Kyokushin is famous for the “100 Man Kumite” (hyakunin kumite in Japanese), an extreme test of physical and mental endurance in Kyokushin Karate. The 100-man kumite consists of 100 rounds of kumite, each between one-and-a-half and two minutes in length. Normally, the karate practitioner undergoing the test will have to face similarly or higher-ranked opponents, and may face an opponent a few times in the course of the test (depending on the number of opponents available to participate).
The challenge was devised by Masutatsu Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin and the first person to complete the test. The second man to complete the test was Steve Arneil in 1965. In July 2004, Naomi Ali (née Woods) became the first woman to complete the 100-man kumite.
This is a collection of some people who have accepted the challenge and we were lucky enough to have recordings. Click on an image to see the video of the Kumite. Osu!
- Masutatsu Oyama (Japan)
- Steve Arneil (UK/South Africa, May 21, 1965)
- Tadashi Nakamura (Japan, October 15, 1965)
- Shigeru Oyama (Japan, September 17, 1966)(120 in total)
- Loek Hollander (The Netherlands, August 5, 1967)
- John Jarvis (New Zealand, 1967)
- Howard Collins (United Kingdom, December 1, 1972)
- Miyuki Miura (Japan, April 13, 1973)
- Shokei Matsui (Japan, April 18, 1986)
- Ademir da Costa (Brazil, April 25, 1987)
- Keiji Sampei (Japan, February 24, 1990)
- Akira Masuda (Japan, May 19, 1991)
- Kenji Yamaki (Japan, March 22, 1995)
- Marius Schoeman (South Africa, March 23, 1996)
- Francisco Filho (Brazil, March 22, 1995)
- Hajime Kazumi (Japan, March 13, 1999)
- Naomi Ali (Australia, July 4, 2004)
- Arthur Hovhannisyan (March 29, 2009)
- Emmanuel Beaufils, Argentina September 8, 2011.
- Judd Reid (Australia, October 22, 2011)
- Tariel Nikoleishvili (Russia, April 26, 2014)
- Abdullah Tarsha, Saudi Arabia (June 02, 2016)[13]
- Takuma Kouketsu, Japan (November 26, 2017)
- Daniel Sanchez, Spain (2018)
Shokei Matsui
Hajime Kazumi
Kenji Yamaki
Francisco Filho
Judd Reid
Artur Hovhannisyan
Hello, I’ve met a man named Tanner who says he’s the only American to ever complete the 100 man Kumite. Is there anyone else from American that has ever done it? Is there an updated list?