during this time, ninomiya states that he had developed strategies and ideas of his own that he was eager to implement in his training curriculum. he also wanted to develop his own tournament format that would provide what he felt to be a "true" test of karate skills. therefore, in may, 1988, ninomiya decided to leave ashihara karate and start his own style. most of the instructors and students of ashihara in the us decided to follow ninomiya into his new organization enshin kaikan, providing a strong base for the new style- enshin karate.