Our Town Inagi 2016: Ryuto Akatsu

Aiming for the "World Champion" in Karate

Mr. Akatsu, who dedicates himself to karate practice every day, is a third-grade student attending Wakabadai Elementary School. He achieved fourth place in the second-grade category at the 3rd All Japan Junior Championship Karate Tournament held last November. He is also set to participate in the World Championship of Gokyushin Karate (friendly match) taking place this October.
Sokyokushin Karate is an organization established by those who wish to practice the main stream of Kyokushin Karate after it branched into various factions. At the Sokyokushin Shiyukai Inagi Dojo, where Mr. Akatsu belongs, classes are divided by age, and people from 4 to 60 years old sweat it out every day.

Mr. Akatsu's encounter with karate was at the age of 4, when he was taken to observe by his older brother, who had already joined the dojo. Currently, he is practicing a form of karate known as full-contact karate, focusing on physical conditioning, skill improvement, and mental training, with training sessions three times a week.
In the tournament where I placed 4th last year, I was able to improve my ranking by utilizing my strong roundhouse kick. Once the match started, I constantly thought about "What technique should I use, what techniques will come?" while engaging with my opponent. I mentioned that even when the techniques landed, it didn't hurt much, reflecting the results of my training.
In October 2016, Akatsu will participate in the world championship. He spoke passionately about wanting to perform like the karate athletes he admires. Let's look forward to seeing Akatsu shine at the world championship and support him.