Places to train in Kansai for the Full Contact Karate Enthusiast Living In ( Or Moving To ) Japan

Happy New Year!

Hey guys, look time no speak ( or type?? ). I completed my  teaching contract with my company in Japan and I am back home in New York City for the time being. I am looking to be back there again by the this spring,though. I’m keeping myself busy by training a lot at the New York Dojo and I decided to compete in the Kata Division at the U.S. Weight Category Karate  Tournament in L.A.  on January 31st.

Today I want to talk about some dojo to think about training at if you are currently living in, or thinking about moving to, the Osaka-area of Japan. This post is strictly informational and I don’t have any connection or affiliation to these dojo ( besides the one I trained at). These dojo are  NOT FOR DOJO -HOPPERS and one would be expected to join or already be a part of the respective Karate organization that these dojo are a part of.  With that being said, let’s get started:

Kyokushin Kaikan  Hyogo/Minami-Osaka Honbu Dojo (Nakamura Dojo):

 

This dojo is head dojo for the Kobe and the South Osaka areas for the Kyokushin Kaikan( IKO-1. Matsui) and is about a 15- 20 minute walk from Minatogawa Station, just west of Sannomiya, Kobe’s main shopping district. The Dojo-cho ( dojo chief) is two-time Kyokushin world champion, Makoto Nakamura. UPDATE: As of December 2016, Nakamura Shihan, the Kobe Honbu Dojo and any sub-branches have withdrawn from the Kyokushinkaikan over disputes with Matsui Kancho. They are now part of an independent organization named: Kyokushinkaikan Nakamura Dojo.

Although I never got a chance to train at the Honbu Dojo itself, I did train at a sub-branch dojo in the city of Nishinomiya, almost exactly halfway between the cities of Osaka and Kobe , during my year in Japan. Nobuhiro Hokayashiki Sensei was very kind and welcoming during my time at his dojo and I learned a lot from my training partners. Mainly how to take and give(maybe??) a  beating  and that junior high schoolers can still hit hard.

Where I trained while living in Japan: Nishinomiya Dojo

Seidokaikan Honbu Dojo :

Founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a Kyokushin turned Ashihara Karate practioner, in 1980. Seidokaikan’s sparring system is almost exactly like Kyokushin Karate. There are little to no traditional kata however, Seidokaikan Kata tend to incorporate variations of tai-sabaki. In the late 1980’s and into the ’90’s, Seidokaikan became a feeder organization for the K-1 Kickboxing organization, also founded by Ishii.  Legendary K-1 fighters have come from Seidokaikan. For example, Andy Hug, Nobuaki Kakuda and Sam Greco. Many Seidokaikan fighters are current competitors and champions in Japanese Kickboxing organizations, such as Rise and Krush. Lately fighters have also been entering Kyokushin Karate tournaments and one Seidokaikan fighter was picked for the Japanese national team in the 11th World Open Kyokushin Karate Tournament this past November.

The Honbu Dojo is about a 1 minute walk from Temma Station on the Osaka Loop Line. It is easily accessible from Shin-Osaka and Osaka stations on the JR Line. If you are looking for full contact Karate and kickboxing, I think the Seidokaikan Honbu Dojo would be a good place to start your training.

Update: As of 2017, some of the top Shihan and fighters of the Seidokaikan have resigned and have formed a new organization: Shinseikai Karate. Don’t have any more information on the new organization, but their honbu dojo is only a couple of blocks away from Seidokaikan’s at Temma Station.

Byakuren Kaikan Honbu Dojo:

Byakuren Kaikan is a full contact style of Karate founded by Masayasa Sugihara in 1984. Sugihara was the top bodyguard of Shorinji Kempo founder, Doshin So, and was the only Shorinji Kempo student allowed to enter knockdown tournaments put on by Kyokushin and the like. The Byakuren kata draw influence from Shorinji Kempo, but the sparring aspect of the art follows full contact/Kyokushin rules. They have yet to produce any famous fighters, but former uchi deshi of Mas Oyama, Judd Reid, fought his 100 Man Kumite against Byakuren fighters in 2011. Check out the DVD, 100 Man Fight, which documents events leading up to the  fight.

The Honbu Dojo of Byakuren Kaikan is located in the city of Higashi Osaka and as the name suggests, it’s just east of Osaka City.  The dojo is about a 3 minute walk from Kowachi-Kosaka station on the Kintetsu Nara Line from Namba station. Sugihara Shihan is now living in Okinawa and runs the World Kumite Organization dojo near one of the military bases on the island. I assume the Honbu Dojo has been left with the top Shihan in charge.

 

There are tons of smaller dojo and organizations, but these are the major ones in the area. Please let me know in the comments, if you have any other suggestions.

Osu!