about central kyokushin karate

not sport. not fitness.

a way of life.

We are a community of everyday people - students, parents, professionals, athletes, and veterans - who chose to show up, do the hard work, and become better versions of themselves. Central Kyokushin is not a sport-karate school chasing trophies and belt promotions. We are a dojo in the truest sense: a place of disciplined learning, honest effort, and genuine transformation.

the training difference

why kyokushin

There are hundreds of martial arts and thousands of dojos. Here is why serious students choose Kyokushin - and why it changes lives.

Kyokushin - meaning "ultimate truth" - was founded by Sosai Masutatsu Oyama, who isolated himself in the mountains for years to forge an unbreakable body and mind. What he built was not just a fighting system. It was a complete framework for human development - one that demands everything from you, and gives back far more.

it is honest training

Kyokushin is full-contact karate. You cannot fake your way through it. When you step on the mat, you find out exactly where you are - and that clarity is transformative. No shortcuts, no participation trophies. Only growth earned through genuine effort.

it builds real strength

Physical conditioning in Kyokushin is legendary. Students develop functional strength, explosive power, flexibility, and endurance that carries into every area of life. We integrate the modern science of physiology and nutrition so you train smarter and recover better.

it builds grit

The dojo is where you meet your limits - and learn to move beyond them. Kyokushin cultivates zanshin, mushin, and fudoshin - three states of mind that build awareness, composure, and unwavering resolve, helping you perform under pressure in life.

it develops character

Guided by Bushido - the Way of the Warrior - training instills justice, respect, courage, honor, compassion, integrity, and loyalty. These aren't values posted on a wall. They are lived, tested, and refined every class, every rep.

It is a global tradition

When you train at CKK you join a lineage running from Mas Oyama to the original Oishi dojo in Japan and the World So-Kyokushin international organization. You are not just joining a dojo. You are joining a global family.

it works for life

From age 6 to 70+, Kyokushin meets you where you are. We evaluate your current capabilities and tailor instruction to your goals. Progress is steady, development is real, and the community makes every step worth it. Osu!

the lineage

a direct line to the source

Train here and you inherit an unbroken transmission — from the founder of Kyokushin to the original Oishi dojo in Japan, to your mat in Ellensburg.

sosai oyama

Founder of Kyokushin

hanshi daigo oishi

Leader World So-Kyokushin

shihan roman szyrajew

International Expert Instructor

shihan ian quitadamo

Master Instructor

your instructor

shihan ian quitadamo

Sixth-degree black belt. Twenty-five years leading this dojo. Oishi lineage. I have spent my life on two questions that turn out to be the same question: how does a person become genuinely capable, and how do you teach it so it lasts?

Away from the mat I am a Professor at Central Washington University's in Biological Sciences and the Douglas Honors College where, among other things, I teach the philosophy and science of martial mastery. As a researcher in integrative health, human learning, and health performance, what I study in the classroom is what we practice in the dojo; that real capability is built slowly, under honest resistance, and cannot be faked. I do not run a school that hands out belts. I run a dojo that helps ordinary people find out what they are actually made of.

— Shihan Ian Quitadamo

three states of mind

what the training builds in you.

zanshin

alert awareness

A relaxed, total awareness of your surroundings and yourself - the readiness that remains after the technique is finished.

Mushin

clarity of mind

A mind free of hesitation, fear, and distraction - clear, focused, and able to act decisively under pressure.

fudoshin

unshakable will

An immovable spirit that holds steady under pressure, especially when it would be easier to flinch, quit, retreat, or look away.

dojo kun

the dojo oath.

Written by Mas Oyama with Eiji Yoshikawa, author of Musashi. At the end of every training session, students and instructors kneel in seiza in rank order and recite it together - each line spoken, then answered by the whole class.

We will train our hearts and bodies for a firm, unshaken spirit.

We will pursue the true meaning of the Martial Way, so that in time our senses may be alert.

With true vigor, we will seek to cultivate a spirit of self-denial.

We will observe the rules of courtesy, respect our superiors, and refrain from violence.

We will follow our spiritual paths and never forget the true virtue of humility.

We will look upward to wisdom and strength, not seeking other desires.

All our lives, through the discipline of Karate, we will seek to fulfill the true meaning of the Kyokushin Way.

The session closes with bows in rank order - to the shrine, to Sosai Oyama, to the instructors, and to one another - every student answering with a resounding OSU! Each student learns the oath in both English and Japanese.