kyokushinkai is reproduced on the dogi members of this style of karate in the whole world. These characters were originally painted by Haramotoki Sensei, large main of penmanship and friend of Sosai Oyama.

The Kyokushin gave birth of more than twenty styles of engagements. Among most known one can quote the Kick Box (after the challenge of the Masters of the Thai Box and the departure of one of the pupils of Oyama), and the Daiku Juku (created by another pupil of Oyama).

Techniques

The system of combat of the kyokushin is based on the more traditional styles of karate, in particular the Shōtōkan and the Gōjū-ryū . He dissociates himself by a search for effectiveness to the combining combat of the direct and heavy blows. The currency of the kyokushin is “a blow, a victory”.

The engagements are carried out often remotely very tight, the principal blows are carried to repetition in direction of the legs of the adversary and aim at destroying its capacity to hold the combat or quite simply to make it fall. In kyokushin one can avoid/counter-attack a kick by a direct punch.

In addition, the severity of the engagements makes practitioners of this style of the very hardened karate experts, being able to assume a great physical load in all the directions of the term. Certain techniques of the kyokushin are hardly used in other Japanese martial arts, even if they exist in the katas of the majority of the styles of karate: hiza-geri (blow of knee), mae oroshi kagato geri (blow of axe), gedan mawashi geri (rotary kick low), shutô mawashi uke (existing of a different form in shotokan)… Today, certain practitioners of kyokushin , Francisco Filho or Glaube Feitosa, seem in combat of K-1.

Belts

Karate kyokushin has a system of specific belts similar to the other schools of karate. The colors vary according to the federations, but according to the diagram adopted in Japan it are presented in the order:
  • 10th kyū - white;
  • 9th kyū - orange;
  • 8th kyū - orange with a black feature;
  • 7th kyū - blue;
  • 6th kyū - blue with a black feature;
  • 5th kyū - yellow;
  • 4th kyū - yellow with a black feature;
  • 3rd kyū - green;
  • 2nd kyū - green with a black feature;
  • 1st kyū - maroon;
  • 1er  daN - black with the name and the first names of the person who makes a success of her rank sent by the honbu dojo (general headquarter) to Japan;
  • in following is added features color gold.

Once the student reached the 1er  kyū , which corresponds to the most classification of the beginners, it can present the 1er  daN . To reach the black belt 1er  daN , or shodan , it must control the kihon (bases), the ido geiko (basic movements), the goshinjitsu ( coil-defense ), the sanbon and ippon kumite (engagements), the Kata and their bunkai (comprehension of the movements), the tameshiwari (wood and brick breakage) and overcome with the final kumite (combat).

The examinations in the kyokushin are very difficult and starting from 8e  kyū , each rank contains combat which increase of number with the rank gradually.

The applicant with the rank must face during these combat of the higher adversaries in rank (or level equal in the event of lack) and hold the combat in a convincing way. The combat in competitions are carried out as in competition - engagement and force to the maximum.

The kyokushin allows obtaining a 1er  daN after approximately 10  years of practice.

Notable practitioners of Kyokushin (Old and current)

Dojo-kun

The dojo-kun (ja 道場訓, dōjō-kun ) is will mantra it school. Sosai Oyama wrote these words, often recited in the dojo which teach the kyokushin .

The Kyokushin today

After the death of Masutatsu Oyama, in 1994, the IKO ( International Karate Organization , International organization of karate) separated in several groups. The Shinkyokushinkai , directed by Kenji Midori, formed the World Karate Organization , or IKO2. Some joined Hanshi Steve Arneil which left the IKO in 1991 to found the IFK ( International Federation off Karate , International federation of karate). The IKO is currently directed by Kancho Shokei Matsui.

Many practitioner groups the Kyokushin throughout the world decided to be interested in the thought and philosophy of Kyokushin and to draw some from the lessons on the improvement from oneself and the discipline. The way in which the Kyokushin is taught proposes the fact that essence is not in the capacity to put its opponent at ground. Rather, the student must, by the practice, to include/understand the true direction of the Kyokushin , which is not in violence but in the self-control. One of the points of the philosophy of the Kyokushin is that one should not do what one cannot demolish, and which one never should use of more than violence than necessary.

Currently, the organization Kyokushinkai represents in the world the largest school of karate C , with more than twenty million practitioners in 140 countries. This school is the object of a fabulous media impact, mixing the televisual reports, the films (in particular Fighter in the wind ), the cartoons, the cartoons and the very many technical or fictionalized works on Maître Oyama itself. Its success undoubtedly comes on the spectacular side of the “apparent part of the iceberg”: the reality of the engagements.

External bonds

As of the death of Oyama, several groups were founded, taking again whole or part of its teaching.

  • '' International Karate Organization '' (IKO) 1: Matsui, Isobe, Hollander, Goda, Bobby Lowe

    • Official Branch of Los Angeles
    • Official Branch of Philippines
    • Official Branch New Yorkaise
    • Canadian Official Branch
    • Official Branch of the Canadian West
    • Kyokushin Karate of Vancouver
    • Official Branch of India
    • Official Branch of the Canadian east
    • Federation of Kyokushinkai Karate of Canada
    • Official Branch Of Europe
    • Dutch Official Branch
    • Official Branch Italian
    • French Official Branch

  • World Karate Organization Shin Kyoksuhin Kai (IKO) 2 '' (NPO World Organization Karate) '': Midori, Sampei, Fujiwara group
    • Shihan Kenji Midori Official Web site
    • Official Branch Of Europe
    • French Official Branch
    • Belgian Official Branch
    • Official Branch Spanish
    • Australian Official Branch
    • Danish Official Branch
    • Official Branch Canadian
    • German Official Branch
    • Bulgarian Official Branch
    • Official Branch of Denmark
    • Rumanian Branch Official
    • Dutch Official Branch
    • Hungarian Official Branch
    • Official Branch of Israel
    • Official Branch of Czech Republic
    • Shin Kyoksuhin Kai Tsukamoto Norichika' S Dojo Tsukamoto Norichika

  • International Karate Organization (IKO) 3: Matsushima, Masuda, Romance group
    • Canadian Official Branch
    • Kyokushin Canada - Dojo ENTHEOS
    • Kyokushin of Western North
    • Kyokushin Seattle
    • Eastside Kyokushin: Bellevue services, WA and surrounding areas.
  • International Karate Organization (IKO) 4: Tezuke group
  • Others:
    • Organization American of Kyokushin Karate: Donald Buck
    • Northern Organization American of Kyokushin Karate: Henri Oh
    • Kyokushin Musashi Karate - Netherlands: Sjaak van of Velde
    • Japanese Union of Kyokushin: Hasegawa, Oishi, Shichinohe
    • Shihan Andre Gilbert
    • Shihan Camille Ohan
    • Shihan Howard Hakes
    • Sensei Irek Tuniewicz - Mississauga, Ontario (excellent information source)
    • Australian Kyokushin (excellent information source)
    • Sensei Darren Lenkorn - Toronto, Ontario (more indormation on the kyokushin)
  • ''' Club of Karate Kyokushin - Kitchener, Ontario ''': Sensei Bernard Banaszczyk
    • National Karate Kyokushin Belgium
    • Organization yokushin Budokai: Kancho Jon Bluming
      • Branch Irishwoman of International Budo Kai: Kancho Jon Bluming
      • Kyokushin Budo Kai .org
    • Kyokushin Today Information Network
    • Kyokushin Is Australian
    • Kyokushinkan Karate-C: New organization created in 2003 by Hatsuo Royama.
    • Kyokushin Kyodan Karate: School of Kyokushin Karate located in full heart of Montreal

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