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Ashihara Karate is a style of karate It was founded by Kancho Hideyuki Ashihara in 1980. Ashihara Karate is one of the most up-to-date karate styles and methods of self defense. Ashihara is known as fighting karate for it’s most rational and realistic techniques and teaches original authentic Sabaki – a method of turning defence into offence, with the use of circular movement and blind spot positioning.

About
Ashihara Karate is named after Kancho Hideyuki Ashihara, a man who has devoted himself to the pursuit of the most rational, logical karate techniques. The quintessence of Ashihara Karate lies in its innate rationality. It embraces a method that is the most scientifically logical. Ashihara Karate tries to be the most vital and practical approach in real-fight situations.

Ashihara Karate can be described to include a lot of circular movements. The flow of Ashihara Karate transposes movements of a sphere because of the belief that the  human body has a natural inclination to move in three dimensions circularly. Circular movements makes a difficult target, it mean that rather than meeting an opponent head-on, one will move around him, staying at the opponents side or back, and deflecting attacks. The symbol of Ashihara Karate reflects this as it illustrates the principles of the most efficient movements of the human body.

History
In 1960, when Kancho was 15 years old, he moved to Tokyo. Then soon after in, September 1961 he entered his first karate club. He saw karate practitioners train and spar hard and realistically, something he liked immediately. The club was Oyama Dojo, later the Kyokushinkai Honbu Dojo.

Kancho trained intensely eventually gaining the grade Shodan on March 26th 1964. He was then only 19 years old, and no one at the dojo could defeat him in kumite.

In 1966 Kancho was made instructor in Kyokushin Karate at the Honbu Dojo. He performed well, and it was decided that Kancho would have the honor of traveling to Brazil to instruct and spread Kyokushinkai Karate, something he had dreamed of for years.

Unfortunately Kancho got into a fight and defeated five persons, who attacked him in the street. The police brought him into questioning, and the whole incident was reported to the Kyokushinkai Honbu Dojo. The result was Kancho being suspended from all training and unable to travel to Brazil. After two months suspension he was pardoned and sent to Nomura on the island Shikoku in southern Japan to instruct.

After three months he was called back to Tokyo and received a another chance to travel to Brazil. This time he declined. He wanted to return to Nomura and continue the work, he had started there. This was granted, and now Kancho's reputation as a fighter and instructor started to spread in that part of Japan.

Nomura soon became too small, and Kancho Ashihara moved to the neighbouring city Yawatahama. He quickly founded one of the biggest Kyokushinkai clubs in Japan, and the activities were extended to two additional cities, Uwa and Uwajima.

It was during this period that the concept of Sabaki was developed by Kancho. Three principal points for Ashihara Karate was formed. Preparation, and the use of the four positions represented by the circular symbol of Ashihara Karate became the first point. The importance of timing and evaluation of distance (maai) became the second point. The third point is the stance, which must always be maintained whatever the situation to give maximum mobility.

Kancho Ashihara continued to the city Matsuyama, and Ashihara Karate quickly became popular there as well. Kancho started to instruct the police force, and universities started clubs in the area. Clubs were developed in Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Shiga and other places. In March 1978 the construction of the Dojo in Matsuyama commenced and Kancho moved there at the end of the year. In 1979 the building was completed, and since 1980 it is the Honbu Dojo for NIKO -Ashihara Kaikan.

The rise of the Ashihara style had its complaints because Kancho was still associated with the Kyokushinkai organization. Instructors in neighboring districts were complaining about Kancho's expansion of clubs. To avoid conflict within Kyokushinkai, Kancho Ashihara choose to resign from actively practicing Karate at an official meeting in Tokyo in March 1978. Kancho announced that he was willing to give up leadership for the clubs, he had developed to concentrate on running his club in Matsuyama. It turned out that this was not enough, and Kancho was expelled from Kyokushinkai shortly thereafter, following urge by competing instructors. It was with this background that Kancho Hideyuki Ashihara created New International Karate Organization in September 1980. In this organization Kancho could continue to develop his own Karate, Ashihara Karate.

Shortly after founding NIKO, Kancho Ashihara started to plan the publishing of a series of books on the Ashihara system. The first part was published in 1983, and a total of three books were published. Two of these have been translated to English. There are also three instructional videos by Kancho, which are still used for educational purposes.

In 1987 came the first signs of Kancho's illness. He had Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare disease of the nervous system. In the beginning of the 90's his condition worsened and Kancho passed away on April 24th 1995, being 50 years old. Over 1000 persons were at his funeral and paid their last respects to a man, who went in to history as a truly, great karate master.

Ashihara Karate Today

After Kancho Ashihara's death his son, Hidenori Ashihara, took over the leadership of NIKO. Hidenori Ashihara is the second Kancho and thus heads an organization, which is steadily growing, now consisting of 250 branches representing 35 countries covering all continents.

Each of the dojos around the world has direct contact to Honbu in Matsuyama City, and every Branch Chief is responsible for the dojo, he represents.

Since 1994 there has been a world championship in Ashihara Karate: The Sabaki Challenge Spirit. At the 4th championship, which was held in Denmark 1997, Kancho Ashihara visited the competition for the first time.

Technical aspects
The technical aspects of Ashihara karate are shaped around 6 basic areas:


 * The basics.
 * The four movements.
 * The positioning.
 * The sabaki
 * The Ashihara karate katas.
 * The realistic approaches to fighting.

These areas are the technical essence of the Ashihara karate.

The fundamental approach to Ashihara karate is formed on basic techniques. Perfecting the basics allow practitioners to overcome the obstacles that occur while learning. The basic techniques can be directly implemented into a fighting situation giving Ashihara karate the "nickname" figthing karate.

The four movements is a way to describe and distinguish Ashihara karate. The ideology of moving around your opponent to a more advantageous position instead of colliding head on shows that Ashihara karate can be applicable to more than merely the strongest of fighters.

The positioning is a direct consequence of the four movements. Naturally, using the four movements to get around your opponent will place you in various positions. These positions will provide the students with tools to practice this approach.

The sabaki is a difficult concept to translate. The closest translation is probably "partner-control". It is the effective way of benefiting from the positioning. Giving even the weaker fighter an advantage in controlling the opponent. In Ashihara karate sabaki is largely emphasized allowing any person of any shape, strength or size to benefit from the training.

The Ashihara karate katas are based on basic control techniques. The katas are applicable to real fighting situations making them unique in the world of karate. There are six kata types:


 * Beginners kata (Shoshin no kata).
 * Basic kata (Kihon no kata).
 * Throwing kata (Nage no kata).
 * Sparring kata (Kumite no kata).
 * Fighting kata (Jissen no kata).
 * Self-defense kata (Goshin no kata).

In the katas there are three types of pattern: short, middle and long range.

Having so many katas allows them to be practiced step by step according to the relative difficulty of the techniques required. Each kata can be used for solo combination practice or with a partner as control technique training.

Rationality is what sets Ashihara karate far apart from traditional karate methods. Emphasis is not placed on the brute strength of individual fighters. Ashihara karate puts the thought of defense to give weaker fighters a chance. The method aims to create a more realistic approach to fighting compared to other forms of karate.