Sosai Oyama was born on July 27, 1923, as Hyung Yee Choi in southeastern Korea, in a village called Wa-Ryongri Yong-ch-myonchul Na Do, near the city of Kinje, not far from Gusang. The village is located near the Yellow Sea, which for centuries was dominated by Chinese and Japanese pirates who ravaged the coastline. Young Hyung Yee was one of the lucky ones in the province of Cholapuk Do who belonged to the Yangban clan and came from an aristocratic family. His father, Sun Hyang, like Hyug Yee and his three brothers, was unusually strong. The fairly wealthy family owned a large rural estate, and the head of the family, Kinje, even held the position of village chief. The road to Yongyee Elementary School was narrow and dusty, and Hyung Yee, like the other children, had to walk the ten kilometers to school. There were sixty students in his class, and the school had a total enrollment of about four hundred students. At the age of thirteen, he moved to Seoul to live with his aunt and continue his studies.
Hyung Yeet wasn't really interested in what he learned at school. He much preferred being outdoors, fishing and swimming with his friends. The only thing that really interested him was sports, athletics. He took part in soccer matches and cross-country races. Although he didn't show much interest when his brothers wanted him to try boxing, a martial art called Chabee caught his attention. He had been practicing Chabee since he was nine years old, and it was rare for him to miss a single training session. Chabee originated in the Koryo period (912-1392). Prior to the Koryo period, the Korean peninsula was unified by the Silla ruling family. The fighting techniques used at the end of the Silla period were derived from a mixture of Chinese and Korean martial arts, mainly Chinese hand techniques. They differed greatly from the old Korean styles, which used numerous head, elbow, and foot techniques. During the Koryo period, the peninsula flourished economically and culturally. At the same time, the so-called eighteen techniques were developed. Later, a new system, the thirty-six techniques, was developed, and then Chabee was created from both systems.
Hyung Yee's first idol was a Shirum wrestler. Shirum is the Korean version of Japanese sumo wrestling. Every summer during harvest time, they held a Harvest Festival, and the highlight was the big Shirum tournament. Lots of wrestlers came to the competition, mostly from northern Korea. Many strong harvesters came here to test their strength against the strong men from neighboring areas. For several years, a tough man from the south dominated the field. He became Hyung Yee's idol, and she followed him everywhere at the ceremonies, which were also part of the festival. When the wrestler won the competition again, he challenged everyone: anyone could fight him. When no one accepted the challenge, he asked the audience again, this time in an arrogant, insulting tone, if anyone dared to stand up to him. At that moment, a small, thin North Korean man in his forties stepped forward. Hyung Yee knew him, as he worked for his father on the family estate. He knew him to be a very modest, honest man named Yi. Yi had told him many stories about the far north. No one, not even Hyung Yee, thought that Yi had any chance against the champion. The wrestler thought he could expect a quick and easy victory; he rushed forward, charging at the small man, but then a powerful blow struck him square in the face. The blow knocked him to the ground; after this happened several times, the wrestler had to give up the fight and was even taken to a nearby hospital.
Hyung Yee found a new idol, and perhaps this event also influenced his later life, as Yee never shied away from any challenge. He tried to persuade Yi to teach him Chabee. After some time and persuasion, his efforts were successful. Had a new world opened up before him? Yi taught him for two years, until his contract to work on the estate expired. Hyung Yee was very upset to lose his teacher, but at the same time he was proud and confident. Without Yi's supervision, Yee remained a restless child. Since he was much larger than other children his age, he was often forced to help his friends, even in fights, sometimes against opponents three years older than him. His friends called him "Little Boss." His restlessness and sometimes recklessness were also evident in his naive interest in girls. Once, while playing, he accidentally hit the "school beauty" with a stone. When the girl protested, Yee suddenly grabbed her and hugged her tightly. At that time, this kind of behavior was unthinkable, so when his father found out what had happened, he punished Yee very severely. Hyung Yee then decided never to give his father a reason to punish him again. He was extremely ashamed and could not forget what had happened for a long time. However, his ability to get into trouble persisted even in Seoul, where he moved at the age of thirteen to continue his studies. His normally calm father reacted very firmly and harshly to his son's wild behavior, as did the police. This probably led Hung Yee to decide that when he finished school, he would leave his homeland and move to Japan.
It was 1938, and Hyung Yee was fifteen years old. Japan was at war with China and was preparing for its second major offensive. Korea had been under Japanese occupation since 1910. Over the past thirty years, the Japanese had taken decisive steps to destroy Korea's national character. Schools taught in Japanese (the older population still speaks Japanese today), names were changed according to Japanese custom, and the administration was completely in Japanese hands. Many young people respected Japan as a leading country, while others, especially in the northern regions, fought constantly against the oppressors, protesting and even waging war. Like many young people, Hyung Yee dreamed of becoming a pilot, like Shin, Korea's first fighter pilot, who fought in the Sino-Japanese War. Shin was a hero in the eyes of many Korean men, and the teenage Hyung Yee also regarded him as a great hero. He went to Japan on his own—whether it was his own determination or because he was sent there, we don't know, but what is certain is that change was absolutely necessary for him. His flying career began when he was accepted into the Yamanashi Youth Aviation Institute. This school was a military academy for young boys, located southeast of Tokyo in the Yamanashi district. Yee studied to become an aircraft technician. A few years later, without completing his studies, he left the school for unknown reasons.
His secure life suddenly came to an end. Hyung Yee was alone, without accommodation in the hell of the big city, Tokyo. He went from place to place, but couldn't find a room anywhere. Finally, completely exhausted and tormented by homesickness, he had to admit that he was just an unwanted Korean in a foreign country. But at this moment of defeat, he pulled himself together and decided that he would succeed in some other field, since it was now impossible for him to become a pilot. (From then on, Hyung Yee's heart was always open to foreigners, "strangers ." He finally managed to rent a room with the Oyama family in the suburbs of Tokyo. They were also of Korean descent and took pity on their lost compatriot. The young Hyung Yee then changed his name and took on a Japanese name. This was common among Korean immigrants in Japan. It is possible that conservative Japanese society accepted them more easily this way. Yee took the name Masutatsu Oyama after the family that gave him accommodation. The family's two sons, Shigeru and Yasuhiko, later became his students and held high positions in the Kyokushin organization.
Masutatsu Oyama, or Mas as his friends called him, started at Takushoku University, which was famous for its martial arts participants. This was the place where Shotokan karate also found a solid base. Young Mas started with judo and then took up boxing again. Once, he accidentally witnessed a karate training session and was completely captivated by it. The atmosphere was completely different, and the techniques were unlike anything he had seen before. He sought out the main Shotokan dojo in Zoshigaya, in the Toshima-ku district of Tokyo, near Mejiro, so that he could learn under the guidance of the best instructors. The dojo was run by Yoshitaka "Giko" Funakoshi, the second son of Gichin Funakoshi, who introduced karate to Japan. Under Giko's supervision, Oyama trained enthusiastically every day for two years. The isolation and loneliness he experienced due to his foreign origins made him even more determined. To pay for his studies and buy cheaper food, he took a job as an assistant in the school cafeteria. It was a hard life, filled with work, study, and training from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. The school principal was very pleased with his work. The young Korean's demand for cleanliness and order was always pronounced, almost pedantic. The cook, however, was not always happy when he found his greasy pots spotlessly clean. Oyama used to give his students a thirty-minute lecture on the importance of cleanliness in the baths. It was probably around this time, in 1941-42, that Nei-Chi Sónáll (ChoHyung Ju) began training.
So was also Korean, from the same province as Oyama. He taught the Goju-ryu style and was one of Gogen Yamaguchi's best students. They quickly became friends, and Oyama studied under So for two years. Oyama, then a second dan, left the Shotokan style at the age of seventeen or eighteen, probably for social reasons alone. He belonged to a disadvantaged minority and was actually looking for an older Korean companion who could replace his father. Oyama always spoke fondly of his time with Shotokan and the impressions he gained from the real master, Funakoshi.
Although he was known for his immense strength, Nei-Chju So was also a great philosopher with profound spiritual knowledge and an unusually strong character. He had an extraordinary influence on Oyama; in addition to teaching him Goju-ryu karate, he also introduced him to the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. Nichiren's philosophy emphasizes that martial arts and religious elevation belong together. Mas Oyama was drafted into the military, forcing him to interrupt his university studies. He served as ground crew at an airport near Tokyo. His tendency to get into trouble continued to haunt him. He was arrested after knocking down an officer, but was found innocent when it turned out that the officer had provoked the altercation. He was assigned to the Pacific, but before he could be shipped out, the war ended. He was twenty-two years old at the time and, thanks to his dedication and rigorous training, held a fourth dan black belt.
1945. The war was over, and Japan had suffered a painful defeat with heavy losses. Oyama was filled with the strange experience of dual patriotism. On the one hand, his native Korea, though freed from Japanese rule, was now suffering from conflicts between North and South. On the other hand, his new homeland, Japan, had lost the war against the United States, and this hurt him deeply. The war and the bombing of Tokyo had caused severe deprivation, with a shortage of even the most basic necessities and money. Under these circumstances, Oyama's unscrupulous compatriots drew him into dubious syndicates. These syndicates lived a life of luxury in war-torn Japan thanks to the black market and protection money. Agitation continued alongside the idea of Korean unification. These were all activities that perfectly concealed the reality, and where, for example, Oyama's original nature could be exploited. His collaboration with gangster syndicates led the young Korean astray. The bad influence and countless clashes with American soldiers dulled Oyama's judgment and caused him to overreact. Soldiers and sailors on leave naturally tried to court Japanese women. More than once, Oyama was the savior when trouble arose with overly aggressive suitors. He considered himself the Superman of the East, their protector. Many of the conscripts had to realize that it was not easy to catch the little Korean. More than one American said of him, "It's lucky that there aren't many guys like him in Japan, otherwise we would have lost the war."
After heavy bombing raids, culminating in the dropping of two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was forced to surrender unconditionally on August 15, 1945. There was complete desolation in Tokyo, which had been destroyed by fire. The heavy burden of shame weighed on the shoulders of the Japanese people, and when the Empire had to renounce its divine supremacy in favor of the new constitution, the confusion became complete. The life of the young Korean Masutatsu Oyama was filled with despair. His inability to achieve his goals and the loss of the war were almost unbearable for him. His connections with the syndicate and the political forces dealing with the Korean question attracted the attention of the army. He was constantly involved in conflicts with American soldiers and members of rival syndicates, which resulted in his arrest and imprisonment for six months. His father's words, "A kid like you will never achieve anything," always rang in his ears, and he was repeatedly overcome with self-reproach for the lifestyle he was leading. At the same time, his growing self-awareness began to shape his ideas about what to do with his life. Although the occupiers had banned the practice of martial arts, Oyama resumed karate training with his friend and master, Nei-Chu So. They trained in a dojo in the Koenji district. Nei-Chu So once told his student with his usual seriousness: "I have now taught you everything I know, and you are now stronger than me. In fact, you are stronger than most people. If you continue to live as you have been, you will get into even more trouble and kill even more people. Sooner or later, you will end up in prison. I recommend the following: go to a temple and meditate—think about what to do with your life."
Oyama thought about what his master had said and agreed with him. He remembered an incident that had made a big impression on him. A dance competition was held at the Sano Hotel in Tokyo. The hotel also served as accommodation for American officers. During the event, a fight broke out between Oyama and a tall Japanese man. Oyama's opponent was known to often use a knife during fights. He was suspected of several murders, but the police did not have enough evidence to arrest him. The Japanese man lost his temper and, of course, pulled out a knife, while Oyama managed to remain calm. Moving the knife back and forth in front of him, the Japanese man suddenly lunged at Oyama. Oyama defended himself and delivered a powerful blow to his opponent's head. The Japanese man was dead before his body hit the ground. Numerous witnesses saw the incident, and after considering all the evidence, the court decided that Oyama had been provoked and had acted in self-defense, so he was not convicted. Mas, however, took the incident extremely tragically and could not shake off its impact. It is one thing to beat someone in a fight between two people, but it is quite another to kill them. It later emerged that the gangster had a wife and children living in the suburbs of Tokyo. When they sought out Mas and demanded the return of their dead husband and father, Oyama was close to giving up martial arts. He went to see the widow in the Kanto district and offered his help: he would work on their farm. He only returned to Tokyo when the widow swore that they could manage without him.
Thinking back on all this, immersed in his dark thoughts in prison, he agreed with Nei-Chu So again and again. He had to find a way to take control of his own destiny and dominate his life, which would also result in greater self-control. Nei-Chu So said in this regard: "It would be best if you left. Retreat into nature and find your place there. Move to a mountain hut and train your body and soul. In three years, you can achieve something immeasurably great. As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Train your body while you are young, and you will become a great man." It was the last sentence in particular that struck the then 23-year-old Oyama. He realized what karate could give him, and it gave him a real purpose in life, something that had been missing until then. Karate was not only a joyful training that made him stronger, but it also showed him how he could develop his personality, techniques, and methods, and find ways to further develop and spread karate. Nei-Chu So's words made him realize that karate not only gave him physical strength, but also spiritual strength and the goal he had always desired. The road ahead of him was long and full of hard work, but Oyama was now ready for anything and would sacrifice anything to fulfill his new ideas.
In the fall of 1946, he tried to open his own dojo: the Eiwa Karate-Do Institute in Sugami, near Tokyo. It was close to Nei-Chu So's dojo. Unfortunately, he had to close it after a few months, perhaps because the Americans had banned the practice of martial arts, or perhaps because of his prison record. Oyama visited Eiji Yoshikawa and Shiro Okazi, with whom he studied Buddhism. Both are famous writers and historians. Yoshikawa wrote the most famous Japanese novel, Musashi. This book is Oyama's absolute favorite, from which he often drew inspiration and which he quotes very often. Minobu Mountain is located in the Yamanashi district, southeast of Tokyo. It is in the same area as the flight academy where Oyama began his studies at the age of 15 when he first came to Japan. It was in Minobu that Miyamoto Musashi drew inspiration for his world-famous two-sword technique, Nito Ryu, in the seventeenth century. Oyama's arrival was prepared in advance at the Buddhist temple on the mountainside. He was given a strict work schedule, which consisted of training, wood cutting, water carrying, and other tasks. But after a while, Oyama felt that he had too little time for training, and after three months he returned to Tokyo.
Shortly after his return to Tokyo, he participated in the first post-war karate championship, the All Japan Championship. In the same year, the occupying forces lifted the ban on karate practice. The competition was held at Maruyama College in Kyoto, and the winner was Mas Oyama. The following year, after two years of dating, Oyama married Chiyako Fujimaki. Chiyako was a tall, slender girl who had reportedly won the "Miss Tokyo" beauty contest in her youth. Soon after, their first daughter was born. They had three children in total, all girls, much to Oyama's disappointment. Despite this, he loved his children very much, even though he had always wanted a son who could be his successor and heir. Oyama also found a supporter that same year, a liberal politician named Senichiro Ozawa. Together, they decided to follow Nei-Chu So's advice and plan a thousand days of rigorous mountain training for Oyama.
Oyama and his disciple, Yashiro, climbed Mount Kiyosomi. In Chiba Prefecture, at the tip of the Bonson Peninsula, halfway up the 386-meter mountain, they built a hut. The mountain was beautiful, covered with oak and maple trees, and offered a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. The place also had spiritual value for Oyama: it was here that Nichiren Shonin founded the Nichiren sect on April 28, 1253. Oyama had been introduced to the Buddhist faith by Nei-Chu five years earlier. Nichiren Shonin was a disciple of Dozin Oshu at the age of twelve, and after twenty years of hardship and trials, Shonin revealed the new faith that was born on Mount Kiyosomi. He named it Hokke-Shu. The Seijoji temple, where Nichiren meditated, still stands today; Oyama chose it as his ascetic residence. The hut had no electricity or gas. Oyama and his disciple took the Musashi novel collection with them, and they had a spear, a sword, a rifle, and some kitchen utensils. Perhaps they also had some Buddhist writings with them.
The beginning was filled with hard training, but the isolation in the mountains began to weigh heavily on them. The solitude and the sounds of the wilderness frightened them. They slept restlessly, had nightmares, and increasingly felt the lack of the comforts of civilization, even though from the beginning they had been focused on toughening themselves up as much as possible. Training began at five in the morning with running, often followed by short sprints up steep slopes. This was followed by practice with a makiwara mounted on a tree, repeating each technique a thousand times. In the afternoon, they did strength training, using rocks as weights. This was followed by sandbag training and then free fighting.
Oyama tolerated the hard, simple life well, but his student did not. One night, he ran away. From then on, Oyama was left completely alone in the mountain hut. It was a relief when his friend Kayama arrived once a month from Tateyama City with food supplies and other necessities. His sponsor sent him a five-dollar check every month to cover his expenses. The loneliness and hardship motivated Oyama to train even harder. He continued his morning runs, followed by basic training. The afternoons were devoted exclusively to karate training. It was during this time that he developed his famous breaking techniques. He practiced jumping kicks over fast-growing flax bushes: as the bushes grew, he had to jump higher and higher. In the evening, he meditated and read aloud from Buddhist writings. To help him focus his thoughts during meditation, he concentrated on a circle drawn on a wall. He often played the bamboo flute or painted on such evenings. Even at this time, he treated the circle and the point as the theoretical basis of his karate. This idea originated in the sixteenth century, but Oyama often applied the principle to make his fighting theory understandable. He set himself the goal of becoming strong enough to be able to fight a bull using only his bare hands. He knew that if he achieved this, it would bring him fame. In the end, however, he could no longer bear the loneliness and began to doubt the success of his plans. The only person he trusted was his friend and master, Nei-Chu So. Oyama wrote to him: "In this civilized age, I shouldn't have to train in such a primitive way. If I had the opportunity, I could train much more effectively in the city." A month later, he received a reply that was very important to him. The reply deeply upset him. He realized what he had to go through to transform his character and self-control to become Japan's strongest karateka. He shaved his hair and eyebrows, and the letter gave him new motivation to train. Whenever doubts began to plague him again, he reread the letter and drew strength from the book about Musashi and from meditation. The results of the grueling training began to show; he became physically and mentally stronger month by month. His confidence grew immensely when one evening he was able to break a stone in two, something he had previously tried unsuccessfully. His hair, like his mustache, grew long; he had to shave his eyebrows three times before his life in the mountains came to an end.
Instead of the previously planned three years of mountain life, Oyama had to return after eighteen months because his sponsor stopped sending him checks and became embroiled in a political scandal. Oyama decided to carry out his plan and try his hand at bare-knuckle fighting against bulls, and this was the right moment to do so. He was full of confidence and had learned to control himself and his enormous physical strength. Oyama descended from the mountain towards civilization, the city of Tateyama. At first, the Tateyama slaughterhouse did not take his interest in testing his strength on bulls seriously. With some persistence, he finally got his first chance with a 450-kilogram bull. He successfully landed his first terrible blow on the bull's forehead. The bull began to run headlong, blood pouring from its nose and mouth, but the blow did not kill it. After it was slaughtered, it turned out that its skull was fractured. The butchers gave Oyama a second chance. This time, the animal fell to its knees, but that was all that happened. A farmer advised Oyama to break the horns instead, which he managed to do after a few attempts. Oyama, then 26, returned to Tokyo in early 1950. His fame grew as word spread about his tremendous power. The All-Japan Championship title, mountain training, and breaking bull horns made him very popular. He felt much more mature, and his self-confidence grew. He began working as a bodyguard at the Korean embassy. In 1951, he worked as an instructor at various US Army bases. Kyokushin was taught at some bases until the mid-1960s. Oyama resumed his judo training to practice throws and holds. He trained at the Sone dojo for a total of about four years and earned his 4th dan.
In April 1952, the Chicago Professional Wrestling Organization invited Oyama and Hawaiian professional wrestler Togo to participate in a wrestling exhibition tour. The exhibition was a huge success and provided Oyama with an excellent opportunity to showcase Japanese karate. After the opening night in Chicago, the group held exhibitions in 32 states, as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Cuba. Oyama fought three professional wrestlers in prize fights and defeated all three. After ten months and countless demonstrations, Oyama returned to Japan as a famous man, as the Japanese press had followed the demonstration tour closely. His technical and kata demonstrations attracted less attention from the audience than his wood and stone breaking. Unfortunately, the misunderstanding that still surrounds karate today was born at that time. Oyama based his demonstrations on Tameshiwari – breaking bricks and stones. He wanted to convince the world of the power of karate. He recognized the importance of promotion and good publicity in spreading the principle, and he took this to the level of perfection.
After returning to Japan, in 1952, a filmmaker friend offered to film his fight with a bull. Oyama realized that now was the time for the big moment, now he had to win. If he won, the karate he practiced could become world famous. Now he could show the results of his hard training. He accepted the offer, which meant that a three-month period of special training awaited him. He studied the habits of bulls and tried to identify their weaknesses in particular. He visited several slaughterhouses to test the power of his punches on the horns of slaughtered bulls. To be able to successfully stand up to the bull, he knew he had to run 100 meters in 15, but preferably 13 seconds, which meant he had to reduce his weight to 80 kilograms. He tested the bulls' endurance while running by running alongside them on the other side of the river. As part of his daily routine, he got up at 4 a.m. and ran eight kilometers to Hachiman Shrine and back. After breakfast, he had two hours of karate training, followed by another three hours in the afternoon.
By January 1953, preparations were complete – Oyama, who was 29 at the time, and the filmmakers from Shochiku Motion Pictures Co. had chosen a location on the beach at Yawata, near Tateyama. The bulls weighed 500 kilograms and had horns 25 cm long and 7.5 cm in diameter at the base. At the start of the fight, Oyama grabbed the animal's head and tried to knock it to the ground, but it resisted. Oyama's plan was to pull the animal to the ground and then break its horns. After five minutes of fighting, both began to tire. Then the bull suddenly attacked Oyama, who fell on his back, and the bull gored him. With a tremendous effort, Oyama got to his feet and managed to stop the bull's attack. He realized that the bull was as tired as he was and tried to knock off its horns while standing, but was unsuccessful. He knew that he had to hold the bull's head firmly to the ground if he wanted to break its horns. He launched another attack, trying to completely exhaust the bull. This time he managed to wrestle it down and knocked its horns off with his right hand. He succeeded—he didn't kill the bull, but he defeated it in free combat. He was very pleased with himself. He demonstrated what hard training and karate can achieve. He showed how much self-control he had, and at the same time made a name for himself that everyone would recognize. His childhood dreams could now finally come true. The fight lasted thirty-four minutes. Unfortunately, we do not know what happened to the film. There are many stories about how many bulls Oyama defeated, but we only have reports of four or five cases. He also experimented with dead bulls and managed to break their horns in forty-eight out of fifty-two cases. He killed three bulls by twisting their necks.
Oyama opened an outdoor dojo in Miyajiro, a park in one of Tokyo's districts. He chose Kenji Masushima as his first assistant. Oyama gathered and applied all his technical experience and teaching methods. Initially, he had three hundred students. Despite the primitive teaching conditions, interest was high, and many people wanted to train at the dojo. Everything Oyama had achieved sparked this great interest. Eiji Yasuda joined them as an instructor and, together with Kenji Masushima, was a great help to Oyama. Oyama also aroused interest outside Japan. He received an offer from an organizer named Bradshaw to take part in an exhibition tour of the United States and South America. The tour was a great success, but unfortunately it was cut short. After the opening night in Chicago, where Oyama demonstrated his breaking techniques and fought a bull, breaking both of its horns, animal rights organizations launched an immediate and fierce protest campaign across the country. Oyama's successes were reported in the newspapers, but so were the animal rights activists' criticisms. The tour had to be interrupted, but Oyama once again demonstrated the abilities that lie within him and karate.
Two years had passed since the outdoor dojo opened, and Oyama felt the need for a real dojo. He managed to find a space that was shared with a ballet studio behind Rikkyo University in Ikebukuro, not far from where the Honbu still stands today. Masami Ishibashi and Ken Minamoto were his assistants. Eiji Yasuda and Masami Ishibashi are still members of the organization today, both holding seventh dan ranks. In the late 1950s, Oyama often went on month-long trips, during which his instructors held the training sessions. All of them had previous experience in Goju-ryu and Shito-ryu, and their knowledge was invaluable in kata and technical training. Shihan Yuzo Goda, who is currently a seventh dan and has his own dojo in Tokyo, began studying with Oyama at that time. He recalls those days: they tried out every idea in practice to see if it was useful. The fighting was full contact, which many could not cope with and gave up training. Free fighting and hard physical training were the two most important parts of the training, unlike in traditional karate, where technical training is more important. Hard fighting was quickly introduced even for beginners, often before the basics were taught. Many did not have karate uniforms, wearing homemade clothes or duzsdó-git instead. With the aim of learning more about Asian martial arts and, of course, to test his abilities, Oyama traveled to Southeast Asia. He visited Okinawa, Hong Kong, Java, and Thailand. In Hong Kong, he had the opportunity to meet an older Chinese man named Chin. Oyama later spoke of him with great respect and admiration. Chin's techniques revolved around circles and defending against attacks, which Oyama adopted and passed on. They trained together for a short time. Shortly after leaving Hong Kong, Oyama had the opportunity to try out his new techniques against a Thai boxer who had previously easily defeated several Japanese karate fighters. The fighter's name was "Black Cobra," and he was the welterweight champion. In the first round, the Thai boxer's quick kicks and punches caused Oyama serious trouble. Finally, he managed to decide the fight with a series of roundhouse kicks. He was the first karateka to defeat this Thai boxer. He had to fight a bull again. On November 11, 1956, Mas faced a 600-kilogram bull at the Dennen Coliseum in Tokyo. The Japanese animal welfare organization attempted to ban the fight, resulting in the Metropolitan Police prohibiting Oyama from killing the bull or breaking its horns. Oyama protested and decided to go ahead with the demonstration anyway. As soon as they entered the arena, the bull was frightened by the spotlights and flashlights. Within a few minutes, Oyama easily knocked the paralyzed animal to the ground. The spectators had expected much more and were disappointed. Mas had to endure criticism from the spectators, who belittled his performance—but then, the spectators could not see the real situation.
The Kyokushin organization was born during a temple ceremony on Mount Mitsumine. The name Kyokushin can be translated as "the ultimate union of truth." The three kanji characters representing this meaning were written by calligraphy master Haramotoki and placed on the left side of his dogi jacket. During meditation, Zen monks raised their hands toward the sky, placing them together so that there was a gap between the thumb and index finger. This is called kanku. Masutasu's karate now had a name and an organization. Shihan Bobby Lowe (now 8th dan), a Chinese man living in America whom Oyama met at the Hawaii demonstration, came to Tokyo to train intensively in the karate style that Oyama had so impressively demonstrated. With Lowe's help, Oyama established the first dojo outside of Japan.
In 1957, it was time for another demonstration tour of the US, Mexico, and Europe. The Mexican demonstration was scandalous, a complete failure for Oyama. If the boards weren't made of particularly hard wood, then the bricks were the kind used to make runways. Nothing broke during the famous breaking demonstrations. Kyokushin was close to being in danger of ceasing to exist. Oyama fought a bull, but was unable to get a proper grip on it, and the bull gored him painfully in the stomach. Oyama spent six months recovering afterwards. That was his last fight with a bull. A few years later, Oyama attempted to fulfill his old dream of fighting a bear. With this in mind, he went to Hokkaido, but soon realized that fulfilling his dream was impossible and returned home.
As a result of the tours and Oyama's achievements, the need for a book became increasingly apparent. Nishiyama, who practiced the Shotokan style, had recently published a well-written book, but Oyama was not far behind. With the help of Richard Kim and others, they published a book entitled "What is Karate?" It was a huge success, exceeding even their wildest dreams. By 1976, the book had sold over 250,000 copies and had been revised three times. The technical part of the book is extremely interesting, but the historical part is even more exciting. Karate cannot remain static; it must evolve, as Mas Oyama states in his book. In 1959, Oyama was invited to teach at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at the United States Military Academy at West Point. With the help of former FBI agent Donald Buck, he founded his second school outside Japan in San Francisco. By 1961, several instructors were teaching at the main dojo in Tokyo, including Yasuhiko Oyama, Tadashi Nakamura, Shigeo Kato, and Akio Fujihara. Oyama himself also resumed teaching at the request of his students.
In 1962, Thai boxers, Muay Thai, challenged the Japanese karate elite, to which Japan did not respond. Oyama felt it was his duty to take up the gauntlet, even though many karatekas had suffered defeat at the hands of the Thais. He knew from experience how difficult the task would be, so he sent his three best karatekas to Thailand. They won two of the three fights, restoring Japan's former glory.
The old ballet studio soon became too small, and plans for a new Honbu dojo were completed in 1962. It took two years before it was possible to move into the new dojo. The new Kyokushin dojo had four floors, with changing rooms in the basement, reception and a smaller dojo on the ground floor, and the large dojo upstairs. There were offices on the second floor and living quarters at the top of the building. By the end of the 1970s, this dojo had also become too small, and plans for a new one began, but construction had to be postponed due to high land prices in Tokyo. At the same time, when the Honbu dojo opened in 1964, the International Karate Organization (IKO) was formed. Eisaku Sato was elected president, Matsuhei Mori vice president, and Masutatsu Oyama director. When Sato later became Prime Minister of Japan in 1966, Mori took his place and Hideo Shiotsugo became vice president. They retained their positions until Mori's death in 1985. At that time, Oyama's title changed to Sosai, the head of the organization. Member countries from all over the world forged lifelong bonds.
Oyama's idea was that the ultimate test of strength in karate should be to fight one hundred consecutive opponents. The idea came from the famous swordsman Yamaoka Tesshu. To date, the following people have completed the test in Japan:
Steve Arneil 7th dan 1965 England
Tadashi Nakamura 7th dan 1965 Japan
Shigeru Oyama 7th dan 1966 Japan
Loek Hollander 7th dan 1967 Netherlands
John Jarvis 4th dan 1967 New Zealand
Howard Collins 7 dan 1972 Wales
Miyuki Miura 4 dan 1973 Japan
Shokei Matsui 4 dan 1987 Japan
Kaiji Sampei 4 dan 1989 Japan
Akira Masuda 1994 Japan
Kenji Yamaki 1995 Japan
Fancisco-Alves Filho 1995 Brazil
Oyama realized early on that karate could best be popularized through good relations with the media. One of Kyokushin's earliest supporters was writer and publisher Ikki Kajiwara. Unfortunately, he let his own ideas run a little too wild, so he is no longer a member of the organization. His book This is Karate was considered groundbreaking in its category, and after its publication, numerous books about Kyokushin appeared. The magazine Modern Karate was first published in 1965. Twelve years later, its title was changed to Power Karate, and a similar magazine was also published in English under the title Quarterly Kyokushinkai Magazine. A comic book inspired by Kyokushin was also created, titled Karate Baka Ichidai, which was later adapted into a cartoon for television. Another comic book, titled "Divine Hand," was created before the first world championship. Promotion and advertising were always important to Oyama and Kyokushin, and they used them successfully. One result of this is the film made in 1979 about the life of Masutatsu Oyama. Oyama increasingly became a public figure and an enthusiastic speaker. Currently, there are more people in Japan who know him as an active political speaker than those who see him as the leader of the world's largest karate organization. Despite all his promotional activities, Oyama strictly limited the opening of new dojos, especially in Japan. In 1974, there were only 14 recognized "Branch Chiefs" (dojo certified instructors) in Japan. In 1984, there were 41, and today there are about 80 in total. The growth is justified by the introduction of the "uchi deshi" system, a boarding system in which students live as monks. They must sign a contract under which they train two to three times a day under supervision, usually for three years, and their duties include keeping the dojo in order. Normally, students reach the first or second dan level and earn the right to open their own dojo. The uchi deshi live in Wakajishi-Ryuban, near Honbu. They live under extremely strict rules and must train hard, but the system has produced many outstanding instructors. The current uchi deshi system was established by Howard Collins and Takumi Higashishidani during their two-year stay at Honbu in the 1960s. Foreign dojos with sufficient financial resources can receive assistant instructors from Japan. Most of them went to Australia and the US, with only a few going to Europe, because most European instructors had already trained in Japan. Kyokushin is one of the largest karate organizations in the world. Its growth and progress since the 1950s, when the method was developed, has been extremely rapid. Currently, the style is represented by the Kokusai Karate-Do Renmei Kyokuhshin organization in about 100 countries around the world, with millions of participants.
Sosai Oyama passed away on April 26, 1994, after a short illness. Shortly before his death, he gave the organization a new motto: Osu-No Seishin, the spirit of perseverance, adherence to the fundamental philosophy of the style.
"Never give up"
is the essence of Osu-No Seishin for Kyokushin.
During his lifetime, Sosai Oyama influenced countless people through Kyokushin karate. Whatever he did, good or bad, we must realize that we will never meet another person like him.
Shihan Howard Collins: Based on his book Absolute Karate
