is a Japanese instructor of

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thro ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

.JKA: Instructor profiles – Sensei Kazuaki Kurihara 6th Dan
Retrieved on 13 April 2025. He has won the JKA's version of the world championships for kata on 3 occasions. He has also won the JKA All-Japan championships for kata on 10 occasions and once for kumite. He is currently an instructor of the

Japan Karate Association The Japan Karate Association (日本空手協会; ''Nihon Karate Kyokai''; JKA; sometimes referred to simply as ''Kyokai'' 協会 in Japan) is one of the oldest global Shotokan karate organizations in the world. Origins Gichin Funakoshi played ...

Biography

Kazuaki Kurihara was born in

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

, Japan on 20 August 1979. He studied at

Komazawa University , abbreviated as 駒大 ''Komadai'', is one of the oldest universities in Japan. Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center of learning for the young Bhikkhu#Monks in Japan, monks of the Sōtō, Sōtō sect, one of ...

. His karate training began during his Age 5.

Competition

Kazuaki Kurihara has had considerable success in karate competition.

Major Tournament Success

*56th JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2013) - 1st Place Kata *55th JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2012) - 1st Place Kata *12th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship Tournament (Pattaya, 2011) - 1st Place Kata *54th JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2011) - 1st Place Kumite *54th JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2011) - 1st Place Kata *53rd JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2010) - 1st Place Kata *52nd JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2009) - 1st Place Kata *50th JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2007) - 1st Place Kata, 3rd Place Kumite *10th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship Tournament (Sydney, 2006) - 1st Place Kata *49th JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2006) - 1st Place Kata *48th JKA All Japan Karate Championship (2005) - 2nd Place Kata

References

1979 births Japanese male karateka Japanese karate coaches Shotokan practitioners Komazawa University alumni Martial artists from Ibaraki Prefecture Living people 21st-century Japanese sportsmen {{Japan-karate-bio-stub