Yukio Nishida

A direct and longtime student of Kyokushin Karate founder, Mas Oyama, Yukio Nishida is a pioneer of Kyokushin Karate. He was a long time student of Seigo Okamoto, the founder of Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujitsu Doppokai. He is primarily known for combining Kyokushin with other martial arts to form a unique style of Budo.

Yukio Nishida began learning Oyama Karate under Mas Oyama in 1964. He was aged 15.

Mas Oyama had a small dojo located behind Rikkyo University. He established the dojo in Tokyo in 1956.

Training at the Oyama dojo was extremely tough. Nishida was often left very tired after his training sessions. There were four classes a week, with each training session lasting 3-4 hours. Sparring sessions lasted over an hour and were filled with a lot of intensity and violence. Injuries were no excuse for not training. Many students came and left, finding the train too tough.

Over the next few years, Nishida became one of Oyama’s most dedicated students. He made the transition from Oyama Karate to Kyokushin Karate. He was also a member of the IKO (International Karate Organisation).

In 1974 Nishida competed in the 6th All Japan Open Tournament, held in Tokyo. He finished in a respectable fourth place.

In March 1974 Nishida was chosen to travel to New York with five other students. The other students were Yoshiji Soeno, Joko Ninomiya, Katsuaki Sato, Nobuyuki Kishi, and Toshikatsu Sato. Their coach was Yuzo Goda.

Nicknamed the Seven Samurai, the Japanese party lived and trained in the United States for around two months. They visited the dojos of Shigeru Oyama, Tadashi Nakamura, and Seiji Kanamura. They also had the opportunity to train and compete against the likes of William Oliver and Willie Williams.

On his return to Japan, Nishida remained a dedicated student of Mas Oyama.

On 26 April 1994, Mas Oyama died in Tokyo. According to his will Shokei Matsui was named his successor, as head of the IKO. However, it was discovered that Oyama had not physically signed his will. It had only been signed by the witnesses present at his hospital bed. This led to Oyama’s widow and Nishida questioning the validity of the will.

On 16 October 1996, the High Court of Tokyo eventually sided with Mrs Oyama and Nishida. The court declared that Mas Oyama’s will was null and void.

The court decision led to the IKO splitting into several organisations. The IKO-1 was led by Matsui. The IKO-2 was led by Nishida.

Apart from Kyokushin, Nishida also practised Chinese martial arts, Daigo-Ryu Akijujutsu, and Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate.

In 1999 Nishida resigned from the IKO-2. In December of that year, he established the International Budo Organisation Kyokushin Karate Seibukai. His new style incorporated elements of Kung Fu, Goju-Ryu, and Aikijujitsu. The style aimed to develop a form of Budo that could be practised throughout a person’s lifetime.

For the next few years, Nishida worked on establishing his new style. He produced several books and videos detailing his style. In 2013 his book, Karate! The Path to Mastery “How can I use it as a martial art forever?” was published. In 2019 his book, Towards Perfection of True Karate!, was published.

Steeped in the world of Budo, Yukio Nishida has travelled the world teaching his style of Kyokushin Karate Seibukai. He currently holds the following ranks:

• 7th Dan Kyokushin Seibukai
• 5th Dan in Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
• 5th Dan Ryu-Kyu Kobujutsu
• 10th Dan in Okinawan Goju-Ryu