With its practitioners numbering over 130 million around the world and nearly 200 nations having become members of its international governing body, karate has become more of a global sport than Japan's own, traditional martial art.
Yet men's kata champion Ryo Kiyuna insists the atmosphere feels more intense when he showcases his skills in tournaments in his native Japan as opposed to other events around the world.
That feeling is magnified when he competes at the Japan Cup Karatedo, the annual national championship meet which held its 45th edition over the weekend at the historic Tokyo martial arts venue, the Nippon Budokan.