Yuki Ishikawa
Yuki Ishikawa left Tri-Force in 2013 to found Carpe Diem, a Tokyo academy with full-time staff, no set syllabus and instructors who later run their own dojos.
Biography
Sources for this profile
NiEW, "How Yuki Ishikawa of CARPE DIEM, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu dojo, developed 35 dojos.", 4 July 2023 (English version of a J-WAVE GRAND MARQUEE radio interview).(opens in a new tab)
Yuki Ishikawa was born in 1975 in Fukuoka, Japan.
Where in the source: First section, host's profile introduction — "born in 1975 in Fukuoka, Japan"
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Ishikawa had practised karate and other striking arts in Japan and went to the United States to study exercise physiology, not for jiu-jitsu. There he saw jiu-jitsu being practised in a university gym, tried it, found his striking useless against someone who knew groundwork, and joined the academy the next day.
Where in the source: Section 'My Impactful Encounter with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the U.S.', Ishikawa's answers — “my striking didn’t work at all”
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Appearing on J-WAVE radio in June 2023 as general manager of Carpe Diem, Ishikawa said the network had grown to 35 dojos in Japan and abroad not by design: instructors and competitors who had grown up in his dojo wanted to go independent and asked to do so under the Carpe Diem name. He said he designed clean interiors and apparel deliberately to soften the violent image of martial arts for people who had never considered training.
Where in the source: Section 'My Impactful Encounter...', answers on the 35 dojos and on apparel — "I wanted to change the image of martial arts"
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Fujifilm Print & Gift, 写真と、ちょっといい暮らし。 (Photos and a Slightly Better Life), interview with Yuki Ishikawa on photographing his family, part 1, 25 July 2022.(opens in a new tab)
A 2022 Fujifilm interview profile gives Ishikawa's birth year as 1975 and his home prefecture as Fukuoka.
Where in the source: Profile box at the end of the article — 「1975年生まれ、福岡県出身」
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Outside jiu-jitsu, Ishikawa is a photographer of family life: he published a photo essay in 2014, shoots mainly on medium-format film, and credits the photographer Masato Seto, whose class he attended, as his major influence. In 2022 he called jiu-jitsu his real work and photography a hobby.
Where in the source: Article introduction and answers about Masato Seto's class — 「瀬戸正人先生の教室」
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East Press, book page for CARPE DIEM JIU-JITSU (supervised by Yuki Ishikawa), published 5 October 2017.(opens in a new tab)
According to his publisher's author biography, Ishikawa began Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1998 while studying exercise physiology at Arizona State University, and returned to Japan after earning his degree.
Where in the source: Author profile under the book description — 「1998年、アリゾナ州立大学で運動生理学を学ぶ」
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According to his publisher's biography, Ishikawa finished second in the black belt featherweight division at the 2008 IBJJF Asian Championship.
Where in the source: Author profile under the book description — 「2008年IBJJFアジア選手権黒帯フェザー級2位」
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Ishikawa supervised CARPE DIEM JIU-JITSU, an instructional book with DVD published by East Press on 5 October 2017, which organises techniques by the opponent's position and was presented as the academy's first DVD-backed instructional.
Where in the source: Book details and description — ISBN 9784781616018, 発売日 2017年10月5日
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CARPE DIEM BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU, "STORY" (founder's statement by Yuki Ishikawa), undated.(opens in a new tab)
In his own account on the Carpe Diem website, Ishikawa started jiu-jitsu in America in 1998 at the age of 22 and trained for hours every day; after returning to Japan he did not take a company job but worked as a waiter and in similar jobs so he could train daily through his twenties.
Where in the source: STORY page, first two paragraphs — 「会社には就職せずウェイターなど」
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Ishikawa writes that in his thirties he opened a small dojo of his own and ran it for about six years as head of Tri-Force's Aoyama branch, a period he calls a 'second youth' spent with many students and developing young competitors; he says he never became a famous international competitor, yet the dojo always had many students.
Where in the source: STORY page, third and fourth paragraphs — 「青山支部代表として約6年」
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Ishikawa writes that on a summer day in 2013, sitting alone in the dojo, he decided to leave the large organisation and build a dojo that reflected his own way of living, and named it Carpe Diem — Latin he renders as 'live for today', a phrase that had eased his mind since youth.
Where in the source: STORY page, paragraphs beginning 「2013年の夏のある日」
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MMAPLANET, 「今をいきよ」──CARPE DIEMブラジリアン柔術・石川祐樹のWay of the Jiu-Jitsu <02> ("Live for now": Yuki Ishikawa of Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Way of the Jiu-Jitsu, part 2), 28 December 2015.(opens in a new tab)
Ishikawa began training around 1998 at an academy in Tempe, Arizona, which he describes as rough-edged and close to the MMA scene; fighters he names as training there include Mark Kerr, Ricco Rodriguez, Dan Henderson, Don Frye and Heath Sims.
Where in the source: Interview part 2, answers about the Arizona years — 「アリゾナ州のテンピという街で」
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Ishikawa says that as a Japanese student at an American university he felt ignored and lonely, but made friends within two days of joining the jiu-jitsu academy — an experience he cites as the reason he wants Carpe Diem to be a welcoming, international place for foreigners in Japan.
Where in the source: Interview part 2, closing question and answer — 「日本人として飛び込んだ」 / 「2日で仲間ができた」
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Ishikawa does not use a fixed curriculum or set promotion criteria: he chooses each class's techniques from the students in front of him, lets staff teach their own game, and tells them that podium results are what give their teaching authority; the rules he enforces are about safety and adapting to injured or much lighter partners.
Where in the source: Interview part 2, answers on curriculum and staff — 「スタッフは放し飼い」
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MMAPLANET, 「今をいきよ」──CARPE DIEMブラジリアン柔術・石川祐樹のWay of the Jiu-Jitsu ("Live for now": Yuki Ishikawa of Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Way of the Jiu-Jitsu, part 1), 21 December 2015.(opens in a new tab)
MMAPLANET's photo caption records Ishikawa taking third place in the purple belt pluma (light-featherweight) division at the 2004 World Championship (Mundial), then held in Rio de Janeiro.
Where in the source: Photo caption in part 1 — 「2004年ムンジアル紫帯プルーマ級3位」
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Ishikawa was for many years a student of Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa, head of Tri-Force; he taught as an instructor at Tri-Force while holding a job, then opened his own dojo within the Tri-Force network and became busy running it. He says he never had a single day as a pure competitor, and envied those who could.
Where in the source: Part 1, question on why he founded Carpe Diem and the preceding answer — 「早川光由さん率いるトライフォース」
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Ishikawa says he left Tri-Force simply to do things his own way, feeling his direction had diverged from Hayakawa's; he told Hayakawa by email and received a gracious reply, and says that since then — about three years before the 2015 interview — the two had not spoken, which he regarded as the courteous course between rivals rather than enemies.
Where in the source: Part 1, answers following the question on why he founded Carpe Diem — 「メールで早川さんに伝えました」
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In 2015 Ishikawa explained that Carpe Diem employed staff instructors from outside his own dojo as well as his own students: Masahiro Iwasaki, a Barbosa black belt; Tomoyuki Hashimoto, who came from Tokushima Jiu-Jitsu as a brown belt and received his black belt from Ishikawa; and Tsuyoshi Tamaki, who had trained with him since white belt. He said he had never invited a practitioner from another dojo to work for him; Hashimoto and Iwasaki wrote asking to be hired.
Where in the source: Part 1, first answer — 「僕が黒帯を渡しました」
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Ishikawa said he wanted his staff to be able to live for jiu-jitsu alone, because he himself never could; and that, since running his dojos kept him from refereeing or regularly attending tournaments, he saw his own contribution as getting jiu-jitsu into general-interest media — for example fashion shoots in which he put celebrities in gis and belts, which drew criticism from within the sport.
Where in the source: Part 1, answers on staff and on media — 「一般誌などで柔術を取り扱ってもらう」
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Ishikawa said he admired how skateboarders and surfers in American culture carry their identity beyond the activity itself, and wanted to build a jiu-jitsu culture in Japan in which people with other careers, including artists, are recognised as jiu-jitsu practitioners — jiu-jitsu as a tool for a richer life rather than only a pursuit of results.
Where in the source: Part 1, final answers — 「人生を豊かにするツール」
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Tri-Force Jiu-Jitsu Academy, 帯取得者リスト | Belt Holders — Tri-force Ikebukuro (HQ), accessed 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Tri-Force Jiu-Jitsu Academy's belt-holder register for its Ikebukuro headquarters lists Yuki Ishikawa as promoted to brown belt on 1 September 2004 and to black belt on 2 November 2006.
Where in the source: Belt Holders, Tri-force Ikebukuro (HQ): black-belt list, third entry; brown-belt list, first entry — "石川 祐樹 Yuki Ishikawa"
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BJJ Asia, "Training at Carpe Diem BJJ in Tokyo – Mita Branch", 18 April 2018.(opens in a new tab)
A 2018 BJJ Asia gym report states that Ishikawa founded Carpe Diem in 2013 after training abroad and teaching under the Tri-Force banner; that by then it had three Tokyo dojos plus branches in Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kawasaki and Gifu, a separate women-only 'Girlz' branch at Hiroo described as the first of its kind in Japan, and a first overseas branch in London led by Tsuyoshi Tamaki.
Where in the source: Section 'History', second paragraph — “a separate Carpe Diem “Girlz” branch”
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The same 2018 report credits Carpe Diem's competition team with Masahiro Iwasaki's silver at the 2018 European Championship and Tomoyuki Hashimoto's gold at the 2018 IBJJF Pan American Championship.
Where in the source: Section 'History', third paragraph — "gold in the IBJJF Pan American Championship 2018"
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MMAPLANET, 「今をいきよ」──CARPE DIEMブラジリアン柔術・石川祐樹のWay of the Jiu-Jitsu <03> ("Live for now": Yuki Ishikawa of Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Way of the Jiu-Jitsu, part 3), 11 January 2016.(opens in a new tab)
Ishikawa describes Carpe Diem classes as having no formal bows or meditation at the start and ending with applause rather than handshakes, with gi tops optional mid-session and tattoos allowed; he says the etiquette that matters is behaviour in sparring, and asks higher belts to roll for their partner's benefit.
Where in the source: Interview part 3, answers following the question 「礼がない?」
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In the same interview Ishikawa said he opposed Brazilian jiu-jitsu becoming an Olympic sport, arguing it would turn it into a managed 'jiu-jitsu for everyone'; he wanted to keep the outsider spirit of the Arizona academy where he started, and did not advertise jiu-jitsu as a safe activity.
Where in the source: Interview part 3, answer mentioning 「五輪スポーツ化」
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Ishikawa said he hired staff only if they wanted to own a dojo one day, whether under the Carpe Diem name or another, and that his central-Tokyo dojos (Aoyama, Mita, Hiroo) covered high rents through apparel, sponsors, and services such as a monthly gi-laundry locker plan.
Where in the source: Interview part 3, answers on hiring and on the business of the three dojos — 「将来、自分の道場を持ちたいかどうか」
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MMAPLANET, 「今をいきよ」──CARPE DIEMブラジリアン柔術・石川祐樹のWay of the Jiu-Jitsu <04> ("Live for now": Yuki Ishikawa of Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Way of the Jiu-Jitsu, part 4), 20 January 2016.(opens in a new tab)
In early 2016 Ishikawa said a British brown-belt student returning to London wanted to open a Carpe Diem dojo there; Ishikawa agreed on condition that Tsuyoshi Tamaki, his student since white belt, went to lead it from June 2016. He said he asked staff to give Carpe Diem about five years and then go their own way.
Where in the source: Interview part 4, answers about Tamaki and London — 「6月からはロンドン」
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In early 2016 Carpe Diem's regular classes did not admit women; Ishikawa explained it as a management decision to avoid problems in mixed classes, said jiu-jitsu itself has no gender, offered a Saturday women's class, and said he wanted to open a women-only dojo with a female instructor when possible.
Where in the source: Interview part 4, section introduced as 女子禁制 — 「女性だけの柔術道場を出したい」
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MMAPLANET (text by Takao Matsui), 【JBJJF】東京国際 26名出場、カルペディエム石川祐樹代表<01> (Tokyo International: 26 Carpe Diem entrants, interview with head Yuki Ishikawa, part 1), 15 December 2016.(opens in a new tab)
In December 2016 Ishikawa said Carpe Diem would open a dojo in his home city of Fukuoka on 1 February 2017, near Gion station in Hakata, led by Hibiki Tamura and branded in partnership with Reebok; he added that he personally owned only the Aoyama dojo, with the other branches separately owned, and that his role was director, providing branding consultancy.
Where in the source: Interview <01>, answers on Fukuoka and ownership — 「私がオーナーなのは青山だけです」
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CARPE DIEM BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU, "CARPE DIEM Dojos", accessed 28 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Carpe Diem's dojo directory lists its headquarters at Aoyama in Tokyo and branches across Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa, together with overseas dojos including Busan, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Hefei in China.
Where in the source: Dojos page: 'CARPE DIEM HQ — カルペディエム本部 青山' followed by the branch list
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Carpe Diem's headquarters dojo is in Minami-Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo.
Where in the source: Dojos page, first entry 'CARPE DIEM HQ'
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Fujifilm Print & Gift, 写真と、ちょっといい暮らし。 (Photos and a Slightly Better Life), interview with Yuki Ishikawa on photographing his family, part 2, 12 August 2022.(opens in a new tab)
Ishikawa has said he was a frustrated child who lashed out and was labelled a troublemaker, and that channelling that energy into martial arts turned it into something he was praised for; he wants to give children the same positive outlet, and likens jiu-jitsu, decided by an opponent's tap, to shogi.
Where in the source: Part 2, section 「少しでも多くの人に柔術の魅力を伝えたくて」
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JIU-JITSU NAVI, 【コラム】石川祐樹のMore than Jiu-Jitsu【第1話】 (column: Yuki Ishikawa's More than Jiu-Jitsu, episode 1 of 12), undated.(opens in a new tab)
Ishikawa wrote a twelve-part column, 'More than Jiu-Jitsu', for the Japanese site JIU-JITSU NAVI, introducing himself as the founder and still the head of Carpe Diem who competed at home and abroad in his younger years.
Where in the source: Column episode 1, opening paragraph — 「【第1話／全12話】」
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