Hajime Kazumi


Hajime Kazumi is one of Kyokushin Karate's most successful full-contact fighters and an instructor of karate fighting techniques.

Career

Kazumi currently holds 6th dan black belt. He started kyokushin karate at age of fifteen and at age twenty Kazumi defeated many top fighters to reach the finals of the All Japan Karate Tournament. Since then Kazumi has never finished outside of the top two places in any tournament. His effective punching and kicking combinations helped him reach the finals of six All Japan Tournaments in a row, winning four of these to break Keiji Senpai's record. He also reached the finals of two World Open Tournaments where he lost to Francisco Filho on boards and Kenji Yamaki, training partner and fellow student of Tsuyoshi Hiroshige's Jonan Branch.
After the defeat by Filho, Kazumi returned to the World Championship after winning the 2nd World Weight Category Tournament in Osaka in 2001 and before claiming an unprecedented fifth All Japan Title in 2002 by beating Hitoshi Kiyama in the finals.
Kazumi has integrated Taiki-ken training into his karate practice, and has modified his fighting style to rely on punching and low kicks instead of the high kicks that are characteristic of Kyokushin karate. This strategy made him a successful fighter, demonstrated by his record of wins.
On 24 November 2002, Kazumi officially resigned from Kyokushin-kaikan to join a new organization led by Hatsuo Royama and his instructor Tsuyoshi Hiroshige. Kazumi's reason for leaving the IKO1 was to "pursue true Budo Karate". He later resigned from the newly established Kyokushin-kan organisation to become the leader of an independent group of dojos operating in the Tokyo area.
With Tatsuya Iwasaki, Kazumi is the author of Shinseki Real Karate Bible, a manual for instruction of full-contact kumite with accompanying DVD. He also produces Internet training videos for full-contact instruction.

Tournament history

Hajime Kazumi completed his 100 man kumite at the new IKO1 Honbu in 1999.
Results were obtained from the official IKO1 site and are as follows: