Koshiki Karateo is a “controlled contact competition and training system” with Super Safe protective equipment, we set free formerly prohibited essential Karatedo techniques such as open hand strikes etc., and still protect both contenders from injuries or fatal damages, which have been common occurrences for all the rest of Karate schools, such as Non Contact or Full Contact Karate. In other words, nobody can eliminate a slip of fist or legs even Non Contact is the strict rule, and cause damages to the head, face and / or belly, body of the opponent or oneself, unless such mis- punches or kicks are well accommodated in the behavior of each contender. Super Safe protective equipment is made by so called ultra light hi-tech materials, and bullet proof too. Because of the careful selection of the materials jointy with the Motropolitan Police Department of Japan, it is easy to put on for a player, and at the time, one free size can fit to most of players.

The equipment, which was first introduced some 30 years ago by the Head Professor of Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo, Masayuki Kukan Hisataka, has been laboratory tested and impact studies has been performed by many highly reputed Karate Instructors. Such as Professor Wyne Donivan of Canada, Dr. Laurence Van Niekerk of Australia, Dr. David Chu of Switzerland, Dr. Alan Hourde-Naigt of Africa as well as those of the Japanese police authorities and acknowledged by all as the appropriate equipment and at the same time, as to help enable player perform most desirable Karatedo actions.

Koshiki Karatedo allows contenders to fight, not just once, “but plural numbers of round”, continuously, without being injured or fatal damaged, so as to build up accumulated scores for series of rounds, as recognized as Round Robin Competition System.
In short, in Koshiki Karatedo, we can merit points to each contender to all the attacks and counterattacks of the contenders during the round. This new score adding rules came to have been implemented in 1978 by Koshiki Karatedo Federation, whereas other Karatedo schools only acknowledge the initial attack alone, and disregard any counterattacks, and will not give any credit at all when both contenders hit each other at the same moment.
Thus, our system can give chances for every contender to come to adjust him/ herself or improve his/ her behavior each time called to fight to build up higher scores in total. These advantages help improve every player’s techniques for a bout with an opponent of different behavioral actions. In other words, we can expect a favorable learning curve from Koshiki Karatedo players.

Koshiki Karatedo guarantees the precise and clear judgment, because the referee can see the moment of a contact, hear a bang sound from the touch by a fist or a leg to protective equipment of the opponent which gives a clear and impartial judgment, even from the eyes of general audiences.

Koshiki Karatedo thus enables us to perform, like the instance of World Soccer, a tournament system of multi – step championships, first for national level, and then, Continental level, and finally for the Global level, even for Olympic, which now covers around 180 countries of the entire world.

The World Koshiki Karatedo Federation executes an agreement with each regional Koshiki Karatedo Federation in detail in writing.
These binding agreements help keep the international standard to have been set forth by the World Koshiki Karatedo Federation for detail.
This agreement thus enables each regional federation to terminate its affiliation with those local organizations under the Umbrella of, if the required standard is not realized by the latter.

Close to 20 years of global activities as the World Koshiki Karatedo Federation, as attached list of World Championships for the period of 1980 through 2000 may tell, our World Koshiki Karatedo Federation can accommodate all the Karate school if they wish to participate in our contests so as to contribute to the promotion of Karatedo.

Backgrond information about Koshiki Karatedo
Koshiki Karatedo is both an old and a new form of karatedo competition. It is derived from armor used by the Japanese samurai. Due mainly to the cost of such equipment (essentially similar to Kendo body armor) and the depressed economic climate in the late 1940’s, protective equipment took second place to non-contact training and competition. Many Sensei realized that this type of competition, although fulfilling a need, had its dangers. At best it provides an excellent venue for karateka to test themselves and their abilities; at worst it becomes an almost academic game of tag.

Perhaps its most serious deficiency is that the karateka has no real way of testing the strengths or weaknesses or his/her techniques, and thus learning and development, without risking serious injury to the opponent. This is one of the primary reasons for some Okinawan styles not entering non-contact tournaments to this day. It is worth noting that non-contact karatedo competition was seen by many Sensei as a temporary measure until a more suitable form of contact competition could be introduced.

Koshiki Karatedo is a hard style of karatedo, which is a culmination of these earlier efforts and stems from initiative of two Japanese Sensei whose combined experience in the use of protective for karatedo training and competition exceeds eighty years.

The late Dr. Kori Hisataka (l0th Dan Karatedo, 6th Dan Judo) has emphasized the use of protective equipment since his youth. Building on his father’s knowledge and experience, Shihan Masayuki Kukan Hisataka (9th Dan Karatedo, 5th Dan Judo) applied an intensive scientific approach to developing a superior form of protection, and a realistic rules system for competition to go with it. After these years of intensive research and development Koshiki Karatedo has been realized as an effective form of training and competition.

The acceptance of Koshiki Karatedo as the true continuation of the traditional (pre-War) karatedo is evidenced by the acceptance of this form by teachers such as Sensei Gima (the man who initially demonstrated karatedo with Gichin Funakoshi when he first came from Okinawa to Japan); Sensei Yasuhiro Konishi (the most senior of the Shitoryu teachers in Japan); Sensei Eriguchi of Wadokai (who was previously the Secretary-General of WUKO); and Sensei Kagawa, the Chairman of Gojukai in Japan. The acceptance of Koshiki Karatedo by these very senior Karateka has provided the stimulus for recognition on an equal basis with non-contact ‘Mushiki’ Karatedo, which has flourished since the War, and which initially owed its popularity primarily to economic rather than technical reasons.

There are several significant differences between Koshiki Karatedo and American style full-contact karatedo. Firstly, Koshiki equipment is different in both its material composition and its purpose. Koshiki Karatedo is not totally full-contact, some restrictions apply. Only the body protector may be struck with full force as it is recognized that full force blows to the head in particular can cause undesirable physical damage, not only externally, but also to the brain. Secondly, in Koshiki Karatedo, techniques do not have to be adapted to suit the specific peculiarities of the equipment, as has been the experience of many full contact fighters using gloves and foot pads. Thirdly, the emphasis in Koshiki Karatedo is to protect the targets, not the weapons, and thus there are no gloves or foot pads in competitions. This results essentially in a moving makiwara, but one that can hit back at will. An indication of the equipment’s effectiveness is the very low rate of competition injuries, especially facial injuries.

Koshiki Karatedo is now an established reality, with regular national and international tournaments being held with participants from many styles of karatedo, and from many countries.

Dr. Laurence Vanniekirk
Secretary General, World Koshiki Karatedo Federation

Tadashi Kondo
Founding Member, World Koshiki Karatedo Federation