Kudo

Japanese full-contact hybrid martial art — Kyokushin karate strikes plus judo throws plus BJJ ground work.

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is Kudo?

Kudo is a Japanese hybrid martial art founded in 1981 by Azuma Takashi. Fighters wear a distinctive clear-visor helmet and gi, and bouts allow full-contact strikes (in the Kyokushin karate tradition), throws (like judo) and up to 30 seconds of ground work with submissions (like BJJ). It is fought under weight and height classes.

Quick facts

Category

Combat Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇯🇵 Japan

Estimated origin

1981, Sendai, Japan (Azuma Takashi)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified