In 2026, the NYC Karatedō International Championship will add a karatedō event, one of the first martial arts tournaments to add such a competition, and the very first international tournament to do so.

The karatedō events will feature karateka competing in delivering compelling presentations on fundamental concepts in the philosophy of karatedō. Featuring three rounds with scoring, medal awards, and a final winner in both a men's and women's division, the event will be one of the most anticipated competitions on Saturday, October 24th.

Previous Years

The planning for the karatedō events began in 2024, and was led by senior blackbelts from the tournament director staff. It was decided to hold a "demonstration" event for the 2025 Tournament, and at the end of regularly-scheduled competition in the Adult division on Saturday, November 8th, both men and women who had competed in various events were invited to engage in a friendly test event.

Two rounds offered tournament organizers a peek into how the full event might be run in 2026. The first round was a rapid-fire "shoot out" in which specific concepts were given by the chief judge, and the competitor had one minute to identify and briefly explain the concept.

The second round was quite meaningful: each karateka was able to choose their own concept from any of the near 150 in karatedō and then make a two minute presentation on the concept. Given that this demonstration event was entirely impromptu, the quality of the presentations was extraordinary!

This Year

This will be the first year that karatedō events are now formal competitions, co-equal with events in kata, kumite, and tameshiwari. A new champion's trophy has been designed and built, and will be on display at the Tournament. (NYCKARATE.COM will have full coverage of the trophy and its design later in 2026.)

The entire karate community is excited to support these types of events because the strong competitors you'll see are the future leaders and instructors that will build and support strong dojo throughout the world.

The events and their schedule for 2026 are:

October 24th, 2025 [Saturday Afternoon]

  • Adult Men Karatedō
  • Adult Women Karatedō