Kancho Shokei Matsui

President, International Karate Organization KYOKUSHINKAIKAN.

Kancho Shokei Matsui was born on January 15th, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. Inspired by the founder of the IKO KYOKUSHINKAIKAN, Sosai Masutatsu Oyama, he joined IKO during his junior high school years. Due to his exceptional talent and relentless effort, he debuted in the All Japan Open Karate Championship when he was just 17, finishing in fourth place and showcasing his extraordinary abilities to the world.

In 1985 and 1986, he won the 17th and 18th All Japan Karate Championship. The following year 1987, he won the 4th World Open Karate Championship, achieving three consecutive championship victories. In 1986, he also completed the most extreme challenge in KYOKUSHIN Karate, the 100-Man Kumite.

During his active career, he was known as the "Prince of Karate" for his agile and graceful kumite skills. Upon Sosai Oyama's passing in 1994, Kancho Matsui followed Sosai's will to become the president of the IKO KYOKUSHINKAIKAN. Currently, he dedicates his time to manage the organization and develop IKO KYOKUSHINKAIKAN worldwide.

Cape Town Dojo

Since the arrival of Kyokushin karate in South Africa in the '60s there has been a "Cape Town Dojo", starting in Sea Point and relocating numerous times to various locales. It has been operating from 186 Bree Street (GOOGLE MAP) for the past 15 years.

Shihan Kenny Uytenbogaardt, Shihan Mike Shuttleworth and Shihan Jason Dawes have been key members and custodians of the dojo for 35+ years. Shihan Kenny is a legendary figure in the world of Karate. Having been one of Sosai Oyama's favourite students, Sosai often flew him to Japan for special one-on-one training. Acknowledged as a supreme technician with superb understanding of the movement and essence of Kyokushin, he is still flown to Japan at least twice a year for training and consultation with Kancho Matsui who holds him in high regard.

With his two deputies Shihans Mike and Jason (both graded 5th Dan in Tokyo 2014), who have trained directly with Shihan Kenny for more than 20 years, Cape Town Dojo boasts a superb array of instructors with contact and ongoing training directly with Japan. Legendary fighters Xolani Gumede, Jason Dawes, Jono Williams and Gcobani Maxama — multiple World Championship appearances — look after our full contact fighters. Sensei Nicole Thiel (multiple SA Kata Champion) looks after Kata and Sempai Amanda Newton (admin guru) ensures the dojo is in safe hands, ready to be passed onto the next generation.

IKO International Karate Org.

The original IKO Kyokushin — often characterised as IKO 1 — is the largest of the Kyokushin groups. After the unfortunate passing of Sosai Oyama, Kyokushin was thrown into turmoil with the appointment of a young Shokei Matsui as head of the worldwide organisation. Sosai's intentions were clear: appoint the world's best technical Kyokushin karateka — young, with unrivalled success — someone who could lead the organisation for many decades, ensuring continuity and growth.

Many older and more senior karateka felt they were entitled to lead, completely misunderstanding Sosai's intentions. This led to a split, leaving IKO (Matsui) as the largest dominant grouping. The splinter groups have since fragmented many times over.

The IKO World Tournament every four years remains the most prestigious karate event in the world. Under Kancho Matsui's stewardship, IKO has grown significantly. His vision has seen the addition of yearly international IFT tournaments showcasing women's fighting, veterans, juniors, and kata championships attended by thousands of karateka worldwide. World team tournaments, weight category tournaments, and many other events have been added to the calendar as Matsui continues to implement the Kyokushin dream passed on to him by Sosai Oyama.