The US Weight Category Karate Championships was held in Manhattan Beach, California, USA on January 26, 2013. This 9th annual US national event was supervised by IKO International Committee Representative, Shihan Katsuhito Gorai and IKO Officiating Committee Representative, Shihan Stuart Corrigal, and hosted locally by IKO Los Angeles Branch Chief, Sensei Taku Nakasaka with a support from Shihan Patrick Fard.
Many excellent fighters came from Australia, Japan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Tunisia and Ukraine to compete in several divisions, from Kata, to Youth and Senior Semi-Contact Kumite and Women and Men Kumite. Aside from providing an excellent opportunity for international mutual exchange, this event served as the selection tournament for the North American region to choose fighters for the 5th World Weight Category in Tokyo this April 2013, and several worthy IKO members from Canada and the USA were selected to attend.