On the Competition Regulations Authorized by IBMA KYOKUSHINKAI
IBMA Kyokushinkaikan Masuda Dojo’s Approach to Competition
The IBMA Kyokushinkaikan Masuda Dojo embodies the ideals of IBMA KYOKUSHINKAI and places “competition” at the foundation of its efforts to realize those ideals.
However, the significance of competition that we seek does not lie merely in determining victory or defeat.
What we aim to pursue is the creation of “value” that emerges beyond winning and losing.
The ultimate purpose of this pursuit is the “cultivation of character throughout one’s life.”
No one can entirely avoid failure or setbacks.
Yet when we transform these experiences into nourishment—opportunities for growth—human character is refined, eventually reaching a state in which one seeks not only one’s own happiness but also the happiness of others.
Our form of competition may, at first glance, appear to be an act that harms one’s opponent.
However, its essence is not to injure others but to pursue a path that allows one to elevate oneself while simultaneously giving life to one’s partner.
This, precisely, is the ideal of the “BudoMan” advocated by IBMA KYOKUSHINKAI.
Furthermore, the “value” generated beyond victory and defeat arises from refined skill and the aesthetic sensibility inherent within that skill—leading to empathy.
When people come to understand and jointly pursue this union of “technique and aesthetic awareness,” which is crystallized uniquely within the world of martial arts, individuals of diverse backgrounds are able to connect, opening possibilities for softening emotional conflict and overcoming division.
Akira Masuda
