As spring arrives, I trust that all our students and associates are in good health. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for your continued understanding and generous support of our group's activities.
Today, I would like to formally set out and report on our relationship with Rikishakai, about which many of you have contacted us, as well as on our current organizational structure.
Since the passing of Chairman Noriyasu Hamai, we have carefully worked to put our structure in order so as to avoid confusion. Now that the situation has been settled, we hereby make the following announcement.
First, the reasons I have not until now commented on Rikishakai are mainly the following two.
1. Rikishakai is a separate organization
Information about Rikishakai should come from that organization itself, and I felt that commenting on the current state of another organization might exceed my authority.
2. It was a period of transition to a new structure
After the Chairman's passing, Rikishakai was in the process of putting its structure in order, and I judged that it was a time to refrain from public announcements.
However, we have frequently received questions and expressions of concern from various organizations, such as "What is the relationship between Rikishakai and the Hamai Group?" and "How should we handle matters related to matches and the running of tournaments?" In addition, considering that information from Rikishakai has had difficulty reaching everyone, we concluded that it would be appropriate to clearly convey the current situation, and have therefore decided to publish this statement.
How Rikishakai Was Founded
Chairman Noriyasu Hamai originally founded Rikishakai out of a wish to spread Dragloves, a glove-based competition that includes strikes to the face. At that time, Chairman Noriyasu Hamai held two positions concurrently: Chairman of the Kyokushin Hamai Group and President of Rikishakai. The presidency was later passed on to Mr. Tanaka (Tanaka Dojo, Yokohama).
At the Chairman's Funeral
At the Chairman's funeral, in the presence of all the Branch Chiefs and associates of the Hamai Group, I said to the key members of Rikishakai, including Mr. Tanaka, "We ask that you continue to promote Dragloves and its culture."
Rikishakai Today
To state the facts: Mr. Tanaka (Tanaka Dojo, Yokohama), the former President, Mr. Kikuzaki (unaffiliated), and Shihan Yui (Jinshin Dojo, Tachikawa) have withdrawn from Rikishakai.
Rikishakai is currently run by Mr. Hirata and Mr. Honma.
In addition, Branch Chief Nemoto of the Hamai Group's Chiba Branch has been appointed [Kyokushin Karate Technical Advisor] to Rikishakai, and Rikishakai is positioned as an organization cooperating with the Hamai Group.
Furthermore, since last year we have asked Shihan Yui to lend us his support as Supreme Advisor to the Kyokushin Hamai Group.
For these reasons, the Kyokushin Hamai Group and Rikishakai are currently organizations on friendly terms, and we would be grateful if you would continue to understand and treat them as such.