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Masutatsu (Mas)
Oyama was born Yong-I Choi on the 27th July 1923 in a village in
Southern Korea not far from the city of Gunsan. As an infant Mas
Oyama was sent to live in Manchuria, Southern China on his
sisters’ farm. This is where he began his Martial Arts training.
When he was about 9 years old he began studying Southern Chinese
Kempo with Mr Yi who was working on the farm. Upon returning to
Korea at twelve he continued his training, this time in Korean Kempo.
In 1938 during
the Sino-Japanese war Mas Oyama traveled to Japan to train to become
a pilot. Attending aviation school in a foreign country did not work
out well for him and he was forced to abandon his desire to survive
basic demands of life.
Oyama was
determined to find success in some field of study. He continued his
Martial Arts training now in Judo and Boxing. During this time he
also discovered Okinowan Karate and began training at the Takushoku
University under Ginchin Funakoshi. By 17 he was a 2nd Dan and by 20
a 4th Dan when he entered the Japanese Imperial Army. At this time
he continued studying Judo and by the time he stopped after 4 years
he had gained a 4th Dan. The defeat of the Japanese Army and the
turmoil of the times affected Oyama deeply and he was thrown into
much personal turmoil and confusion.
He then met
Goju-Ryu Karate Master So Nei Chu, a Korean from his own province
also now residing in Japan. Master So, one of the highest
authorities on Goju Karate in Japan taught Oyama the inseparability
of Budo and the spiritual foundations of religion. He lit a fire in
Oyama’s heart and Oyama resolved to face all the challenges that
lay ahead.
Oyama read the
novel Musashi, based on the life Myamoto Musashi, Japans most famous
swordsman. Oyama learned much of the way of the Samurai,
Bushido, from this novel. At 23 Oyama went into training on Mt
Minobu in the Chiba prefecture, the same place Musashi developed his
Nito-Ryu style of fencing.
Yashiro, one of
Oyama’s students accompanied him on what was to be a 3 year
challenge. Oyama learned to overcome the solitude with vigorous
training, however Yashiro could not, and fled their mountain hut
after about 6 months. Oyama remained and vowed to be the most
powerful Karateka in all of Japan. During this time in the mountains
Oyama had a sponsor, Kayama, who would visit every month to deliver
supplies. After 14 months he broke the news he could no longer
sponsor Oyama’s training. Oyama returned to civilization and a few
months later competed in the first Japanese National Martial Arts
Championships after World War 2. He easily won the Karate section.
Oyama still felt
slightly empty at not having completed the full 3 years of mountain
training. He decided to enter into a further period of intensive
training. This time he chose a spiritually uplifting environment
near a temple on Mt Kiyozumi, North East of Tokyo. Here Oyama
trained 12 hours a day, every day. He did not rest a single day for
18 months. He trained physically as well as studying philosophy and
Zen.
In 1950 Oyama
first began his famous battles with bulls. He did this to test his
own strength and to demonstrate his power. He fought 52 Bulls,
killed 3 instantly and took the horns of 49 with knife hand blows.
In 1952 Oyama
traveled to the US to continue demonstrating his Karate. There he
fought challenges from any one who wanted to fight him, 270 in
total. He fought professional boxers, wrestlers and anyone else who
took the challenge. Oyama won every match and crushed most opponents
with one punch in just a few seconds, no fight went longer than 3
minutes. Mas Oyama became known as Godhand, a living manifestation
of the Japanese warrior’s maxim “Ichi geki Hissatsu” or “one
strike certain death”.
In 1953 Oyama
opened his first Dojo, a grass lot in Mejiro, Tokyo. June 1956 Mas
Oyama opened a Dojo in a former Ballet studio and thus marked the
true beginning of the Oyama Karate School. This was behind the
Rikkyo University and just 500 meters from the current Honbu at
Nishi-Ikebukuro.
Oyama was at his
peak and training was severe, despite the extremely high drop out
rate, over 90%, membership grew rapidly and by 1957 had 700 members.
Oyama continued
to travel the world demonstrating his Karate and getting as much
exposure to other styles of Martial Arts as he could. He picked the
best aspects of each to develop his own Karate. During this time in
1957 he was gored by a Bull during one of his demonstrations. He was
able to pull the Bull from himself and snap its horn off with a
mighty blow. He was nearly killed and was hospitalized then bed
ridden for 6 months. Through sheer force of will Oyama made a full
recovery from what would normally have been a fatal wound.
1964 saw the
official opening of the Honbu and it was during this time Oyama
Karate adopted the name Kyokushin, meaning ultimate truth. From here
Kyokushin continued to grow and spread to 120 countries with
registered members exceeding 10 million. Oyama achieved this by hand
picking instructors to travel to other areas and countries
demonstrating the style and setting up Dojos.
Today several
different political factions exist but the Kyokushin Karate as
taught by Sosai Mas Oyama is still practiced around the world
whatever the particular political association.
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