KYOKUSHIN
Kyokushin kaikan is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Korean-Japanese karate master, Masutatsu Oyama who was born under the name Choi Young-Eui. Kyokushinkai is Japanese for “the society of the ultimate truth.” Kyokushin rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has had international appeal (practitioners h
ave over the last 40+ years numbered more than 12 million). Kyokushin has influenced many of the ” Full-Contact” schools of karate, emphasizing realistic combat, physical toughness, and practicality in its training curriculum. The Knockdown karate competition system pioneered by kyokushin has been adopted by many different karate styles and organizations
Karate is both an art and a philosophy. Because each person has a different personality and physical capability, this is reflected in his or her interpretation of Karate. Therefore the Karate Masters founded their own schools over the ages, teaching their own style of ryu. Kyokushinkai is the name given to our ryu, which originated with the legendary Master Masutatsu Oyama – a man of tremendous physical strength and mental resources. Kyoku – means ultimate
Shin – means truth or reality
Kai – means to meet, join or associate. The kanku is derived from the kanku kata – sky gazing form. In this kata the hands are raised to scan the sky, and so the symbol is formed. The points of the kanku represented by the fingers imply the peaks or ultimates. The thick sections represented by the wrists, imply power. The centre represents infinity, implying depth. The whole kanku is based on and enclosed by a circle, representing continuity and a circular action – the basic physical and spiritual principles of Kyokushinkai.
