Kansuiryu Karate - History

History

Two men, Yukio Mizutani (水谷征夫, Mizutani Yukio?) and Antonio Inoki (猪木寛至, Inoki Kanji?), founded Kansuiryu Karate in the Mie prefecture of southern Japan.

As a young man Yukio Mizutani traveled to Okinawa and studied the Matsubayashi Ryu style of Shōrin-ryū karate under Shōshin Nagamine. Upon returning to Japan Mizu Sensei began teaching karate and soon earned a reputation as a tough instructor who expected total and unquestioning commitment from his students. Training under Mizu Sensei was severe to the point of being brutal and the drop-out rate amongst students was high.

Inoki, a professional wrestler trained by Karl Gotch and karate expert, earned his reputation fighting opponents from Asia, Pakistan and the United States. Today Inoki is as much a household name in Japan as is Muhammad Ali in the West (in fact the two once fought, the result being a lacklustre draw).

Inoki’s penchant for delivering off the cuff challenges soon brought him to the attention of Mizutani, who immediately proposed a bout - with the winner to be decided on the basis of whoever had a pulse afterwards! As it happened the fight never took place. The two men found they had a lot in common and became firm friends.

In 1979 Mizutani and Inoki decided to jointly found a new style of karate, which they named ‘Kansuiryu.’ The name is an amalgam of both surnames; ‘kan’ from Kanji Inoki and 'sui' being a play on words with the dual meaning of "water" (mizu, the first component of the surname Mizutani meaning water) or alternatively ‘essence’ or ‘elegance.’

While retaining the traditional elements of kata and weapons training, particularly for higher grades, Kansuiryu also offers vigorous competition for those who display aptitude and interest. Training reflects the full-contact nature of the Knockdown karate tournament rules, with practitioners expected to achieve a high level of fitness and technique.

Today in Japan more than seven thousand students study Kansuiryu Karate and compete in the Kansuiryu Full Contact Karate Championships, held during October each year. It is one of the largest full contact tournaments in the country.