Seidokaikan

History

In 1981, Kazuyoshi Ishii established his own style of karate forming the International Practical Karate Federation Seidokaikan and became the Kancho (Grandmaster) of Seidokaikan based in Osaka. Kancho Ishii's top student at this time was Takeo Nakayama who had achieved fame by taking second place in the 1977 Kyokushin All-Japan tournament as a green belt.

In 1983, Kancho published a karate technical manual entitled "Full Contact Seido Karate". The following month the first of a four-part educational video series "Practical Seido Karate" (the first of its kind in Japan) was produced. In 1991, Kancho Ishii's "Katsu Tame no Karate" (Winning Karate) book was published with a companion video.

Seidokaikan can be confused with Seido, the World Seido Karate Organization, a traditional non-contact karate style with a similar name established in 1976 by former Kyokushin karateka Tadashi Nakamura and also with Seidokan Karate Kobudo, a traditional karate style established by Shian Toma in 1984.

Tournaments

In 1982, Seidokaikan held its first All-Japan Knockdown Open tournament. This initial event attracted over 3,500 people to the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. Over the next several years the Seidokaikan All-Japan Open tournament had become a showpiece in Western Japan and by 1989 the tournament was attracting over 8,000 fans and brought fighters from more than 20 styles of karate.

In 1988, at the 7th All-Japan Knockdown Open tournament, new rules were used for the first time allowing face strikes wearing boxing gloves for extension rounds.

In 1990, Dutch Kyokushin fighter Peter Smit competed in the 8th All-Japan Knockdown Open tournament. In June 1991, 4,500 people crowded into Tokyo's Yoyogi Hall to watch a 5 on 5 challenge match between Seidokaikan and World Oyama Karate with Willie Williams competing.

In October 1991, Seidokaikan held the 1st Karate World Cup which brought together fighters from around the world to compete in an open weight tournament fought in a boxing ring in Japan. The Karate World Cup rules differed to conventional full contact karate tournaments providing fighters with the opportunity to win by kickboxing if a winner was not found in the karate rounds. In the karate rounds, if the judges decision was deadlocked after an extension round and there was no winner by weight difference. The rules then made face strikes legal with fighters donning boxing gloves and kickboxing for further extension rounds. If the judges decision was still deadlocked after these extension rounds then the fighter who breaks (tameshiwari) the greatest number of tiles would be the winner.

The Karate World Cup was the first ever professional full contact karate tournament with fighters paid to participate in addition to being able to collect prize money for winning. The 1st attracted Dutch Kyokushin fighters Peter Smit and Gerard Gordeau.

In March 1992, the Karate Olympics I show was held at the Tokyo Gymnasium with Nobuaki Kakuda fighting American Willie Williams. In May, the Karate Olympics II show was held at Tokyo's Yoyogi Hall with Swiss Kyokushin champion Andy Hug fighting Toshiyuki Yanagisawa. Andy Hug joined Siedokaikan.

In October 1992, the 2nd Karate World Cup was won by Andy Hug and the 2nd attracted American kickboxer Dale Cook. Australian Kyokushin champion Sam Greco joined Seidokaikan.

In 1993, English Kyokushin champion Michael Thompson joined Seidokaikan. Seidokaikan founder Kancho Ishii created a kickboxing organization promoted as K-1. The first K-1 competition named K-1 Grand Prix was held in April 1993 including two karate fights with Andy Hug fighting Nobuaki Kakuda, and Michael Thompson fighting Kin Taiei. The second K-1 competition named K-1 Sanctuary III held in June 1993 included three karate fights with Andy Hug fighting Minoru Fujita, Michael Thompson fighting Nobuaki Kakuda, and Sam Greco fighting Keisuke Nakagawa.

In October 1993, the 3rd Karate World Cup was won by Satake Masaaki in a contentious judges decision. In the final, Andy Hug fought 2 rounds against Satake Masaaki with an extension round with the judges decision deadlocked. The fight then went into a further 2 extension rounds with fighters donning boxing gloves with face strikes allowed and again the judges decision was deadlocked. Satake Masaaki was declared the winner after breaking (tameshiwari) more tiles. The 3rd attracted foreign competitors Kyokushin fighter David Pickthall, Muay Thai kickboxer Changpuek Kiatsongrit and American karate champion Patrick Smith.

In October 1994, the 4th Karate World Cup was won by Sam Greco who downed Michael Thompson in the first round with a left low kick followed by a straight right body shot. The 4th had 48 participants including foreign competitors Dutch Kyokushin fighter Kenneth Felter, German Kyokushin fighter André Mewis who placed 5th, American kickboxer Duke Roufus and English kickboxer Gary Sandland.

In June 1995, the K-1 competition named K-1 Fight Night held in Switzerland included a karate fight between Michael Thompson and Swiss Kyokushin fighter Rene Papais.

In October 1995, the 5th Karate World Cup had 56 participants, with 44 Japanese fighters, and 12 foreign fighters from Switzerland, Australia, Germany, Holland including Kyokushin fighter John Kleijn, United States and England including Kyokushin fighter Felix Ntumazah who placed 5th.

Seidokaikan held the last professional Karate World Cup in 1995. Seidokaikan fighters entered the professional kickboxing organization K-1 being promoted by Kancho Ishii.

Seidokaikan continues to hold the amateur annual All-Japan Tournament which in 1996 returned to traditional full contact rules.

Today

Seidokaikan has schools all over Japan as well as in Switzerland, Poland, Germany and America. Famous karateka include Nobuaki Kakuda, Satake Masaaki, Toshiyuki Atokawa, Toshiyuki Yanagisawa, Akio Mori (Musashi), Arne Soldwedel and Takeru Yokawa.