With hard training and of course competitions too, we come close to know how our body and mind responds to different given situations, and we try to make the best out of it, eventually, we have to implement this hard-earned knowledge in our daily life.
Fujikiyo Omura
Known for the speed and dynamism of his Karate, Fujikiyo Omura is a former JKA All Japan and World Champion. He is a much respected and in-demand instructor and is a frequent guest instructor on gasshuku held around the world. He has also helped to build a healthy Shotokan Karate following in Thailand, where Thai Boxing, Taekwondo, and badminton are the dominant activities in the country.
Fujikiyo Omura was born on 1 May 1953, in Shizuoka, Japan. He began learning Karate at high school in 1970.
In 1971 Omura enrolled at Takushoku University to study Economics. He joined the University’s Karate club, training under Katsunori Tsuyama, who was a former graduate of Takushoku. By this time Omura had been practising Karate for less than a year. Under Tsuyama’s guidance, he quickly developed into a very good karateka.
In 1975 Omura became the Kanto Area University Champion. That year he also won a silver medal at the All Japan University Championships.
Omura graduated from Takushoku University in 1975 and was encouraged to enrol on the JKA Instructors Course. He trained under JKA Chief Instructor, Masatoshi Nakayama.
The 2nd IAKF World Championships were held in 1977 in Tokyo, Japan. This was the JKA’s version of the World Championships. Omura’s kumite had improved to such an extent that he was selected as part of the Japanese Kumite Team. The team became World Champions for the second time.
In 1978 Omura graduated from the JKA Instructors Course alongside Kawawada Minoru and Masaki Komaki. He became an instructor at the JKA Hombu.
At the 22nd JKA All Japan Karate Championships, held in 1979, Omura achieved his greatest individual competitive success. In the final of the Men’s Individual Team event, he defeated Toshihiro Mori to win the title. Yoshiharu Osaka and Mikio Yahara finished in joint third.
At the 23rd JKA All Japan Karate Championships, there was a repeat of the previous year’s final between Omura and Mori. This time Mori won the title.
1980 also saw Omura selected to the Japanese National Team. Prior to the World Championships, the Japanese took part in a gasshuku held in Kempten, West Germany. The German National Team also attended the gasshuku. The training was conducted by Nakayama. Both teams faced each other three weeks later at the World Championships.
In 1980 the 3rd IAKF World Championships were held in Bremen, West Germany. Omura was part of the Japanese team that retained the Men’s Team Kumite title.
1985 saw JKA legend and 2-time Individual Kumite World Champion, Masahiko Tanaka, release his book, ‘Karate-Do: Perfecting Kumite‘. Omura appeared in the book alongside Malcolm Fisher and Takenori Imura.
At the 29th JKA All Japan Karate Championships held in 1983, Omura finished in joint third place, alongside Yuji Hashiguchi. Yasunori Ogura won the title, with Tomio Imamura in second place.
In 1989 JKA India invited Omura to India to teach. He was the first JKA Hombu instructor officially invited to teach in India.
On 8 June 1990, the Thai-Japan Shotokan Karate Association (Thailand) (later known as JKA Thailand) was established by Chutinant Bhirombhakd, who became the association’s President. Omura was invited to become the Chief Instructor of the association.
Omura helped organise the Thailand Shotokan Karate-do Championships; the Shotokan Thailand Camp; and the Siam Camp – a gasshuku held in Bangkok. These events would become important fixtures in JKA Thailand’s calendar.
In 1991, Omura also became the Head Coach of the Thailand National Team. He held the position until 1993. His first tournament as Head Coach was at the Sea Games. He again became Head Coach a further two times in 1996 and 2003.
Omura’s reputation as a very good instructor was beginning to spread. In 2008 the Swiss Karatedo Renmei (SKR) under the leadership of Koichi Sugimura, hosted a gasshuku in Lucerne, Switzerland. Omura, alongside Hideo Ochi, and Yasunori Ogura, were the guest instructors at the event.
Thailand was given the honour of hosting the 12th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championships Tournament between 20 – 21 August 2011. Japan dominated the tournament, held in Pattaya, Thailand. Omura was the Tournament’s Chief Commissioner.
Between 19 – 20 January 2012, the 3rd Japan Cup Karatedo Championships was co-hosted in Burma by the Japanese Embassy and the Myanmar Karatedo Federation. They were supported by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event was held at the Aung San Indoor Stadium in Yangon. During the opening ceremony, Omura gave a kata demonstration.
The 6th JKA India Monsoon Karate Camp was held in Kerela, India, between 21 – 23 August 2014. Omura was invited to teach at the three-day training camp. At the end of the third day of training, black belt gradings were held.
By 2015 the Siam Camp in Thailand had become a big training event. On 9 January, Siam Camp 2015 took place at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. It was the 14th Shotokan Karate gasshuku held in Bangkok. Apart from Omura, the other JKA instructors teaching were Koichi Sugimura and Tatsuya Naka.
The JKA 1st Asia Oceania Karate Championships took place between 22 – 23 August 2015. The event was held in Bangkok, Thailand. As the JKA W/F Asia Oceania Director, Omura helped organise the tournament. He and Takeshi Oishi were the Vice Judges, with JKA Chief Instructor, Masaaki Ueki, the Chief Judge. Japan dominated all age groups, from junior to adult.
2019 was another busy year of travelling for Omura. Between 1 – 5 May, JKAWF India Kolkata invited him to teach at the 2019 JKA Kolkata Goodwill Karate Camp and Championships. On the first day of the event, it was his 66th birthday. He was presented with a three-tier cake, with over 500 people singing Happy Birthday to him. For the first three days of the event, he conducted the training camp. The last two days saw the Goodwill Championships take place.
Between 8 – 11 August 2019, Omura was a guest instructor at the Swiss Karate Renmei (SKR) Summer Training Camp. The event was hosted by Koichi Sugimura in Bern, Switzerland. Hideo Ochi and Yasunori Ogura were the other guest instructors.
Ranked as an 8th Dan, Omura was a highly respected JKA instructor. He was frequently in demand around the world to conduct courses and seminars. He helped to develop Karate in Thailand as well as other Southeastern countries like Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Singapore, and India.
As the Chief Instructor of JKA Thailand, Omura taught at Bangkok University, the Military Academy, and his own dojo. He held a number of positions, including:
- Sitting on the JKA International Board of Directors
- Being a permanent instructor for the JKA
- The Secretary of JKA/Asia Oceania Federation
- The Chief Instructor of JKA Thailand
- The Senior Advisor to the Thailand Karate Federation
Away from Karate Omura built a life for himself in Thailand with his family and dogs.
Fujikiyo Omura died on 30 October 2023 in Japan. He was aged 70.
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