The Kona branch of the International Karate League hosted its 11th annual IKL Championship at Kekuaokalani Gym on Saturday.
IKL branches from all over the Big Island participated in the meet, as well as branches from Oahu and California.
The IKL Championship featured 120 individual entrants with focuses on Kata, Kumite and Kobudo, with various divisions divided by age, size and skill level.
The tourney used an open handed version of Kata, where the martial artists performed a choreographed pattern of movements to fight an imaginary opponent. Kumite is a sparing competition, and in Kobudo, the competitors performed with tools that would have been used by Okinawa farmers during a period of time when weapons were banned in Japan.
Anyone from a traditional karate school was allowed to compete in the tournament and more than 100 trophies were distributed.
The event was put on by Hawaii Hanshi, Julian Shiroma, and United States mainland Hanshi, Craig Hamakawa. Both put a focus on character building in the tournament.
“I hope that these competitors get a positive experience out of the tournament,” Shiroma said. “Everyone works hard throughout the year practicing their martial arts and this is an opportunity for them to demonstrate what traditional karate is all about.”
Hamakawa added that his favorite part of the tournament is the sportsmanship he sees from its martial artists.
“One thing I have always loved about these competitions is that it brings people together like family,” Hamakawa said. “You are competing out there at a high level but at the end of the day everyone is hugging and you don’t see that in a lot of other systems.”
Along with Shiroma and Hamakawa, Shihan Walter Nishioka was also in attendance. Nishioka is the founder of IKL.
The IKL has dojos in Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Utah and California and has been holding tournaments since the 1960s when the organization was then under the name of Statewide Karate Association and Statewide Karate League. The name was changed to IKL in the 1980s.
The IKL Championship was sponsored by the Hawaii Police Athletic Federation.