 So in 2019 we did a three-part episode on the history of Kyokushin and as we wrap up this year in 2020 We're gonna take all three we're putting together in a single presentation Because we have a lot of new viewers since then and many of you might not have seen it So here it is in one complete presentation and for those of you who have seen it We're adding a little bit of extra information just some more tidbits So that way, you know, there's something for you to find too and if that's the case you can find some chapter marks in the description below for all the new stuff and We did this previously with our Kempo trilogy and we'll also be doing it again with Shodokon to wrap up this year as we work on new art topics We just kind of wanted to collect these put these together and represent them with a little bit of added information So thank you so much for watching and I hope you enjoyed the presentation Kyokushin is a style of karate founded by Oyama Masutatsu a Korean-born Japanese citizen who carries quite the legacy in the martial arts Now this is one of our most requested arts from our viewers and with good reason Training in Kyokushin karate requires a will of steel and it's not a good art for those who just want to like to moderate workout This art is known around the world for its toughness and it's also considered one of the most influential styles of full-contact karate One can often recognize Kyokushin by the delivery of rapid full-powered body blows and as a leader in international competition It is also renowned for its extensive kumite sessions with practitioners often enduring 20 30 even 40 or more matches in a row Translated from Japanese as ultimate truth. It stands as an icon of discipline conditioning and character building Now this is going to be the first of three episodes in which we attempt to catch a glimpse of this truth and take a look at the history of Kyokushin How would one describe Kyokushin karate? Founded in 1964 by Sosai Oyama Masutatsu Kyokushin is predominantly a stand-up full-contact and self-defense based style of martial art It is a style of Japanese karate But you can trace a lot of its roots to the hard linear techniques of shodokon combined with the many circular movements found in Gojiru There are also elements of judo and kabudo or weapons training which makes Kyokushin a very powerful and effective combination of techniques It also has continued to rise in popularity and has over 12 million practitioners all over the world The founder of Kyokushin karate is Masutatsu Oyama often referred to as Masoyama He was born on July 27th, 1923 in what would later be South Korea When he was still very young he was sent to Manchuria China to live on his sister's farm Now Oyama was first introduced to the martial arts at the age of nine When one of the farmers began teaching him Chinese Kempo called 18 hands Now the 18 hands is very important in the history of martial arts It was one of the foundations and it's often found in the roots of many arts including my own art of American Kempo karate At the age of 12 Oyama returned back to Korea and continued his training, but this time in Korean Kempo Now this was only the beginning of the multiple building blocks Oyama would use to develop his own system In 1938 at the age of 15 Oyama traveled to Japan with his brother to enlist in the Japanese Imperial Army Aviation School While he was there he continued his training in karate adding judo and boxing into his regimen It was very clear that young Oyama was finding his way in the martial arts constantly adding more and more skills to his arsenal When World War two ended in 1945 Oyama left the aviation school and settled down in Tokyo and in 1946 enrolled in Maseda University School of Education And he pursued a study in sports science Oyama pressed forward in his martial arts training seeking out a shodokan school from by Jigo Funagoshi Son of Gichin Funagoshi who is the grandmaster and founder of the art and then later he trained under Gichin Funagoshi himself Oyama showed great skill and prowess and added yet another discipline that of Gojuryu founded by Jojen Miyagi After several more years of training Masayama had proven himself to be a highly skilled and formidable fighter In his lifetime he achieved the ranks of 4th Dan in Kodokan Judo, 4th Dan in Shodokan Karate, 7th Dan in Gojuryu Karate and eventually 10th Dan as the founder of the art He would later form Kiyokushin Karate. As skilled and disciplined as Oyama became the war had left him unsettled And he was noted for often getting into fights with US military police He once said in a television interview I lost many friends during the war the very morning of their departure as kamikaze pilots We ate breakfast together and in the evening through seats were empty After the war ended I was angry So I fought as many US military as I could until my portrait was all over the police station Masayama sought a way to ground himself and having become interested in the samurai Bushido code and what it represented He had committed himself to spending three years in isolation to focus entirely on his training He built a small shack in Mount Minobu in Japan and there he trained and lived At one point a student had joined him, but this was not a recreational retreat nor a weekend seminar It was a harsh outdoor workout and there were no modern conveniences Nature was the dojo. He embodied a lot of what you see in martial arts films Glamourized training out in the wilderness and the waterfalls becoming one with nature and in pure isolation However, this wasn't Hollywood and this wasn't glamorous. It was pure hardcore training Masayama kept a very strict regimen training at least 12 hours a day No days off under cold waterfalls breaking stones and logs and even using trees as a makiwara Now this was a bit overwhelming for a student who after about six months snuck away in the night leave an Oiyama to train in solitude Oiyama was dedicated to becoming one of the hardest and best fighters in the world Unfortunately after 14 months his sponsor was unable to continue the offer support and Oiyama returned back to civilization He came back a hardened martial artist winning competitions and earning respect Although he felt unresolved as he had not yet completed his three-year commitment in the mountains At this point in his life, he knew that he wanted to dedicate himself to the martial arts So on his own he took off again for the mountains where he would spend another 18 months of this rigorous routine complete solitude out in nature 12 hours a day Masayama was a different man this time when he returned. He was confident powerful and ready to show the world his craft In 1950 Masayama began to test and prove his power and one of his more notable claims to fame Well, Yama demonstrated his skill by fighting live bulls with his bare hands He would reportedly knock them out with the single strikes And he believed to have killed maybe three instantly and wrestling others down to the ground and chopping their horns off with his bare hands Now I have seen some conflicting information in my research and some people claim they weren't really bulls But just steer that he wrestled down Honestly, is that even less impressive if it is true? I mean how many people do you know who could do that? In addition to battling bulls He took on any challenger who wished to fight him He toured North America giving live demonstrations and exhibitions and even live on television He won every single challenge most fights lasting only a matter of seconds and most of his opponents He knocked out with a single blow his power was undisputable It was even said that if you were to block one of his strikes He would still break your arm and if you didn't block well the result was often worse This iron fortitude and exhibition of his skills earned Oyama the nickname God hand And as if the skill and power he showed wasn't enough Oyama also wanted to lead the example of endurance He introduced the world to one of the most grueling tests in the martial arts the 100 man kumite This was a bare knuckle battle lasting 100 consecutive rounds with each round lasting a minute and a half to two minutes And we're talking full contact no pads no breaks So when an opponent was knocked out or time ran out another opponent meaning he jumped in Now in many cases the fighter attempting to challenge would see the same opponent's multiple times because there weren't always a hundred people available But the big difference is those people had a chance to rest and a challenger would not So this was a hundred non-stop rounds of bare knuckle full contact fighting Masayama not only completed this challenge, but then he did it three days in a row Completing 300 undefeated rounds. It's also been said that he was up for a fourth day But no one wished to challenge him any further Oyama would go on to establish Kyokushin as one of the leading and toughest karate systems in the world So what does the name Kyokushin mean founded officially in 1964 the full official name of the art is Kokusai Karate Do Renmei Kyokushin Kaikan, which I apologize if I pronounce it incorrectly But it Lucy translates to international karate organization Kyokushin Kaiken in simpler terms The art is usually referred to as Kyokushin Kai, which means ultimate true society or even more common Just Kyokushin ultimate truths the kanji for this name is a prominent emblem of the art Masayama held a very high regard for the samurai Miyamoto Musashi and his book of the five rings As a result Oyama wanted the calligraphy of the kanji to resemble a sheath sword in honor of Musashi The calligraphy was designed by Yama's close friend Sensei Haramotoki This official icon of Kyokushin is written in blue and embroidered on the uniform's left side of the chest Another distinct symbol representative of the art of Kyokushin is the Kanku This is an emblem based on the Kanku Dai Kata, which also means viewing the sky or raising sun in this kata The hands are raised to scan the sky and they form the symbol The points in the Kanku represent the fingers and symbolize ultimate peaks The thicker sections of the right and left of the image are the wrists of the hands and they signify power and The center represents depth and infinity the entire emblem is encircled standing for circular activity and continuity So the official uniform of Kyokushin is a solid white gi with the embroidered Yukonji of the name on the left side of the chest and the red badge of the Kanku stitched on the left sleeve Now we're going to take a more detailed look at the Kyokushin curriculum in the next episode But let's quickly explore the fundamentals the foundation of the curriculum is built on three components Sometimes called the three K's based on their Japanese names These components are kihon kata and Kumite kihon generally means basics and they are the fundamental movements and strikes Blocks punches kicks posture breathing practices throws and body movement all fall under kihon They are the root and foundation of practice if a student does not develop strong basics Then the rest of the training will be unreliable kata Kata is short for the word katachi which translates to form shape or pattern Most kata's are performed individually and are composed of basics or kihon in a sequence of pre-choreograph motions by practicing basics and Sequences repeatedly it helps students to develop polished technique and also to help in memorization and understanding the relationship of the movements Many martial arts have kata's for a similar purpose and in Kyokushin kata's are actually organized into two main categories northern style and southern style Oyama formed the northern style kata's to draw from influences he learned in shōtokon karate While the southern style draws from his experience in gojōryū. Then we have Kumite Kumite means fighting or basically freestyle sparring now This is where skills built by the student during kihon and kata training are translated into real fighting skills and application Now although head protection is sometimes used and face punching is restricted Kyokushin Kumite is usually unpadded and full contact fighting in competition opponents deliver heavy blows and powerful kicks in an attempt to submit or knock out their opponent now Kihon kata and Kumite are terms also found in other styles of karate But in the next episode we're going to break down the Kyokushin training a little bit more to get a better idea of the curriculum Now this episode would not be complete if I didn't talk about us Such a short simple sound yet with it comes a heavy and well-respected meaning the word is a combination of two other Japanese words oshi which means push and shinobu which means endure Kyokushin is an incredibly demanding art It's very taxing on the body It tests the spirits of the practitioner and it represents one of the highest forms of discipline technique and commitment So the sentiment behind osu means to push oneself to the limit of ability and an under pressure push past it and endure in Kyokushin training osu carries many uses it is used for all greetings and it replaces many words such as hello Goodbye. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am or in any instance in which you are given a command and you reply in agreement When you arrive at the dojo and you bow you say osu when you bow out at the end of the class You say osu your sensei gives you a command you respond with osu when you perform a technique you call out a loud osu If you receive a well-placed blow from an opponent in Kumite you credit them with respect and you say osu osu is Everything in Kyokushin it is dedication and determination. It is respect and appreciation It is patience and perseverance and it is a reminder for all Kyokushin students to push themselves and endure So if you could encapsulate the spirit of the art of Kyokushin into a single word or sentiment osu is that word Now a word of caution osu is a signature tradition of Kyokushin and its usage is well respected But with that being said you should also be aware that outside of a Kyokushin dojo That might not always be the case in Japanese culture osu is also sometimes taken as a contraction of Ohio Gozaimus which generally means good morning However, its usage and inflection can change on context and it's often considered slang or even possibly crude So for example in English when you meet somebody of higher rank or in a formal environment Or someone's like a senior to you you would say something along the lines of hello It's a pleasure to meet you Well osu in this context would be like saying oh, hey, man was up it can come across as you know less respectful sometimes crude Maybe even a little uneducated so while osu carries a mark of respect in the Kyokushin dojo Don't assume it is always the case everywhere else Some dojos and other arts use osu in a similar manner while others might find it offensive So basically do not use it in a dojo unless you know ahead of time if it is appreciated or not Oyaama also established the international karate organization throughout his lifetime Maso Yama continued to spread his craft and Kyokushin began to plant the seeds across the world He would handpick instructors and he would send them to new countries and territories where they would then draw a crowd And they would perform demonstrations out in public drew up excitement and then spread word of mouth Once interest rose they would establish a school as As a result Kyokushin now has 12 million practitioners or more Thousands of dojos spread across over 100 countries in the world Maso Yama never quit on his dedication Remaining the true warrior that he was he continued to push and endure even as he aged and health problems developed in his later Years he was diagnosed with osteoarthritis a joint disease that breaks down cartilage and bone Now despite this normally being a debilitating disease and condition Oyaama did not let it stop him and he continued his practice to demonstrate his craft Even still breaking wood and bricks and blocks and stones in his final years and despite never having been a smoker Maso Yama developed lung cancer On april 26 1994 at the age of 70 Masutatsu Oyaama passed away While his absence is heavily felt he left behind a legacy of a man who became one of the best karatekas in the world And creating system of martial arts that pushes boundaries develops character cultivates respect and it retains the true pushido spirit He was a pioneer in the martial arts and kyokushin is now one of the leading systems of karate in the world For more information on Maso Yama and kyokushin and to get a copy of Miyamoto musashi's book of the five rings I have included some links below in the description And that concludes today's video I would also like to extend a giant and sincere thank you to one of our most loyal viewers Since say Juan Farentino Iorio from Melbourne Australia for his generous help and time in researching this project Your contribution and friendship is greatly appreciated I hope you enjoyed this video looking on the origin of kyokushin In the next episode of this three-part series we're going to explore kyokushin training Highlight the curriculum and find out what it takes to become a black belt in the art Thank you so much for watching So today I'm going to talk about a few different kyokushin practitioners and there's no particular rhyme or reason as to who would Why chose who I chose it's just I just grabbed three people I found interesting Um, I this is no disrespect to any other practitioners out there I know there's a whole list of different high level practitioners and shihans and and and and people we could talk about And they could definitely be future topics If you have suggestions of who we should look at please list them in the comments below But the first person I want to talk about today is kenji kurosaki Besides being one of the fiercest fighters in kyokushin Kenji kurosaki has another important and sometimes overlooked distinction in the art He was integral in the establishment of kyokushin and many of our viewers have recommended looking into him Sometimes referring to him as kyokushin's other founder. He was born just outside Tokyo in March 15 1930 In 1951 he decided to train in the martial arts and he joined a gojiru school While there he met his close friend and training partner masoyama And as we saw in this history video masoyama spent a considerable amount of time in both shodokan and gojiru Which are the parent arts of kyokushin In 1953 oyama decided to leave and create his own system and kurosaki went with him to help him establish it It is said that kurosaki tended to take more of a behind-the-scenes role such as public relations for the art And he wasn't always forefront and while he isn't always known for his contribution to the art But he is definitely known and had the reputation of being one of the most fiercest fighters that kyokushin had to offer In 1964 moi tai practitioners challenged masoyama to choose three of his men to fight up against three of their men Masoyama accepted the challenge and kurosaki was one of the three fighters put forward As most people will agree moi tai is not an art to underestimate The fights were intense and you can see in the footage of the bout that kurosaki definitely held his own in the battle In the end of the match he caught a blow that took him to the ground Even in defeat he upheld his passion for his training and pushed forward and set up a future for himself as a trainer In 1976 as a result of political difference in the direction where kyokushin was going He left the organization and he started his own gym known as kurosaki dojo During his career in the martial arts kurosaki trained and unleashed several great kickboxing champions And cementing himself in the history as a pillar of excellence in the martial arts and in the history and legacy of kyokushin Welcome to the history of kyokushin a three-part series one of the toughest karate systems out there Last week was the first episode and we talked about sosei masutatsu oyama And his dedication to training and how he formed the art of kyokushin If you have not seen that video yet I highly recommend that you watch that one first as it will lay out a stronger foundation for what we'll cover today In this episode, we're going to explore the training of the art belt ranks techniques etiquette and testing requirements in part two of the history of kyokushin Now just a disclaimer japanese is not my native language So I do apologize if I put your any names i'm going to do my best So to summarize the previous video we explored the background of masutatsu oyama the founder of kyokushin oyama born in korea lived on his sister's farm in manchuria china where he was introduced to chinese kempo Later upon moving back to korea. He continued to train in korean kempo During world war two oyama had been part of the imperial japanese army aviation school through his young adulthood He studied judo boxing shorokan karate and gojiro karate He also found great inspiration from the bushido samurai code and admired his spirit of the warrior He followed the ideals from his favorite book the book on the five rings by miyamoto musashi And he spent a collective 32 months training in solitude in the japanese mountains When he returned to civilization he came back a hardened fighter and an incredible martial artist He demonstrated his combat skills by fighting and defeating live bulls and establishing the 100 man kumite In which a challenger takes on 100 consecutive rounds of bare knuckle full contact sparring Oyama completed the challenge three times defeating 300 men over the course of three consecutive days He founded the art of kyokushin which translates to ultimate truth Kyokushin is one of the most influential styles of full contact karate especially in competition Most tournaments are unpatted and allow full contact punches and kicks to the body Now strikes to the face usually aren't allowed by hand But kicks to the head often are and have resulted in some impressive techniques and knockouts First let's talk about arrival to the dojo Kyokushin embodies a very strong spirit of discipline and respect and their customs should be observed when visiting a kyokushin dojo All students are expected to bow in upon entering the school and once again while exiting Bowing is performed facing the front of the dojo where there usually hangs the portrait of sosei masutatsu wo yama The student then bows towards the direction of others In the previous episode we talked about the tradition of osu a word used to represent the spirit of the art It is a combination of the words Oshi which means push and shinobu which means endure In essence the sentiment behind it means to push oneself to the limit and endure going past it All greetings are observed by osu so the student is to deliver the word when bowing towards teachers and fellow classmates During class when given a command or instructions by a teacher osu is also used to acknowledge and agree This is very similar to the traditional i used in many japanese arts So in kyokushin isensei or yes sensei is replaced with osu Kyokushin dojos typically observe formal and proper behavior So this means you should act appropriately while you're in a dojo and show respect to senior students and teachers Students of lower ranks may address each other by names However, this is not appropriate practice with senior students or instructors when you're addressing a senior You should address them according to their official title or rank followed by their first name Many japanese schools have what's called the dojo-kun posted on the wall Now these are the codes of conduct and rules expected in the dojo In kyokushin the dojo-kun is recited at the end of each class Students lined up by rank they kneel down with their eyes closed and the senior student recites the code out loud for the class As a senior student reads it the class will follow and repeat it word for word We will train our hearts and bodies for a firm unshaken spirit We will pursue the true meaning of the martial way so that in time our senses may be alert With true vigor. We will seek to cultivate a spirit of self-denial We will observe the rules of courtesy respect our superiors and refrain from violence We will follow our religious principles and never forget the true virtue of humility We will look upwards to wisdom and strength not seeking other desires All our lives through the discipline of karate. We will seek to fulfill the true meaning of the kyokushin way Like most Japanese martial arts student ranks are represented by colored belts Now as we explored in the previous video how many belts are there in karate We looked at the difference of ranking systems across many systems of martial arts The concept of colored belt ranks was first established by jigoro kano the founder of judo and many arts followed suit with their own Now what we learned is each discipline has their own set of colors and belt ranks Each meaning something completely significant and different to that art and in this respect kyokushin is no exception Consistency is something that's also an issue in some styles with belt order and customs changing wildly from one school to the next Now at least in kyokushin the order is generally consistent between schools with some possible minor variations Similar to the other arts colored belt ranks are called q ranks and they count down as the student approaches black belt The different ranks of black belts are called don ranks and they progress higher as the student achieves higher levels of mastery In kyokushin there are 10 q ranks and 10 don ranks The first belt a student receives is the white belt now in many martial arts The white belt is considered the first q rank but in others such as kyokushin. It is called mukyu, which means ungraded This is an entry level belt and requires no skill or work to require it and it is not included in the 10 q ranks The white color of the belt reflects this as the canvas is clean and the student has not yet had any experience in the art So it stands for a level of purity and potential The first official colored belt is the orange belt now when masoyama first established kyokushin this belt was originally red Now the color red and martial arts is a little bit of a wild card In some arts the red belt is a lower grade belt while in others it is the color and symbol of mastery So in kempo and some other arts red stripes are applied to black belts to denote don ranks as they increase In an art like brazilian jujitsu the red belt is the highest achievable rank even above black belt It is believed that due to this discrepancy that masoyama changed the red to orange as to avoid confusion Today most traditional kyokushin schools observe the orange belt while some still might use the red The meaning behind the color stands for a level of stability Orange or red symbolizes the color of soil and earth building the foundation from which the seeds of basics can be planted cultivated and grown upon The blue belt represents water and a level of fluidity Water is free flowing and it can move and change based on its environment So too should the student at this level display a level of fluidity and adaptability The student at this point in time learns to flow within the context of what they have learned The yellow belt represents a level of assertion By now the student has been training hard and should have developed a strong skill set of basics and physical ability Now as with most arts kyokushin students are not only expected to achieve physical strength But they're also expected to develop mental fortitude as well at yellow belt The student is entering a psychological phase of training Understanding and dissecting what they have previously learned and they are now learning to analyze new information When the student achieves the green belt, they are entering the first level of senior ranked belts This belt represents a level of emotion and sensitivity and the student is expected to be aware and embrace the concepts of benevolence and compassion It was once said that oyama would declare that strength without justice is violence also justice without strength is impotence Mastery of the basics strength and speed are an expected combination at this level Now as with most arts the brown belt is a senior rank and typically the last colored belt rank In kyokushin the brown belt signifies a level of practicality A student should be adept in their own training They should be strong Fast and they should be comfortable in the performance of what they previously learned And they also understand not to abuse their strength and power But rather to guide mentor and look after the junior ranks the black belt synonymous across the martial arts as a rank of expert Now I think we've all heard the expression that a black belt is simply a white belt and never quit Now while it sounds easy to say it is certainly true The black belt represents a several year long journey and hard work and in kyokushin this is no different The black color represents strength as the color black is too strongly pigmented and not easily overcome by other colors So this philosophical notion applies to the student in that at this level Their skill should have reached a level of proficiency and that lower color belt ranks should not be able to overcome them Once the student obtains their black belt or first don they will spend a lifetime progressing Each additional don grouped by a single gold stripe Kohai This is a term used to refer to the colored belt ranks or q ranks Now generally Kohai implies a junior student especially in comparison to another If two students have the same rank then the younger one is generally referred to as the Kohai Now an important note is that this is not a title used to address someone The word Kohai is used strictly in the context of generalization such as comparing You know a student to a senior to a senior rank. It is considered inappropriate to address someone personally as Kohai Senpai Senpai means senior student now this term is used in many dojos of many different arts And the senpai is usually the senior ranking student and often the mentor to the lower ranks Now in some styles it can refer to brown belts or may even refer to someone's senior in age In the context of kyokushin however, it is reserved to those who have achieved their first and second don block belt ranks Sensei Now this is a term that pretty much everyone knows It simply means teacher in the literal translation And it's sometimes used in japan as other teachers not necessarily in the martial arts In kyokushin sensei is a title applied to third and fourth down black belt ranks Shihon or master teacher The title of shihon is typically bestowed upon those who have reached a level of mastery and usually lead a school or even multiple schools In kyokushin a fifth don rank and upwards is awarded the title of shihon Now there are also some other titles that are much less common But you may hear them in the context of kyokushin kancho in which the word kan means building or hall and the word cho means head or the top So kancho literally means head of the hall or head of the training hall kaicho is similar except that kan is replaced with kai which means society or association Therefore kaicho means the head of an association Honshi translates roughly to gentleman scholar warrior And while it may not be a widely utilized term in kyokushin when it is used It is usually applied to those with an extremely high ranking title usually seventh don and upwards Finally the term sosei This is generally to refer to the president or director general And no one in kyokushin or its derivatives have really utilized it And it seems to be an honorary and prestigious title applied to sosei matsutatsu oyama for his extraordinary contribution to the martial arts The closest equivalent to this title may be considered grandmaster that is sometimes used in other arts for the founder or the highest ranking masters Training in kyokushin is divided into three main classifications or the three kais kihon kata and kumite kihon is a japanese term that means basics These are the fundamental concepts of the material So all punches kicks blocks steps throws posture and movements are all part of basic training Without these strong basics the rest of the student's training becomes compromised Kyokushin dojos also used what is called ito gaiko Now this refers to training techniques in motion ito gaiko is executed with combining some of the basics into a sequence Now this is used to test and judge the student's ability to combine and craft concepts as well as effectively determine the strength of their technique So perhaps a student can deliver a great punch from a stationary position But can they deliver the same punch with the same energy and power and speed while moving and in combination with other techniques? That is the ito gaiko The kihon portion of the curriculum is always performed at the beginning of class So after bowing in the class will begin a regimen of basics and practice before getting into the main main lesson of the day This consistent repetition helps these moves become natural and fluent Kata is the second categorization of kyokushin training Kata is the abbreviation of the word katachi, which means shape form or pattern So in kyokushin as in most karate systems katas are longer sequences of techniques Often simulating a combat scenario and demonstrating how movement strikes and defenses can be used together The main purpose of kata is to teach the bunkai or practical application of the movement Katas are usually performed individually and they allow the student to really break down and understand the concepts of the material Now kyokushin also has a distinct organization to their katas The majority of kyokushin katas are grouped into one of two main categories northern style and southern style Masoyama studied many arts and drew from many influences particularly from shodokan and gojuryu karate In the northern style katas, they are derived from the shiri tei tradition of karate drawn from shodokan Oyama had spent a lot of time studying under kichin funakoshi the founder of the art Southern style katas are based on the influence of naha tei traditions while oyama was studying and practicing gojuryu karate You can often see and find similarities between kyokushin katas and katas from other systems as many of them share the same roots There are also some katas dedicated to weapon usage, but even more interesting are the urakatas Urakatas are katas that are performed in mirror image They are also sometimes called reverse katas and they were formed by masoyama to aid the student in performing circular techniques Sometimes spinning turning or moving forwards or backwards It also prompts some coordination adjustments If any of you out there practice the martial art and you have a kata perfectly memorized Try to perform it in mirror image and see if you can do it just as easily Definitely a great training concept and the distinct part of kyokushin kata training Then we come to kumite or freestyle sparring or fighting Kumite is where kyokushin really shines in the public eye Kihon and kata are important to learn and develop concepts and skills and kumite is where they are put into play In a teaching setting freestyle fighting is used to learn how to fight an opponent Or how to adapt to a live situation and change your technique based on the scenario Sometimes kumite can be simplified and broken down into variations such as ipon kumite or one step sparring This is when an individual practices the reaction by responding to an attack thrown by an opponent There's also sandbones kumite or three step sparring. This is very similar except that instead of just one step It's done in the sequence of three counts Kyokushin is a no nonsense style of karate and you can clearly see it in their competition Full-powered body blows devastating kicks are a staple in the tournament scene. Kyokushin tournaments are usually continuous fighting And they're not point-based The idea is get your opponent to submit by delivering rapid full-power strikes or by knocking them out with a well placed technique It is not for the casual tournament participant or the faint of heart And it's not uncommon to see opponents exiting the ring covered in blood either theirs or their opponents Kyokushin is also known for feats of strength breaking bricks rocks baseball bats even roofing tiles Now we did the video a while back about rebreakable boards for training and we mentioned that they also may be breakable bricks As we looked a little bit further we discovered there's also rebreakable tiles So those might be a perfect training tools for those in kyokushin or those who want to train how to break tiles So if you are interested we have a link below in the description Earning the black belt in kyokushin is an incredible achievement A student will go through a gauntlet of hard and rigorous training rough conditioning and a test of mental strength I have spoken with some of you out there who have tested for a kyokushin black belt And after hearing what you went through to get it you have my serious respect Testing is often done twice a year typically in winter and summer Many schools will do testing camps and the test itself is a gauntlet Usually spread out over the course of several days six to eight hours or even more a day of exercises Condition fighting drills kata's more exercises more drills etc Much of the test occurs outdoors in the elements which can add a great degree of difficulty if you're somewhere Where it snows or if you're in an extremely hot environment in the spirit of masoyamas 100 man kumite Tests often have abbreviated versions of this with belt candidates having to compete against 20 30 or 40 man or more kumites Now that's 40 rounds of full contact continuous sparring non-stop lasting one and a half to two minutes per round Again my serious respect to anyone out there who has completed that test For more information on masoyama and kyokushin, I have listed some references below in the description And as before I wanted to extend my utmost and serious gratitude to one of our viewers friend and kyokushin martial artist Sensei Juan Farentino Iordio from millborn australia for his help in creating this project Your generosity and efforts are greatly appreciated that concludes today's episode on the history of kyokushin Next week and the third and final part of the series. We're going to take a look at the impact of the art and the derivatives of it Thank you so much for watching Those of you with any experience in the art of kyokushin Already know about the actor Dolph Lundgren and his dedication to the art But if you were like me someone who only knew broad strokes about it before researching it It was quite the nice surprise as he's such a high profile actor with such a clear cut and deep dedication to the art I'm going to be referring to the kyokushin academy website They've done a profile on Dolph Lundgren and other practitioners. So I do recommend checking them out Dolph Lundgren was born in 1957 in Stockholm, Sweden He trained in judo at the age of 16 and in about a year later switched to training in the goju rukrate The power of kyokushin caught his eye and he joined the art training under fourth dan brian fitkin Dolph Lundgren started his tournament career at the age of 19 And even though he took a loss in four of his first five point fighting matches He was invited to fight in the second world open karate tournament in tokyo in 1979 While still serving in the swedish marine corps It was his first full contact tournament and according to kyokushin academy The competition was for brown belts and higher and having only been a green belt at the time He had to borrow a brown belt in order to compete He began to turn some heads when he won his first two matches by delivering knockouts via knee strikes to the face He met a more substantial adversary in Makoto Nakamura as they fought for the world title Nakamura was pegged as the favorite but Lundgren proved to be able to go toe to toe with some early powerful blows The fight went the full distance with Nakamura winning by a close controversial decision Dolph took home a few more titles winning the bkk british open knockdown heavyweight title in 1980 and 81 As well as a champion in the australian open in 1982 Despite playing the Lundgren jock or meathead type characters in his films Dolph went back to school and completed a master's degree in chemical engineering when he intended college at sydney university For a time, he also taught at his own karate club As he was training for the world open in gleason's gym in new york He was working on the heavy bag and he caught the eye of several managers that were there and that noticed how well he could move This earned him an audition for the role of evan drago facing off syfester saloon in rocky four Since then, dolph's career took off. He has continued his kyokushin training including exhibitions in the world tournaments And also in 1998 he achieved his third dan after a three hour technical test in 20 man kumite He now holds the rank of fourth dan and often works with the spanish kyokushin federation in spain Where he and his family own a home the general movie goer may know dolph for his role such as evan drago or even the punisher But for those in the art of kyokushin, he is known as a dynamic athlete and dedicated martial artist Welcome to the history of kyokushin our three-part series based on the full contact known nonsense karate system founded in 1964 By sosai matsutatsu oyama Now this is the third and final episode of the set if you have not seen parts wanted to I highly encourage you do so because they include a lot of backstory on the development and curriculum of the art In today's episode, we're going to wrap things up and see where kyokushin is today from the politics at the curb Masayama passed away to impact on media in the tournament scene So once again, japanese is not my first language. So I do apologize if I mispronounce any words I'm going to do my very best now to briefly recap our first two episodes We explored the life of sosai matsutatsu oyama and his rigorous training in the martial arts Knowing from an early age that the martial arts were his destined path He dedicated his full effort to becoming one of the toughest Fighters known in karate history He began training in chinese and korean kompo and then later became proficient in boxing judo earning the fourth Don block belt shodokan earning the fourth don block belt gojuru Where he also earned a seventh don block belt and he eventually became a tenth don in his own system of kyokushin Oyama was as tough as they come spending the collective 32 months training in the japanese mountains in solitude And establishing the 100 man kumite a harsh battle of endurance in which the challenger enters a freestyle Bare knuckle full contact sparring session for 100 consecutive rounds And that's each round lasting a minute and a half to two minutes The masayama himself completed this challenge three days in a row Competing in an emerging victorious in 300 kumite matches Now this helped kyokushin garner a lot of respect and attention To this day the 100 man kumite challenge still exists and has been performed and completed by only a handful of people As an example of the hard work required to complete the 100 man kumite challenge I highly recommend checking out 100 man fight on youtube and I have included the link in the description This video documents the challenge undertaken by kyokushin champion shihan jud read who completed the 100 man kumite in 2011 This documentary gives a great insight into his karate training as a teenager His time as an uchi deshi or a living student under the direct training of masayama himself And his full commitment to the challenge if kyokushin means ultimate truth Then shihan jud read is a true embodiment of the meaning becoming one of only a few who have completed the challenge I also recommend shihan's book the young lions which documents his 1000 days learning under a karate legend You can find that link in the description as well The kumite rules in kyokushin are usually unpadded though sometimes protective head gear may be used by some organizations Punches to the head face and neck are usually prohibited However strikes the body such as kicks punches elbows knees are all fair game Even kicks the head are usually allowed its influence can be seen in other arts as well And it's considered one of the first leaders in the competition of knockdown karate Many styles that began in kyokushin and branched off their own organizations Continue the tradition and many other arts have also drawn influence and compete with the same format Masayama went up the mountain to become one of the best martial artists and he came down a leader and a pioneer Unfortunately as with many martial arts systems kyokushin is not without its politics As i've said in many previous videos the purpose of this channel is not to get too political or take any size But rather offer an objective view and overview of some scenarios Now while i have not experienced the depths of kyokushin politics firsthand I know many of our viewers have so we're going to take a quick overview of generally what happened within the kyokushin community In a world without oyama masayama passed away at the age of 70 in 1994 What is very unfortunate to the art is that he did not appoint a successor to take his place and lead the iko Or international karate organization In his absence, he left the power vacuum in which many senior students sought to take the reins and lead Now this part i can relate to in my own art of american kempo grandmaster ed parker passed away and similarly left no appointed leader Which resulted in kempos splitting the part into multiple factions and a wide array of organizations that still continue to splinter and divide today Now division and independence isn't necessarily a bad thing But it often comes with bad blood and amosti and conflicting egos and when that happens It can become toxic regardless of what art occurs in in masayama's passing kyokushin was left without an established leader Some claimed to be the rightful leader and they all sought to take over the iql While others decided to branch off to their own organizations and just name themselves ahead of their own groups When this happened any organization that laid claim to the name international karate organization They were known by the kyokushin community by either a number such as iql one iql two and so on Or sometimes by the name of the head official Sho came at sui was born on january 15th 1963 and he began the training kyokushin at the age of 13 He quickly took to the art and he became highly proficient in it and achieved the rank of first down after only a year He then went on to earn many placements and tournaments including first place in the all japan open karate championships in 1985 86 And in 1987 he won the fourth world open karate tournament becoming the youngest competitor ever to become champion in the event He also completed oyama's 100 man kumite in 1986 as fourth dan and his achievements and skills were noticed by oyama himself He opened his own school in 1992 in tokyo and he was later promoted to branch chief by oyama In addition to his martial arts skill, he had a shared korean ethnicity with oyama now Here's where the controversy comes in Upon masayama's death the community looked for a new leader events that followed have been debated But some say that oyama had wanted to appointment sui as the new head of the iql oyama's family and matsui himself dispute this But it has also been said that his name may have been mentioned in oyama's will Matsui was reportedly surprised that he was considered and this caused a major rift among the kyokushin community Many senior officials felt disgruntled and insulted that such a young leader was appointed before them Many of them decided to break off from their own organizations iql 2 was originally established by yuki o nishida But leadership has since changed hands with the current leader being madori kenji a champion of the world tournament himself And he renamed the organization to the world karate organization shin kyokushin kai Now we could spend an entire video series exploring each of these organizations in depth as they continue to splinter further With iql 3 iql 4 and so on For more information on these organizations, there is a link below in the description Now these are all the japanese-based organizations operating within the name international karate organization A few other japanese organizations such as the w ko branched off as well And also there's many non japanese groups It is unfortunate and sad to see such a state of disagreement and break in the martial arts community I'd be really curious to know any viewpoints from our viewers on the topic I'm sure there's a lot of you out there and with a lot of perspectives So please feel free to discuss in the comments below. I just ask that you keep it civil There are many styles of karate that exist today that have branched off a kyokushin Much like kyokushin is derived from many other arts itself We couldn't possibly list them all here, but these are just some of the larger ones that are pretty well known Ashihara kaikan karate in 1980 Heriyuki ashihara a former kyokushin karate student of masutatsu oyama branched off on his own In doing so, he established his own style of karate calling it the new international karate organization Ashihara kaikan karate at his new organization He established himself as the head with its world headquarters in Matsuyama city, japan Saito kaikan karate is yet another style that finds its origins within kyokushin karate It was developed and established by Kazuyoshi ishii a former practitioner of kyokushin karate Under the formerly mentioned founder of ashihara karate This style was also established in 1980 with its headquarters in Osaka, japan With Kazuyoshi ishii himself as head of his own organization He is also famous for establishing the world famous k1 world grand prix kickboxing circuit Where all styles of stand-up fighting could compete under a single unified semi-moy tie Essentially kyokushin karate fighting rules with boxing gloves As such all stand-up fighting arts of karate kickboxing moitai It also included kung fu, kempo, taekwondo As well as boxing all eligible to compete Dairojuko karate today more commonly known by its abbreviated name as kudo Is a style that emerged from kyokushin karate as well It was founded by Takashi Azuma as his leader in 1981 Now he is a former karate student as well as a judo third dan black belt What makes this style interesting and unique is that it actually combines the striking elements of kyokushin karate But also adds the throws submissions restraints joint locks strangle holds and the ground fighting of judo It could be referred to as a mixed martial art with the karate gi along with gloves and protective headgear Kudo is currently being practiced in 52 countries in the world with russia as its largest representative Enshin kaikan karate is once again a style of full contact karate that was created by Joko Ninomiya Again a former kyokushin practitioner as well as a former student of ashihara Enshin karate with the finish both in origin of kyokushin and ashihara karate became a style in its own right With its world headquarters in denver colorado usa It is typically a full contact style of stand-up fighting with striking techniques of kyokushin punches knees kicks elbows leg sweeps As well as numerous grabs and throws associated with judo There are many many schools that have roots in kyokushin which just goes to show you how influential the style really is In a related note recently in the news there was an incident in north carolina in which a large man attempted to kidnap a woman Now he tried to grab her and pull her into his car She was able to escape and she ran for help and sought refuge inside a local karate school The man decided to go in after her Now the dojo staff quickly realized that he didn't belong as the woman pleaded for help and the man insisted The instructor then asked him to leave and after some words he was able to get the man outside But once they were outside the man attacked him The assailant was then taken to the hospital with injuries So when I first heard about the story I was immediately curious as to what style the school was and the article mentioned It was a bushiken karate charlotte dojo Now I was not familiar with bushiken. So I looked up the school's website and sure enough it is a kyokushin spin-off No wonder he went to the hospital So it's really amazing sometimes to see just how far and wide the influences of a martial art can spread and grow over time kyokushin also has a very strong presence in media and entertainment Many notable movie stars such as Dolph Lundgren and Michael J. White are practitioners of the art Several years ago the discovery channel had a show called fight quests in which two martial artists would tour around the world And they would spend two weeks in a new location They would work in a dojo They would learn the art discover their culture and then they would compete in a short competition to kind of test what they learned It was a really fascinating show and one of their best episodes in my opinion was the one on kyokushin It was a really good one and I recommend looking it up on youtube Kyokushin can even be found in many video games For example, one of the characters in the tech and fighting series has a kyokushin background And can even be spotted performing kathas during demonstration modes of the game It is also said that the characters of ken and liu and street fighter use kyokushin techniques But I'd be curious to hear from viewers if you agree with that or not Additionally, there's a relatively new game called karate master knockdown blow that despite the odd name is clearly based and inspired by kyokushin And that concludes our series on the history of kyokushin karate I really hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed learning about it This is such an incredibly durable art that offers a little bit of everything It has roots in traditional okinawan and japanese arts. It has powerful strikes Speed incredible conditioning and endurance. It has the practical application of real combat And it has a very strong sense of respect discipline and family Masayama sought to become one of the best martial artists in the world And he ended up establishing a powerful and ever-growing foundation for many generations yet to come If you are still interested in more information about masayama or kyokushin I have listed several references below in the description And once again in closing, I would like to thank sensei huan ferentino iorio for his help and assistance in putting this project together Us Actor I like is michael jai white and he's had some fun and badass roles over the years For example, he played the title character of spawn in the 1997 live action film the cyborg and universal soldier 2 The mobster gamble from the dark knight Mike tyson in hbo's 1995 biopic And he even played the role of major jackson briggs in the mortal combat legacy web show On the screen we can see an imposing sense of his combat But in real life we can see his dedication comes from his experience in training in kyokushin karate Michael jai white is a man with a lot of martial arts experience He started training at the age of seven and he's trained in at least eight different martial arts and currently holds a black belt in seven of them He has experience in gojiru taekwondo BJJ wushu tangsudo kobudo shodokan and kyokushin which kyokushin became his primary focus of dedication I would like to reference an article on michael jai white from black belt magazine White has been a lifelong martial artist and part of the victory dojo and fitness family He called the art his savior. I had a lot of angst growing up and martial arts just felt natural to me He said I enjoyed fighting when I was a kid and I used every excuse I could to fight Our school is very basic and traditional. The way we train is the way we've trained in japan for the past 50 years White still spends a lot of time at the dojo trying to mold victory dojo and fitness into a school that will continue to provide to use As it has for him when he's not working he can be found at the school teaching clinics and techniques and weapons Discipline has helped me in all facets of my life. You said you could pretty much do anything if you have discipline When you push yourself you realize you're going to accomplish anything you set your mind to I'm not a celebrity at my school that quickly goes out the window when you're sweating together It's more about the fact that i'm a 230 pound guy who hits hard and I think that supersedes celebrity If you're trying your best, if you're pushing yourself, I don't care if you're athletically gifted or not It's the effort you put out. He said as long as you do that. I have respect for you I personally enjoy seeing michael jiway on film Especially in scenes and the movies that let him showcase his martial arts skillset This includes the direct to video films never back down two and three in which he both starred in and directed And in one particular sequence, he's actually kind of in his mindset Remembering kata moves and applying them in the fight So it's kind of interesting to see a movie approach the topic of kata application in a fight I think it's great to see celebrities who have gotten so much from the martial arts Wanted to showcase it and bring attention to the art and then also carry that torch and pass it on to the next generation And dedicate themselves to teaching as well That is the mark of a truly great martial artist. So guys, thank you so much for watching I hope you enjoyed this presentation of kiyokushin. Hopefully everyone got something new out of it Um, like I said, we also did this on keppo So if you haven't checked that one out yet, go go take a look at that And we also have one coming out in a couple days from now, uh, the compilation of shodokan So keep an eye out for that one click on the notification so you get notified when it drops Thank you guys so much I hope you all have a wonderful and safe new year and we can't wait to get into new material the following year coming up 2021 is going to be awesome