Message from Kancho Hatsuo Royama
This year has been a very difficult year for me. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our Kyokushin-kan’s international committee members, national and international branch chiefs, students in the dojo, and many fans, for their enormous support during this challenging time.
Today in the karate world, a big wind is blowing from overseas to Japan. One is the wind of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and the other is the “Wind of Kyokushin Karate Unity” symbolized by the 3rd KWU World Championship. The reason of today’s KWU’s prosperity is because the four international organizations; AKP, KWF, IFK, and Kyokushin-kan, have put priority to respect each organizational activity, and worked together to accumulate fair and unified championships. Now I feel strongly that Japan is about time to open the window to let this wind from the world come in.
The Kyokushin Karate (Full Contact Karate) which spreads all over the world today started from the fact that Sosai Mas Oyama introduced the world for the first time the “direct blow knock out system”. After the death of Sosai, Kyokushin organization split repeatedly and continuously never to intersect with each other again, so that one day, Japan seemed to have been left outside of the world. But now I hear the word from Sosai saying “Royama! Kyokushin in Japan must be firm!” From now on, I will put my effort to unite Kyokushin by means of working cooperatively in the KWU and I believe that by proving the strength of Japanese fighters at the KWU World Championship will lead to the restoration of Karate’s home country more than anything else.
Finally, I would like to conclude that next year, we will continue to devote ourselves to development of Kyokushin Karate and further prosperity of the KWU. I pray that 2018 will be a wonderful year to the Kyokushin family and to all the people around the world.
KWU Co-Chairman
Kyokushin-kan Chairman
Hatsuo Royama
