The Early Martial Arts Training of Mas Oyama

As I research and go deeper into the history of Kyokushin Karate I become even more fascinated. Between legend and story, somewhere lays the truth. We may never know fully, but it is wonderful to speculate, learn and share.

Judd Reid: The Young Lions

 – 1,000 Days of Training Under a Karate Legend and the 100-Man Kumite This past week I had the absolute pleasure of reading Shihan Judd Reid’s new book, The Young Lions – 1,000 Days of Training Under a Karate Legend and the 100-Man Kumite.

History of Kyokushin Kata

The word Kata means “shape” or “form”.  The kanji for Kata  型 is composed of the following characters: 形  Katachi  meaning “Shape” 刈  Kai  meaning “Cut” 土  Tsuchi  meaning “Earth” or “Soil” Literally translated, kata means “shape which cuts the ground”. The Kata as we know and practice in Kyokushin Karate trace their origin back to the island of Okinawa. Okinawa is one of a chain of islands that are collectively known …

History of Belts In Kyokushin Karate

Colored belts have their origin in Judo, as does the training ‘gi’, or more correctly in Japanese, ‘dōgi‘ or ‘Keikogi’. In Kyokushin the order of the belts varies in some breakaway groups, for example replacing orange with red, but they follow the kyu ranks for the most part.