On May 26, 2024, the Hokuto Flag All Japan Championships were held, and the grand winner was Senpai Jo Miyahara. He won the category over 260 and received the Best Winner Award (Hokuto Flag). An interesting aspect of this competition is that athletes are not ranked by weight but by physical index. The physical index (PI) is the sum of an athlete’s weight in kilograms and height in centimeters.
Kyokushin Senpai Jo Miyahara is the All Japan champion of 2018, the WFKO Yamburg Cup champion of 2016 and 2024, a medalist at the KWU World Championship 2019, a podium finisher at the KWF Grand Prix 2019, a medalist at the KWF World Championship 2018, the All Japan champion of 2016, and the Eurasia Open champion of 2016, among many other titles. This was not his first participation in a Kudo championship, but now he holds the Best Winner Award and carries the Hokuto Flag. Although he has only been training in Kudo for two years, he has also been improving his wrestling skills, winning with an armbar cross in the finals of the Canto Region preliminaries.
Miyahara has three wins and one loss (to Nikolai Yorgov at SENSHI 4) in the SENSHI ring. He will also be one of the instructors at the XVIII International Martial Arts Summer Camp from June 30 to July 7, 2024.
Senpai Jo is truly a 21st-century Samurai warrior.
___
Kūdō (空道, Kūdō) is a Japanese hybrid martial art. It is a full-contact combat sport that aims to achieve both safety and practicality. This style of mixed martial arts is practiced with headgear and gloves. It features stand-up striking, along with throwing and grappling techniques, including restraints, locks, and chokeholds, all of which are allowed in competition.
Kūdō was created by Azuma Takashi in 1981. Azuma, a black belt in Kyokushin Karate and Judo, saw the potential for a hybrid martial art that was not limited by traditional styles. He decided to merge the two martial arts he knew and founded Daido Juku, which allowed both striking and grappling. Over time, various other martial arts like Muay Thai, Boxing, and Jiu-Jitsu were incorporated and fine-tuned to work well within this style. The martial art was renamed Kūdō in 2001 and is now recognized as a Budo sport in Japan.
