About Yakuza's bodyguards, henchmen?

[Charlitos1988]

I read that some top Kyokushin Karatekas were part of Elite bodyguard of some Yakuza bosses in Japan.

How true is this?

 

[jmadtx]

shit man, i dont know.

 

[Yodsanan]

Seeing how K1 and other japanese martial arts promotions are corrupted by yakuzas that could easily be the case.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Any judoka? I would like to see these bodyguards in MMA

Also the one time mob Enforcer Thomas Karate Pitera lived in Nippon and studied Karate

 

[Azam]

Quite a few high ranking karateka in a variety of Kyokushin organisations with 'rumoured' ties to different Yakuza groups. Let me put it like this, there are definitely Kyokushin guys with connections to organized crime in Japan - how many & how far these connections go, I'm not sure and don't really care too much about.

Sosai Mas Oyama was a bodyguard for the Yamaguchi-gumi back in the day and was known to have Yakuza affiliations, so did a large number of early Kyokushin karateka - not going to mention names or anything but I've read of quite a few guys back in the day had different degrees of affiliation to different Yakuza groups, mainly Yamaguchi-gumi.

Classic example of this coming to light in a more open-way, was during the 2nd world openweight Kyokushin tournament where Willie Williams was forced to lose the match on purpose by the Yakuza - Willie had balls though went out on a disqualification and took it all out on Keiji Sanpei.

 

[fightingrabbit]

Let me ask them real quick.

 

[shinkyoku]

No fight sport in Japan is Yakuza free, just as very few businesses in japan is Yakuza free. Its just the way it is in Japan.
Kyokushin back in the 60ies to early 70ies had a lot of ties. Oyama was not a "made man" but back in the late 40ies he was muscle. Most ties was politely cut in the 80ies. Today the IKO1 (Matsui) kyokushin organization is reputed to have some minor yakuza ties remaining, but mostly kyokushin has cleaned up. The main karate style that is connected to Yakuza today is (reputedly) shidokan, which broke away from kyokushin back in 1980, when the founder was kicked out for using (or getting caught using) yakuza enforcers to encourage bookstores to stock up on his book when it was not selling.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

No fight sport in Japan is Yakuza free, just as very few businesses in japan is Yakuza free. Its just the way it is in Japan.
Kyokushin back in the 60ies to early 70ies had a lot of ties. Oyama was not a "made man" but back in the late 40ies he was muscle. Most ties was politely cut in the 80ies. Today the IKO1 (Matsui) kyokushin organization is reputed to have some minor yakuza ties remaining, but mostly kyokushin has cleaned up. The main karate style that is connected to Yakuza today is (reputedly) shidokan, which broke away from kyokushin back in 1980, when the founder was kicked out for using (or getting caught using) yakuza enforcers to encourage bookstores to stock up on his book when it was not selling.

were Sony, Panasonic, Toyota, and Honda connected back then, and are they today too?

 

[apizur**]

You've really outdone yourself here.

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

You've really outdone yourself here.

Eh even though its a troll op it got some interesting posts

also should be enlightening for those who have deluded themselves into thinking the tma word is full of real life mr miyagis as well

 

[Ogata]

What purpose would Mas Oyama have of being part of Yakuza???

As far as Ops question goes, its not impossible to see a tough karateka end up as a mob enforcer due to lack of career or job prospect, since its very possible that a recreational karateka may have a yakuza connections and offers the top guy in the dojo a job oppertunity.

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

What purpose would Mas Oyama have of being part of Yakuza???.

Hes korean like a decent sized chunk of them, he would have been a good guy to have as a body guard, his organizations could bring some money into the gang he was affiliated with, he could in turn use them to help fund his projects etc,etc


i think ive heard stuff about kano having some shady associations too come to think of it

 

[kintana]

I know that MMA organizations in Japan have heavy Yakuza influence. A friend of mine that fought there for the beginning of his career and told me about Yakuza running the fights scene.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

If I am a member of Organized crime and had children, I will want to learn how to defend themselves. I would probably pay big money for an expert to teach them. I guess Kyokushinkai is the only option in Nippon

 

[armbarforhire]

Didnt judoka Kimura also had connections to teh yakuza?

Story says Rikidozan shooted on Kimura during a pro wrestling match and then the yakuza killed him.

 

[Charlitos1988]

If I am a member of Organized crime and had children, I will want to learn how to defend themselves. I would probably pay big money for an expert to teach them. I guess Kyokushinkai is the only option in Nippon

Japanese Kickboxing and Judo are good one's also.

 

[Charlitos1988]

You've really outdone yourself here.

I really love the idea of gangsters calling Martial Artists for bodyguards, because I hate when street brawlers or Krav Maga seminar collectors are called instead.

 

[Charlitos1988]

Eh even though its a troll op it got some interesting posts

also should be enlightening for those who have deluded themselves into thinking the tma word is full of real life mr miyagis as well

I just watched this since a long time and liked the idea:

[YT]-1rUq_W7KVw[/YT]

 

[MadSquabbles500]

The various organized crime groups of the USA have had connections to boxing for a long time too.