Kyokushin vs. Kudo
Quick answer
Kudo was founded in 1981 as Daido Juku by Azuma Takashi, a former Kyokushin competitor. Kyokushin fights full contact bare-handed, standing, without hand strikes to the face, and has kata as a basis, while kudo allows strikes to the head in a helmet with a plexiglass visor, throws, joint locks and chokes, and abolished kata. We have not found a link to the Olympic programme for either of them.
At a glance
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | Japan |
| Origin | 1964 | 1981 |
| Founder | Masutatsu Oyama | Azuma Takashi |
| Contact | Full contact | Full contact |
| Sparring | Full contact | Full contact |
| Competition format | Full contact | Mixed |
| Olympic status | Not Olympic | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | Yes (belts) |
| Rank recognition | fragmented | by federation |
| Attire | Gi required | Protective gear |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons |
| Forms | Forms at the core | No forms |
| Relative cost | low | medium |
| Katas and forms in the encyclopedia | 21 | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 27 | 16 |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Kudo grew directly out of Kyokushin. Azuma Takashi entered Kyokushin in 1971 or 1972 (sources differ), founded a Kyokushin club at Waseda University, placed second at the All Japan Open Kyokushin tournament in 1974 and won it in 1977. In 1981 he founded his own organization, Daido Juku, which extended the Kyokushin rules with hand strikes to the face and throws.
- 1964: Masutatsu Oyama founds the IKO and its headquarters in Tokyo.
- 17 February 1981: Daido Juku begins operating in Miyagi Prefecture, and until 2001 the style is called kakuto karate.
- 6 September 1981: the first national Hokutoki tournament, with categories by build.
- 1994: Oyama dies without a designated successor and Kyokushin splits into a number of organizations.
- 2001: Azuma announces the name kudo, and the first world championship is held in Japan on 17 November 2001.
- 2021: after Azuma’s death, Daido Juku is led by Kenichi Osada.
The stated reasons for its creation are Azuma’s concerns about serious head injuries in Kyokushin and the disadvantage of smaller fighters. Jon Bluming, the founder of Kyokushin Budokai, awarded Azuma the 9th dan.
Technique
- Punches, knees and kicks at full power without gloves.
- Kicks to the head allowed, hand and elbow strikes to the face and neck forbidden (WKO).
- Forbidden (WKO): throws, grabbing, pushing, hugging, headbutts and strikes to a downed opponent.
- Fighting only standing, stopped at a knockdown, a sweep or a clinch.
- Punches, elbows and headbutts, also to the head, in a helmet with a plexiglass visor.
- Throws, holds, joint locks and chokes, with victory also by submission or choke.
- Clinch at most 10 seconds, on the ground at most 30 seconds twice.
- Forbidden: strikes to the back and groin, for youth strikes on the ground.
Kyokushin decides by knockdown, while kudo scores with the grades koka, yuko, waza-ari and ippon, and the point values differ between sources. We have not been able to document whether kudo allows knees and kicks to the head.
Training
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Components | kihon, kata, kumite, tameshiwari (Kyokushin-kan curriculum) | we have not found the K.I.F. curriculum |
| Kata | for kyu examinations: Taikyoku, Pinan, Sanchin, Yantsu | Kyokushin kata abolished without replacement |
| Lesson structure | we have not found it | we have not found it |
The difference is most visible in kata: in Kyokushin they are part of examinations from the first grades, while kudo dropped them. We have not been able to document the content of a regular class or the ratio of technique, sparring and conditioning for either style.
Progression and ranks
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | kyu and dan up to 10th dan, often from 11th kyu | in Russian practice 10th–1st kyu and 1st–10th dan |
| Belts | colours depend on the organization, dan grades by gold stripes | in Russian practice purple, blue, yellow, green and brown, dan grades black |
| 1st dan examination | Kyokushin-kan: 10-man kumite or equivalent | we have not found it |
| Who awards them | each organization separately | Daido Juku and K.I.F., we have not found a single international table |
Besides kumite, Kyokushin also examines kata, while in kudo kata are not part of examinations. Azuma also awarded dan grades to Russian masters, and Roman Anashkin received the 6th dan in 2013 as the first competitor outside Japan.
Physical load and risks
- Piejko, Mosler and Grzebisz 2019 (61 elite competitors from Poland): 548 reported injuries, contusions 91%, joint injuries 49%.
- Hands and legs most often affected, a serious or permanent injury was reported by 35% of men and 12% of women.
- We have not found an injury study of kudo with figures.
- The helmet with a plexiglass visor is mandatory and is meant to protect against head injuries, and we have not found a study of its effect.
Who it suits
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Categories | open tournaments (World Open) and weight categories | index of height in cm plus weight in kg, men from 230 to over 270 |
| Youth | we have not found age categories | youth 12–15 years, juniors 16–17 years |
| Women | WKO: rounds from the quarter-final 2 minutes, chest and shin protector | girls, junior women and women, women wear a vest |
| Veterans | we have not found any | from age 35 |
Children
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s category | we have not found IKO or WKO rules | 7–11 years, since 2014 children’s competitions have not been held according to Russian sources |
| Youth | we have not found any | 12–15 years, juniors 16–17 years |
| What is forbidden | we have not found any | for youth and juniors strikes on the ground, ground time 20 seconds instead of 30 |
| Protectors | in kumite often a head guard, we have not found the organization or age | helmet and vest, shin protectors mandatory for youth and juniors, recommended for children |
| Studies and statements by doctors | we have not found any | we have not found any |
Self-defence
- Full contact bare-handed, standing.
- The rules exclude the clinch, grips and hand strikes to the head.
- The Goshin Jitsu programme influenced by Daito-ryu, we have not found its scope.
- Strikes also to the head, clinch, throws, joint locks and chokes in one bout.
- Clinch and ground are time-limited, and the bout takes place in a helmet and gloves.
- We have not found self-defence instruction in kudo.
Kyokushin trains full resistance only standing, while kudo also does so in the clinch and on the ground, but with a time limit. We have not found a study of transfer to self-defence for either of them.
Practical use
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult programmes | the self-defence Goshin Jitsu, we have not found its scope | we have not found any |
| Fitness studies | we have not found any | we have not found any |
| Professional use | we have not found any | we have not found any, Forces News 2018 described an army doctor only as a competitor |
We have not found a study of fitness or health benefits for either style, so no general suitability for adults can be drawn from studies.
Competition
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | knockdown, the effect of the hit decides | combined bout standing and on the ground, points or submission |
| Scoring | ippon for a knockdown longer than 3 seconds, two waza-ari make an ippon | grades koka, yuko, waza-ari and ippon, the values differ between sources |
| Bout length | 3 minutes, up to three extensions of 2 minutes | 3 minutes |
| Area | we have not found it | tatami 13 × 13 m, fighting area 9 × 9 m |
| Major competitions | first World Open 1975, after 1994 the organizations’ own editions | world championship since 2001, World Cup since 2011 (Moscow) |
| Olympic status | we have not found a link to the Olympic programme | we have not found a link to the Olympic programme |
Kyokushin resolves a draw by an extension, some tournaments by a weight difference or the number of boards broken, and kudo by the judges’ decision or another bout.
Gear and costs
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | gi and belt | dogi white or blue and belt |
| Head | no protector in adult competition | helmet with a plexiglass visor approved by the K.I.F. |
| Hands | no gloves | gloves approved by the K.I.F. with free fingers, bandages |
| Other protectors | WKO: groin guard, women also chest and shin protectors | mouthguard, minors a vest and shin protectors |
| Relative costs | low | medium |
Availability and organisations
| Kyokushin | Kudo | |
|---|---|---|
| Organizations | IKO, WKO Shinkyokushinkai, IKO-3, KWO, IFK and others | Daido Juku and the Kudo International Federation (K.I.F.) |
| Leadership | Oyama died in 1994 without a successor, a court in 1995 declared the will invalid | Azuma led Daido Juku until 2021, then the chairmanship was taken over by Kenichi Osada |
| Grades when moving | we have not found mutual recognition | grades are awarded by Daido Juku and the K.I.F., we have not found recognition elsewhere |
Outside Japan, the beginnings of kudo are documented in Russia: the first section arose in 1991 in Vladivostok, and the Russian kudo federation, according to sources, in 2002 or 2004. After 1994 Kyokushin divided into many organizations with their own grades and belts.
Switching and combining
- Kicks, knees and the habit of full contact to the body remain.
- Learning to cover the face against hand strikes, elbows and headbutts.
- Adding the clinch, throws, joint locks, chokes and ground fighting.
- Getting used to the helmet with a plexiglass visor and gloves, kata fall away.
- Kicks and strikes to the body remain.
- Unlearning hand and elbow strikes to the face, headbutts, grips, the clinch and throws.
- Getting used to being hit bare-handed without a helmet and gloves.
- Learning kata according to the organization’s curriculum.
On the left the transition from Kyokushin to kudo, on the right the opposite direction. Azuma himself, the winner of the All Japan Kyokushin tournament in 1977, took this path. We have not found other documented transfers.
Philosophy
- The name Kyokushin means roughly the highest truth, and Oyama adopted it in 1957.
- We have not found a coherent philosophy of the style.
- According to an HK01 article, the name Daido Juku comes from the Zen collection Mumonkan, and the Hokutoki tournament from the Big Dipper as a symbol of the highest truth.
- We have not found a coherent philosophy of kudo.
Training culture
- Tameshiwari is part of examinations and of deciding tournaments.
- Films about Oyama, for example Fighter in the Wind (2004), based on a fictionalized book.
- Practitioners: Dolph Lundgren (European champion 1980 and 1981), Michael Jai White, Bas Rutten.
- The main Daido Juku tournament is called Hokutoki, and the open category was won in 1996 and 1997 by Semmy Schilt.
- We have not found films or books about kudo.
- Forces News names among the competitors the kickboxer Lee Hasdell and Minoki Ichihara, a former UFC fighter.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is kudo an offshoot of Kyokushin?
Yes. Azuma Takashi was a Kyokushin competitor and founded Daido Juku in 1981 with Kyokushin as its starting basis. Kudo, however, abolished kata and extended the rules with strikes to the face, throws and the ground.
May both be fought with hand strikes to the head?
Not in Kyokushin, where the WKO rules forbid hand and elbow strikes to the face and allow kicks to the head. In kudo yes, in a helmet with a plexiglass visor, and elbows and headbutts are also allowed.
Why is a helmet worn in kudo?
The stated reason for the creation of Daido Juku is Azuma’s concern about serious head injuries in Kyokushin. We have not found a study showing a lower risk of injury in kudo.
Is either of them Olympic?
We have not found a link to the Olympic programme for either Kyokushin or kudo.