Oyama, Masutatsu

Sosai Oyama was born on July 27, 1923 in the south-west of Korea. His original name was Hyung Yee Choi.
He lived his childhood in aristocratic family, spending his days mostly swimming, sporting and fishing with his friends. The young man was not really interested in his schoolwork. He preferred a martial art named Chabee. Chabee is mixture of Chinese and Korean martial arts, favored on Chinese hand techniques. His teacher was a man name Yi. This forty years old man worked for his father at the Choi's family estate. They practised Chabee together for four years. At a age of thirteen Hyung moved to Seoul to begin Junior High School.

His problems at school doesn't end in Seoul. He was restless student and he had ability to get himself troubles time after time. At a age of fifteen he decided to leave his country and move to Japan and go to military academy. He left the school abruptly for unknown reasons after a couple of years without graduation. In this new country he felt his Korean background to burden and he took a japanese name Masutatsu Oyama. The familyname Oyama comes from the family he lived with. In Tokyo Oyama saw karate-training at first time. He start to study Shotokan karate and practise judo and boxing as well. His teacher was Yoshitaka «Giko» Funakoshi, the son of the Gichin Funakoshi who introduced karate in Japan. At this time Japan was in war and Oyama had to go to army. Those days he met and started train with Gojuri-karate master Nei-Chi So. At the age of seventeen Oyama graduated second dan and five years later he was fourth dan black belt.

Oyama was now sensei, but his behaviour was still quite wild. The war was ower and there was U.S. occupying forces in Japan. Oyama fight with American soldiers every now and then, because he didn't like how their behaviour in Japan. Nei-Chi So was worried about his student and he advised Oyama to tought what he want to do with his life. And Nei-Chi So doesn't worry without reason.

Once there was a dance competition in a hotel in Tokyo. During the evening a row started between Oyama and a tall Japanese. The Japanese was well known criminal and he suddenly made an attack towards Oyama. Oyama blocked and punched a tremendous powerful blow against the Japanese's head.
The man was dead before he hit the floor. Oyama descided to leave Tokyo for a while. He lived three months in a little Buddhist temple. After that, Oyama met a well-known politician, a liberal named Senchichiro Ozawa. Together they decided, that it was time to do like Nei-Chu had said. 3 years of hard training in the mountains was planned for Oyama and Ozawa was financing the stay. Together with his student, Yashiro, Oyama went to the Kiyosomi mountain. Yashiro left the mountain after very short period, but Oyama stayed there. He practise 7 hours every day and there Oyama developed his now famous breaking-techniques. He spend 18 ascetic months on the mountain. He have to leave Kiyosomi mountain earlier than the plan was, because his pay cheques from his sponsor stop coming.

Oyama went to town of Tateyama and he was ready and willing to test his power. Oyama's inquiry for trying his strength on bulls wasn't at first taken seriously at the slaughter-house in Tatyama. After some persuasion he got the chance to try on a 450 kilo heavy bull. The first stroke, a fearful seiken, hit the fore-head of the bull. The bull ran away with blood running from it's mouth and nose, but it wasn't killed. When the bull was slaughtered, it was discovered that the skull of the bull was broken. The butchers gave Oyama a second chance. This time the animal went down on it's knees, but that was all. A farmer suggested Oyama would break the horns off instead and after a few attempts he managed to knock them off. Later on Oyama had several exhibition matches against bulls. In those matches he killed three bulls by twisting their necks. Following years Oyama travelled around the world demonstrating his magnificent breaking techniques. In his American tour he did many challenge fights and beat his all opponents by KO.

1954 Oyama did an exhibition fight against thai boxer, whom earlier easily had defeated Japanese karate men. Oyamas opponent was called «The Black Cobra» and was the welter weight champion. In the first round Oyama had big problems with the Thai boxers fast kicks and blows. Finally he managed to use the Thai boxers kick and could attack with a couple of hard round kicks towards the body and with them settle the match. Oyama was the fist karate man ever to beat a Thai boxer.

Along with his exhibitions Oyama had time to found succesfull karate schools and in 1961 he named his style KyokushinKai (The final truth, Kai = organisation). The HQ of this style has been in Tokyo since 1963. Characteristic to this style is hard basic technique training combined with knock down matches and breaking exercises. Sosai Oyama didn't think that karate is just a martial art but also that it is a way to develop ones personality. He always underlined the meaning of humbleness as a requirement of a mental development. At first Oyama expanded his karate style to United States training branch chiefs there. They were responsible of training Kyokushin karate in their region. Oyama wrote several books about karate. His books are the real bestsellers of martial art literature. Oyamas book «What is Karate» has been sold over 300 000 copies. Kyokushin is spread all over the world. The style is been trained by millions of people in more than one hundred countries.

25.09.2008 Volkov Alexey

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