The word Kyokushin is a combination of two Japanese characters: Kyoku, meaning extreme, and shin, meaning truth; thus Kyokushin means "extreme" or "ultimate truth".
Adding the suffix "kai", meaning, "to meet", gives the meaning of people coming together striving for an common ideal. Therefore, the word "Kyokushinkai" translates to "Society of the Ultimate truth".
The aim of Kyokushin is to transcend the physical limitations of technique and attain the ideal of truth and perfection through hard training.
The Kanji
The kanji is a stylised form of Japanese writing for the word Kyokushinkai.
It can be found on the uniforms (Dogi) of members world wide. The characters were originally painted by Haramotoki Sensei and has come to symbolise all that Kyokushin represents.
You will often see the kanji (the character on the left) on the left hand breast of a persons training uniform (Dogi).
