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Mas Oyama
Kyokushinkai Founder
History of Kyokushin Karate
Sosai Masutatsu Oyama was born on July 27th, 1923, in
a village in Southern Korea.
At the age of 9 whilst staying on his sister's farm in Manchuria, he first learnt
the Martial Arts, studying the southern Chinese Kempo form known as "Eighteen
Hands." In 1938 Mas Oyama traveled to Japan with the desire to enter an
aviation school and become a fighter pilot, but he was forced to abandon his
dream and find work. He continued practicing judo and boxing and his interest
in Martial Arts led him to the dojo of Gishin Funakoshi and thus, he started
practicing Okinawa Karate.
With his dedication, Mas Oyama progressed quickly and by the time he was 20
years old he had obtained his fourth Dan. It was at this time that Mas Oyama
entered the Japanese Imperial Army and began studying judo in the hope of mastering
its holding and grappling techniques. When he stopped training in judo, after
about 4 years, he gained a fourth Dan.
Following the defeat of Japan after the second world war, Oyama like all other
young Japanese, was thrown into a personal crisis. He found a way out of his
despair by training with So Nei Chu, a Korean Master of Goju-Ryu Karate. This
great teacher, renowned for the power of his body, and deep spiritual inclination
had a profound influence on young Mas Oyama. Master So taught him the inseparability
of budo and the spiritual fundamentals of Buddhism. After a few years of training,
Master So advised Mas Oyama to make a firm commitment to dedicate his life to
the Martial Way and retreat to a mountain hideout and train his mind and body.
In 1946, Mas Oyama went into training, at a remote spot, on the Mt. Kiyosumi
in Chiba Prefecture. He was accompanied by one of his students named Yashiro
and a friend Mr. Kayama brought them food supplies every month. Through vigorous
training, Mas Oyama learnt to overcome the mental strain caused by solitude
but Yashiro could not bear it and fled after 6 months. About fourteen months
later Mr. Kayama told Mas Oyama that due to unforeseen circumstances he could
no longer sponsor Mas Oyama's retreat in the mountains and thus Mas Oyama's
original plan of remaining in solitude for three years was brought to an end.
In 1950, Mas Oyama began his famous battles with bulls; partly to test his strength
and also to make the world sit up and notice the power of his karate. All together,
Oyama fought 52 bulls, killing 3 instantly and taking the horns of 49 with knife-hand
blows.
Mas Oyama opened his first "Dojo" in 1953 in Mejiro, Tokyo. This was
the time that Mas Oyama's karate strength was at its peak so the training was
severe. Many students were members of other styles and Mas Oyama would compare
styles and build on his karate. He would take what he felt were the best techniques
and concepts from any Martial Art and gradually fit them into his training;
therefore, laying the foundations of Kyokushin Karate.
The first "School of Oyama" outside Japan was opened in 1957 by Shihan
Bobby Lowe in Hawaii. In 1952, Mas Oyama gave his first demonstration in Hawaii.
After the demonstration Shihan Bobby Lowe met Mas Oyama and arranged to train
with him. Bobby Lowe's father was an instructor of Kung Fu so he had done much
training in the Chinese Martial Arts. He had participated in any fighting Art
he could; by the time he was 23 he had earned his 4th Dan in judo, 2nd Dan in
Kempo, shodan in Aikido but Mas Oyama's powerful demonstration had stunned him.
Mas Oyama invited Bobby Lowe to Tokyo to train with him and Bobby Lowe did and
trained for over a year and a half. In this way Shihan Bobby Lowe became the
first "uchi-deshi" of Kyokushin, a tradition that later grew to be
known as the "Wakajishi" or Young Lions of Mas Oyama, where a select
few are chosen each year to devote themselves to Karate for one thousand days.
The building of the World Headquarters started in 1963 and was officially opened
in 1964. It was at this time that Mas Oyama adopted the name Kyokushin "The
Ultimate Truth". Kyokushin had started its spread around the globe and
at present is one of the largest martial art organization in the world.
It goes without saying that a style is only as strong as the students who represent
it. This is why it is the responsibility of all those who have chosen to follow
Sosai, to train hard and forge and indomitable spirit so that the tradition
of strength in Kyokushin Karate may be recognized by all for many years.
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