Kyokushin: Name of the style.
Kyokushinkai: The association of kyokushin. Kyokushin is the school of karate founded by the Grand Master Masutastu Oyama in 1956.
Kyokushin is the school of karate founded by the Grand Master Masutastu Oyama in 1956.
Sosai Masutastu Oyama eliminated the technical superficialities which were being studied in other schools of karate, linking kyokushin with the authentic spirit of the Japanese bushido and the way of the Samurai.
Kyokushin is bound to the hard styles of karate and is known as the strongest style in existence, owing to the rigour of the training and the reputation of its competitors.
In combat they search for absolute efficiency and the trainings revolve around concentration and strength, not only physical, but mental and spiritual.
The objective of the training is none other than the fortification of the spirit of its practitioners. Kyokushin is budo, it is a way of life, where practitioners can cultivate an ethical behaviour and discipline in all forms, so daily training is essential.
The International Organisation of Karate was founded in 1964 and had its central headquarters (Honbu dojo) in Ikebukuro (Tokyo). From there they directed the organisation of karate across the world, with more than 12 million practitioners across 5 continents and 135 affiliated countries.
Amongst the diverse personalities that practice kyokushin, those that stand out are Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago from the film Rocky lV) who was champion of Europe in the years 1980 and 1981, the Belgian Jean Claude van Damme and Sean Connery practised with Oyama in Japan in preparation for movies he starred in.
Kyokushin meaning ‘School of the ultimate truth’, whose symbol is the kanku, which Comes from the kanku kata. In this kata, the hands are raised to reflect the heavens above and in this way the symbol is formed. The fingers represent the goals to be achieved, the wrists imply power and the centre means depth. The kanku is a closed circle, representing continuity and circular action.