Carrying Forward the Spirit of Kyokushin and Opening the Way to the Future
IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI respects the history and spirit of Kyokushin Karate and seeks to preserve, study, develop, and pass on its techniques, kata, training systems, and value as Budo to future generations.
For us, “inheritance” does not mean simply preserving the forms of the past unchanged.
It means respecting what has been handed down to us, studying its meaning, historical background, and underlying principles, applying that understanding to present-day training and education, and passing it on to the future.
Only by putting down deep roots in tradition can new branches grow toward the future.
With this approach of both inheritance and development, IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI seeks to explore Karate Budo not merely as competition or fighting, but as a path toward human development and contribution to society.
1. The Spirit We Inherit from Kyokushin Karate
At the foundation of IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI lies the spirit and training culture of Kyokushin Karate established by Masutatsu Oyama.
We regard this not simply as a historical legacy to be preserved, but as something to be studied, practiced in the present, and passed on to future generations.
The Kyokushin Spirit
Keep your head low and your eyes high.
Be restrained in speech and broad in heart.
Begin with filial respect,
and act for the benefit of others.
This expresses the spirit that Masutatsu Oyama set forth as an ideal for practitioners of Kyokushin Karate.
To pursue strength without arrogance, to maintain high aspirations, to exercise restraint in one’s words and conduct, to cultivate a generous heart, and to use one’s strength not only for oneself but also for others.
IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI regards this spirit as one of the essential foundations inherited from Kyokushin Karate.
2. The Philosophy of IBMA Kyokushin Kai
The philosophy of IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI is the fundamental principle to which we return in all of our activities.
It is the central axis of values that guides our judgments and actions, and it serves as the spiritual foundation of our efforts to pursue essential human growth and contribution to society through Karate Budo.
Our Philosophy
Through training and the cultivation of the Way,
we open up our limitless potential,
and cultivate a mind capable of expressing
a higher level of humanity.
We do not regard the purpose of martial arts training as merely acquiring a strong body or superior technique.
Through training, we seek to open up our own potential and cultivate the ability to use that strength not only for ourselves, but also for others and for society.
At the foundation of this is conscience.
Here, conscience refers to the innate human capacity to recognize what is good and to put that understanding into practice—what may be described as innate moral knowledge and ability.
To develop one’s own potential and to cultivate a higher level of humanity are not separate goals.
Keeping these two together is fundamental to IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI’s approach to human development.
3. The Guiding Principles of IBMA Kyokushin Kai
Our guiding principles show how our philosophy should be put into practice and what direction our training, instruction, and educational activities should take.
If philosophy is the central axis of our values, these guiding principles serve as a practical compass for our practice of Karate Budo.
Guiding Principles
Through the practice of Karate Budo,
we open the body and refine the mind,
seek harmony and coexistence between self and others,
and aim to create a form of Karate Budo
that contributes to happiness and longevity.
Martial arts training is not something we pursue only to make ourselves stronger.
We seek to open the body, refine the mind, and apply the results of training to our relationships with others and to our life in society.
We aim to develop a form of Karate Budo that helps both ourselves and others live better.
4. Training and Cultivation of the Way
The practice of Karate within IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI is built upon two principles: training and cultivation of the Way.
Training
Training means refining both mind and body through the learning of martial techniques.
By using the body, learning techniques, repeating practice, and developing the ability to apply those techniques effectively, practitioners improve not only technical skill but also concentration, perseverance, judgment, and self-control.
Training is therefore not simply technical practice.
It is also the refinement of mind and body through the acquisition of technique.
Cultivation of the Way
Cultivation of the Way means using the techniques, spirit, and principles gained through training not only for oneself, but also to benefit others, elevate one’s character, and bring greater harmony to one’s life.
How should the strength gained through training be used?
This question lies at the heart of the transition from martial technique to Budo.
Through training, we develop ourselves; through the cultivation of the Way, we apply what we have gained to life and society.
By integrating these two principles, Karate becomes more than the acquisition of technical skill and rises toward the practice of one’s social and human responsibilities.
5. Takushin Budo Philosophy
The philosophical foundation underlying training and cultivation of the Way within IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI is what we call Takushin Budo Philosophy.
Takushin Budo Philosophy regards Karate not simply as a fighting system, but as the practice of a Way—an exploration of Budo as a form of human and spiritual endeavor.
The Philosophy of Takushin Budo
Through the refinement of mind and body
by means of martial training,
we learn the principles of Heaven, Earth, and Nature,
and cultivate the Way of unity between self and others.
Through martial training, we seek not only technical excellence, but also an understanding of the principles that exist within the relationships between human beings and nature, body and mind, self and others.
By “principles,” we do not mean technical rules alone.
We mean the underlying order by which we can better understand the nature of things and act with greater harmony in accordance with human nature and the natural world.
Through technique, we learn principle.
Through principle, we deepen our understanding of ourselves.
Through understanding ourselves, we learn how to relate more wisely to others.
Beyond this lies the Way of unity between self and others.
6. The Human Ideal of the Budo-Man
The kind of person IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI seeks to cultivate is what we call the Budo-Man.
A Budo-Man is not merely someone who studies martial arts techniques.
A Budo-Man is a person who seeks to unite mind, technique, and body, and to contribute to the growth of both self and others.
The strength, skills, and mental qualities developed through martial arts training should not remain confined to the dojo.
Their true meaning becomes deeper when they are applied to family life, work, education, community, human relationships, and society.
To apply Budo to life.
To connect one’s own growth with the well-being of others and society.
This is the human ideal that IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI seeks to cultivate.
7. The Seven Guidelines for the Budo-Man
Philosophy and principles are not meaningful if they remain only as ideas.
They must be expressed through daily judgment and action.
For this reason, IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI sets forth the Seven Guidelines for the Budo-Man as practical guideposts.
1. Be prepared to refine your mind
Face your inner self and strive to awaken and strengthen conscience—the human capacity for good judgment and right action.
2. Respect and make use of all connections
Understand the value of relationships between people, events, and circumstances, and cultivate the wisdom to make use of those connections harmoniously.
3. Strive to understand both your own position and that of others
Avoid one-sided judgment and seek to view matters from multiple perspectives and with a long-term outlook.
4. Devote yourself not only to yourself, but also to others
Seek not only your own growth, but also the growth and well-being of others, and choose a way of life that contributes to both.
5. Constantly examine your thinking and choose the best course
Review your thoughts, judgments, and choices, and make a continual effort to choose what is better and more constructive.
6. Continue to hold a goal
Maintain a clear image of the person you wish to become and continue moving toward that goal without losing sight of it.
7. Have the courage to act on your own initiative
Take responsibility for your own choices and act with courage according to conscience rather than leaving judgment entirely to others.
These seven guidelines are intended to serve as guideposts for those who walk the path of the Budo-Man.
Refine the mind, value relationships, see clearly, serve others, choose what is good, hold to one’s aspirations, and act with courage.
Through such practice, we believe the Way of Budo opens toward the integration of character and technique.
【Read the Seven Guidelines for the Budo-Man】
8. The Traditional Kyokushin Dojo Kun
IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI seeks to research and develop new approaches to Budo while also respecting the traditions inherited from Kyokushin Karate.
One of the most important elements of that inheritance is the traditional Kyokushin Dojo Kun.
We will train our hearts and bodies for a firm, unshaking spirit.
We will pursue the true meaning of the Martial Way so that, in time, our senses may be alert.
With true vigor, we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self-denial.
We will observe the rules of courtesy, respect our superiors, and refrain from violence.
We will follow our religious principles and never forget the true virtue of humility.
We will look upward to wisdom and strength, not seeking other desires.
All our lives, through the discipline of Karate, we will seek to fulfill the true meaning of the Kyokushin Way.
IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI does not regard the Dojo Kun merely as a historical text.
We seek to study the spirit embodied in these words, consider their meaning in the present age, and pass that spirit on to future generations.
9. Inheriting Tradition, Deepening Research, and Moving Toward the Future
IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI does not regard tradition and innovation as opposites.
To preserve tradition does not mean merely freezing the forms of the past.
It also means studying its roots deeply and seeking to understand its essence.
We preserve and study the traditional basics, kata, and other technical heritage systematized and handed down by Masutatsu Oyama.
At the same time, we study the Karate and martial traditions from which those techniques originated, in order to understand their meaning, development, and underlying principles more deeply.
Techniques that emerge from kumite, competition, and modern practice are treated as areas that continue to evolve and develop with the times.
Through this continuing research, we seek to connect past knowledge and present experience with safer, more rational, and more meaningful systems of training for human development.
Our aim is neither to return to the past nor to reject it.
We seek to receive what has been handed down from the past, study it deeply in the present, and pass it on to the future in a richer form.
Through this process, we seek to cultivate Budo practitioners who:
open the body, refine the mind, develop their own potential, and use that strength for the benefit of others and society.
This is the Karate Budo that IBMA KYOKUSHIN KAI seeks to develop.
