Those early students of Oyama Dojo (preceding the founding of the Kyokushinkaikan), and of early days at the Kyokushinkaikan, practiced full-contact kumite in the dojo in which punches to the head and groin (and grabbing and throwing) were all legal.
No one wanted to see so many competitors bloodied and sent to the hospital after competitions.Īccording to Kancho Hatsuo Royama, an early student of Sosai Mas Oyama and head of Kyokushin-kan, what differentiates the competitors of the earlier era of Kyokushin and Kyokushin competitors of the present is: This was done originally for an obvious reason, as stated above. I have also read that the Japanese public feared that competitors would die at the first full-contact All-Japan tournaments held by Mas Oyama in the late 1960′s, if face punching were allowed.įurthermore, Japan at that time, and today, along with many governments around the world, do not allow bare-knuckle strikes to the head in any sanctioned competitions.īy the 1990′s when Sosai was still alive and Kyokushin achieved such enormous popularity, all Kyokushin tournaments, including the world tournaments held in Japan, did not allow the competitors the use of hand strikes (punches, elbows, etc.) to the head and face. They could use protective gloves, but as stated earlier, Sosai Oyama believed that wearing protective gloves would detract from the realism that the style emphasized. Therefore, it was decided that hand and elbow strikes to the face, head and neck would no longer be allowed in training and competition.Īs a side, google Irish bare knuckle fighting and you will see for yourself the devastation this leaves.Īlso, when Sosai Oyama was trying to get permission from the government to host the first All-Japan tournaments he was told face-punches would not be allowed. They did for some time wrap their hands in towels, but Sosai Oyama believed that wearing protective gloves would take away from the realistic nature that his style was building. Also, they wanted the matches to last, be a challenge and not end due to cuts. I would love to get a clear answer, perhaps from someone in the early days, or someone who asked Sosai Oyama directly.įrom what I have gathered, in the early days of Kyokushin karate training, bare knuckle strikes to the face were allowed, but this resulted in many injuries, and blood, which caused some students to withdraw from training. That being said, I wasn’t able to find a definitive answer, although a lot of speculation and hearsay. I decided to do some research and create a post that I could just share anytime those comments or questions come up. Some people may refer to this entry as Kyokushin Kanji, Kyokushin Characters, Kyokushin in Mandarin Chinese, Kyokushin Characters, Kyokushin in Chinese Writing, Kyokushin in Japanese Writing, Kyokushin in Asian Writing, Kyokushin Ideograms, Chinese Kyokushin symbols, Kyokushin Hieroglyphics, Kyokushin Glyphs, Kyokushin in Chinese Letters, Kyokushin Hanzi, Kyokushin in Japanese Kanji, Kyokushin Pictograms, Kyokushin in the Chinese Written-Language, or Kyokushin in the Japanese Written-Language.ĥ0 people have searched for Kyokushin in Chinese or Japanese in the past year.Almost anytime I post a video of a Kyokushin bout there is one or more people who either make a comment about how it isn’t “realistic” because they don’t punch to the face, or, they ask the question of why they don’t. He is also one of very few that would actually attemptĬheck out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers
#The kyokushin way buy tv#
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons alsoĪttracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters overĦ-feet high.