Kudo

Mixed martial arts based on full-contact karate that allows the use of throws, choke hold,grappling,and striking techniques (including facial punching), founded by Takashi Azuma, who left Kyokushin kaikan

空道 · 大道塾空道 · 대도숙 공도

Founder

Takashi Azuma

Type

organization, mixed martial arts

Sport

karate, full contact karate, mixed martial arts

Kūdō (空道) (formerly known as Daido Juku) is a Japanese hybrid martial art. It is a full-contact combat sport that aims to achieve safety, aggression and practicality, a style of mixed martial arts practised with headgear and gloves. It features stand-up striking, with throwing and grappling techniques being also allowed in the competition, including restraint, locks and chokeholds.

Kūdō is a form of budō (modern martial arts) that originated in the Daido Juku school, an organization founded by Azuma Takashi in 1981. The relationship between the Daido Juku school and kudo is similar to that between the kodokan school and judo.

Kūdō is found in more than 100 locations in Japan and is practised in more than 50 countries around the world. Although it is a martial art created by the Japanese, Russia currently has the largest number of Kūdō athletes, eclipsing the number of Japanese practitioners.

Notable Kudo athletes and practitioners

• Roman Anashkin Soviet Union
• Vladimir Zorin Soviet Union

External links

• Wikipedia
• Wikidata

Facts from Wikidata Q655925 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.