From global legacy to local dojo · 6th Dan

shihan ian quitadamo

teacher · mentor · learner

Nearly 40 years from jiu-jutsu to rokudan, graded on four continents; the founder of Central Kyokushin, and a local connection to Oyama's global legacy.

Unlikely beginnings

Shihan Ian didn't start in Kyokushin. Nearly forty years ago he began in Danzanryu jiu-jutsu under Sensei Ron Jennings, training alongside the renowned Professor Wally Jay, before moving into Dentoteki Karate, an obscure, unrecognized branch of the style. It was there he found his way to Kyokushin proper, joining IKO-Matsushima under Shihan Roman Szyrajew, the teacher who ties him directly to Oyama's line.

From that unlikely start, he climbed as far as the art goes. Nidan, then sandan and yondan at the 1st and 2nd World Cups in Maine and Sydney, godan at the honbu in Japan, and rokudan - sixth-degree black belt - at the 6th World Cup in Chile in 2023. Four gradings, four continents, forty years.

learning from the best

Over nearly four decades he has hosted and fought in Kyokushin Challenge and Open tournaments, seminars, and summer camps across the U.S. organization. Twenty-five years ago he founded Central Kyokushin Karate - it has grown from four students to a full dojo of people from every walk of life, and has brought international leaders like Kancho Matsushima, Hanshi John Taylor, and Shihan Szyrajew to Ellensburg.

He is also an internationally certified referee (#0136) and corner judge (#0039), trusted to officiate at the sport's highest levels - the 1st, 2nd, and 6th World Cups and the 3rd World Tournament, alongside countless national events.

following the path

Competition was never his main focus, but he's tested himself where it counts, last fighting in 2009 at the Kyokushin Challenge in Seattle, and before that in the men's unlimited heavyweight division at the 2000 Mas Oyama Memorial Cup in Montreal. His students have gone further still: multiple podium finishes internationally, and eight earning spots on the United States knockdown team. One, Sarah Woolley, placed fourth at the 2004 World Tournament in Japan.

But what he's built matters more to him than any of it. Shihan Ian is committed to a dojo where every student can find their true potential — rooted in respect, inclusion, and growth, open to all regardless of background, belief, or story. He believes every person holds inherent worth, that rigorous training leads to real awakening, and that in unity and effort, students carry one another toward the ultimate truth. Osu!