In 1989, at the All-Kansai Open Tournament Kumite Championship, Kaicho Sonoda won his first grand championship.
International Karatedo Organization Kyokushinkaikan (IKOK) SONODA Group’s Chairman (会長 – pronounced as “Kaicho”) was born in 1965. Currently 55 years old, Kaicho Sonoda started training in Kyokushin karate at the age of 13, and was actively competing for 10 years between ages 18 to 28.
And in 1991, not only did Kaicho Sonoda win the All-Japan Kumite Championship Middle-Weight category, he was also specially selected to represent Japan for the 5th World Open Tournament Kumite Championship. Kaicho Sonoda won all preliminary matches until the final day’s fouth round.
With over 40 years of experience, Kaicho Sonoda established the IKOK SONODA Group in August 2019. As of February 2021, SONODA Group has branches across 90 countries, making it one of the fastest-growing Kyokushin organization in history.
