
Sosui Makoto Nakamura
I.K.O.N. Chair
Legacy as a Fighter
Born on June 20, 1950, in Hinokage-cho, Miyazaki Prefecture, as the fourth son of seven children. He became interested in martial arts from an early age, and after graduating from high school, entered the Kyokushin Kaikan Honbu Dojo (formerly Headquarters) in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. He learned the essence and techniques of the Kyokushin Spirit under the guidance of the late Kyokushin Kaikan President Sosai Masutatsu Oyama and other Kyokushin lions. He took full advantage of his blessed physique and suddenly captured third place at the 9th All-Japan Tournament in 1977. His astonishing performance and placement immediately placed Nakamura on the map of Kyokushin. In May 1979, he defeated his formidable opponent, Keiji Sanpei, in the final and won the 11th All Japan Karate Championship.
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Winning the All-Japan title placed him in the national team to represent Japan in the upcoming world tournament. To achieve his absolute goal of defending the karate title for his home country, Japan, he forced himself into harsh environments and experienced training overseas in countries such as the United States and Africa. Then, the 2nd World Karate Championships was held in November 1977. The overseas fighters have made great strides in quality and quantity. Their techniques have improved to a level incomparable to the first tournament four years ago. As the Japanese fighters were defeated one after another, the threat of international fighters became apparent at the Budokan. In the third round on day 2, he struggled against an unknown fighter from Sweden. Hans Dolph Lundgren, a tall athlete with a brown belt, was unfazed by the powerful thrusts of the All-Japan champion and continued to use his leg techniques to develop an evenly matched fight. Although Nakamura managed to get through the extension round and eventually won a victory, it was a heart-wrenching match. In the quarter-finals, he faced Koichi Kawabata and won the match. In the final, he fought Keiji Sanpei and overcame the opponent for the third time. It was the moment that Nakamura, "Kyokushin's Heavy Tank", captured the world championship title.
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However, Nakamura was defeated by Keiji Sanpei and ended up placing 2nd at the All-Japan tournament in 1980 and 1981. Furthermore, he failed to secure the top eight position in 1982. Then, in 1983, he could not even participate in the 15th All-Japan Tournament. At this time, Nakamura, who had moved to Hyogo as branch chief, had many concerns, including a lack of training partners, balancing coaching and competing, a fracture in the back of his hand from a demonstration, and his age of 31. It was only natural that rumors of his retirement began to be heard in the media and among Kyokushin-related people. Under these circumstances, the 1984 World Championship year was rapidly approaching. Nakamura, who earned a spot to represent Japan based on his performance in winning the previous world tournament, continued to believe in himself and devoted himself to training. Then, in January 1984, the 3rd World Karate Championships finally took off.
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Although he won through the first and second days of the tournament, his performance looked mediocre and his movements showed some stiffness. Then on the final day, a test awaited him in the fourth round, when he faced Michael Thompson, nicknamed ``Britain's Black Panther.'' Thompson fully utilized his signature footwork and moved around to prevent Nakamura from making a decisive hit. Although Nakamura had the advantage in the decision, Sosai Oyama, the Supreme Judge, announced to the audience that the match would continue until a clear decision was reached. Amid thunderous cheers storming from over 12000 spectators in Budokan, the deadly battle dragged on into five extension rounds. Nakamura mustered up all his energy and unleashed a furious attack, achieving a narrow victory. Nakamura regained his competitive instincts in this fight, and from the fifth round onwards, his movements were shifted into top gear and did not allow his opponents to withstand his speed and power. The punching combinations that had brought a technological revolution in Kyokushin looked outstanding, and the foot techniques represented by front kicks and back kicks, which took a considerable amount of practice for this tournament, were so dynamic that they weakened the opponent's desire to fight.
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In the semi-finals, he faced off against Brazil's Ademir Costa. Nakamura had suffered a bitter loss in the 1982 All-Japan Championship when Costa managed to pull a huge upset by defeating Nakamura at that time. In this tournament, Costa, one of the best international fighters, advanced to the semi-final with his smooth footwork and a wide range of leg techniques. Most officials and fans predicted that Nakamura, who had lost once before, would have a tough time again. The result was completely contrary to the prediction, with Nakamura winning one-sidedly. While he quickly closed in on the opponent and shot out a barrage of devastating attacks, retreating repeatedly was all the young Brazilian could do. In the final, Nakamura defeated his arch-rival, Keiji Sanpei by decision, and became the world champion for the second time in a row. The unprecedented feat bestowed Nakamura with the honorary nickname "King of Kyokushin".
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As a Kyokushin Educator
After the 2nd World Tournament, he left Tokyo with permission from Sosai Mas Oyama to be the Hyogo Prefecture Branch It was literally starting from zero. Shortly after arriving in Hyogo, Nakamura established its first dojo at a Bukkyo Kaikan (Buddhist hall) in Ashiya City. Promoting Kyokushin in a new land where he was taken as a stranger was extremely difficult. However, as a result of spending all day and night advertising the dojo and trying to popularize Kyokushin Karate, the number of students at the dojo began increasing. Two years after arriving in Hyogo, Nakamura managed to open a full-time dojo in Amagasaki City. With the help of all the dojo students and relatives, the completion of the handmade dojo, which was converted from the underground parking lot of an office building, became the foundation for the future development of Nakamura Dojo. Many instructors and talented fighters were produced from this Amagasaki dojo. The dojo became extremely popular in the neighboring areas and significantly contributed to the growth of the branch.
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The golden catchword, "Taught by the World Champion" and his kind and careful teaching methods gradually began to take root in this region. It attracted the media's attention and the Nakamura Dojo was often introduced and featured through TV and radio programs. In 1985, the branch had grown large enough to hold a regional tournament and invite Sosai Mas Oyama. The main office was relocated to Kobe from Amagasaki, the capital city of Hyogo, and the number of dojos kept increasing. Shortly after receiving permission from Sosai to expand his jurisdiction to Osaka, Nakamura launched his dojo in the second-largest city in Japan. The level of fighters within the branch correlated with the branch's growth. The Nakamura fighters shocked everyone in the 3rd All-Japan Weight Category Championships by sweeping all weight divisions.
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The branch management seemed to be going smoothly, but in April 1994, Nakamura heard about the death of his lifelong mentor, Mas Oyama. The untimely death of his beloved master was enough to inflict a psychological blow on him. Due to the death of the president, Kyokushin Kaikan itself suffered from an organizational split. As if to add insult to injury, on January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake directly hit Kobe. The earthquake claimed the lives of his disciples and turned the city of Kobe into a burnt wasteland. Despite these repeated hardships, Nakamura did not fall into self-pity. He kept the branch activities moving forward. With his indomitable spirit, he overcame numerous challenges and finally achieved his long-cherished desire to establish the Kobe Honbu Dojo in 1996. This three-story building dedicated to Kyokushin was one of a kind and fully equipped with a main dojo, sub-dojo, weight room, office, etc.
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In proportion to the expansion of the dojo, the tournaments organized by Nakamura Dojo also developed into large-scale events. The reputation of ``Two-Time World Champion'' had spread beyond the country's borders to international branches, and Nakamura was invited to seminars in various countries such as Russia and Poland. He also served as the head coach of the Japanese team at the 8th World Championships in 2003 and strove to bring the championship title to Japan. There were probably few instructors who spent their days so busy trying to popularize Kyokushin Karate.
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On December 5, 2016, he resigned from his affiliated organization in order to pursue his ideal image of Kyokushin Karate, and established a sovereign Karate organization named International Karate Organization Nakamura (I.K.O.N.). His son, Masanaga Nakamura, was appointed the Director of the new organization, and Nakamura assumed the position of honorary chairman. He has given himself the high rank of 11th dan to express his achievement ``the unprecedented Two-Time World Champion'' and to set the goal of ``building an organization that surpasses the Kyokushin Kaikan created by Mas Oyama.'' At present, there are more than seventy I.K.O.N. dojos in Japan and forty branches internationally. The ``starting from zero'' forty years ago is steadily bearing fruit, and now in the 21st century, the ``King of Kyokushin'' will make further leaps into the future.
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