KWU (Kyokushin World Union) is an international umbrella organization uniting various federations and branches of full-contact karate outside the official structures of IKO and WKO.

History and founding

KWU was founded on October 12, 2011. The organization was created as a successor to the Kyokushin-kan Alliance, a union previously led by Shihan Hatsuo Royama. The founders of KWU aimed to unite fragmented Kyokushin organizations based on the «original spirit of Kyokushin as bequeathed by Oyama.»

Among the key figures at the origin of KWU are Hatsuo Royama, Loek Hollander, Yuri Trutnev, and Alexander Drevnyak. Hollander is one of the first Europeans to complete the hyakunin kumite, while Trutnev is a well-known Russian statesman and karateka.

Concept and goals

The key difference between KWU and other organizations lies in its format. KWU is not a classic «national federation» — it positions itself as an open competitive platform where athletes from various Kyokushin organizations are welcome:

  • IKO (Matsui)
  • Shinkyokushinkai / WKO
  • IFK
  • Kyokushin-kan
  • Independent federations

Competition activity

KWU is best known for its professional competition league — the KWU World Series. This is a series of commercial tournaments with prize money, closer in format to professional sport than to amateur championships. The bouts are broadcast to a wide audience and feature a high entertainment value.

In addition to the professional league, KWU organizes:

  • KWU World Championship
  • KWU European Championship
  • KWU International Summer Camp in Bulgaria — one of the largest training camps in the karate world

KWU headquarters is located in Bulgaria. The organization is represented in dozens of countries and continues to expand the geography of its tournaments.