Mas Oyama
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, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
master who founded
Kyokushin Karate is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...
, considered the first and most influential style of
full contact karate Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors Sparring, spar (also called Kumite) full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion. History Full contact karate competition comes in several different formats developed for th ...
. A
Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...
, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese citizenship in 1968.


Early life

Mas Oyama was born as Choi Yeong-Eui () in Kintei,
Chōsen Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offici ...
. At a young age he was sent to
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...
to live on his sister's farm. Oyama began studying
Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. Th ...
at age 9 from a Chinese farmer who was working on the farm. His family name was Lee and Oyama said he was his very first teacher. The story of the young Oyama's life is written in his earlier books. His family was of the landed-gentry class, and his father, Choi Seung Hyun, writing under the pen name of "Hakheon," was a noted composer of classical Chinese poetry. In March 1938, Oyama left for Japan following his brother who enrolled in the
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
’s Yamanashi Aviation School.Oyama, 1963, What is Karate, Japan Publications Trading Company. Sometime during his time in Japan, Choi Yeong-Eui chose his Japanese name, Oyama Masutatsu (), which is a transliteration of ''Baedal'' (). Baedal was an ancient Korean kingdom known in Japan during Oyama's time as " Ancient Joseon". One story of Oyama's youth involves Lee giving young Oyama a seed which he was to plant; when it sprouted, he was to jump over it one hundred times every day. As the seed grew and became a plant, Oyama later said, "I was able to jump between walls back and forth easily." The writer,
Ikki Kajiwara , known by the pen names and , was a Japanese author, manga writer, and film producer. He is known for the work about sports and martial arts, with images of heroic young men with the occasional fine details as he moves from one topic to anoth ...
, and the publisher of the comics based the story on the life experience Oyama spoke to them about – thus the title became "Karate Baka Ichidai" (Karate Fanatic). In 1963, Oyama wrote ''What is Karate'' which became a best seller in the US and sold million copies all over the world. It is considered by many to be the "Bible" of Karate to this day. It was translated into Hungarian, French, and English.


Post-World War II

In 1945 after the war ended, Oyama left the aviation school. He finally found a place to live in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. This is where he met his future wife Oyama Chiyako (大山 置弥子) whose mother ran a dormitory for university students. In 1946, Oyama enrolled in
Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...
School of Education to study sports science. Wanting the best in instruction, he contacted the
Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...
dojo (Karate school) operated by
Gigō Funakoshi (1906 - 24 November 1945) was the third son of Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍) (the founder of Shōtōkan 松濤館流 karate) and is widely credited with developing the foundation of the modern karate Shotokan style. Early years Gigo Funako ...
, the third son of
karate master is a Japanese manga drawn by Jirō Tsunoda and Jōya Kagemaru, with the story written by Ikki Kajiwara. The story was inspired by the life of the real-life karate martial artist Mas Oyama. The manga was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazi ...
and
Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...
founder
Gichin Funakoshi was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gich ...
. He became a student, and began his lifelong career in Karate. To stay focused he remained isolated and trained in solitude. Oyama later attended
Takushoku University Takushoku University (拓殖 大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Duke Taro Katsura (1848–1913).
in Tokyo and was accepted as a student at the dojo of
Gichin Funakoshi was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gich ...
where he trained for two years. Oyama then studied
Gōjū-ryū , Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters du ...
karate for several years with Nei-Chu So ( / 曺(曹)寧柱, 1908–1996) who was a fellow Korean from Oyama's native province and a senior student of the system's founder, Chojun Miyagi. At sometime between 1946 and 1950, Mas Oyama trained at
Kanbukan Kanbukan (韓武舘, roughly translated as ''"Hall of Korean Martial Arts"'' or ''"Korean Martial Hall"'') was one of the earliest Karate organizations made in Post-War Japan and is considered the birthplace of the Bōgutsuki Karate. Kanbukan i ...
, a dojo founded by high ranking students of Kanken Toyama known for its large degree of Zainichi Korean membership. Nei-Chu So was also an active trainee at Kanbukan and likely taught Goju-Ryu to Oyama there. In Kanbukan, Karate was practised with
Bōgu , properly called , is training armour used primarily in the Japanese martial art of kendo,Uchida, M. (2005)Kendo Bogu (Protective Equipment)(October 2005). Retrieved on 12 May 2010.
/protective gear ( Bogutsuki Karate), which allowed for delivering strikes with full force, and may have influenced Oyama's full contact fighting mentality. However, sources say that Oyama had little interest in Bogutsuki Karate as a sport.Jinsoku Kakan. (1956). Interview with Gogen Yamaguchi about karate-do. Tokyo Maiyu.Kinjo Hiroshi from "Overview of Kenpo" by Nisaburo Miki and Mizuho Takada "Commentary on Reprint of "Overview of Kenpo" p. 265 Around the time he also went around Tokyo getting in fights with the U.S. Military Police. He later reminisced those times in a television interview, "Itsumitemo Haran Banjyo" (Nihon Television), "I lost many friends during the war- the very morning of their departure as
Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...
pilots, we had breakfast together and in the evening their seats were empty. After the war ended, I was angry- so I fought as many U.S. military as I could, until my portrait was all over the police station." Oyama retreated to a lone mountain for solace to train his mind and body. He set out to spend three years on Mt.
Minobu is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 11,674 in 5447 households, and a population density of 39 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Minobu is in south-central Yamanash ...
in
Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...
, Japan. Oyama built a shack on the side of the mountain. One of his students named Yashiro accompanied him, but after the rigors of this isolated training, with no modern conveniences, the student snuck away one night, and left Oyama alone. With only monthly visits from a friend in the town of Tateyama in
Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...
, the loneliness and harsh training became grueling. Oyama remained on the mountain for fourteen months, and returned to Tokyo a much stronger and fiercer karateka. Oyama greatly credited his reading of ''
The Book of Five Rings is a text on ''kenjutsu'' and the martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi around 1645. Many translations have been made, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than other martial artists and people ac ...
'' by
Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...
(a famous Japanese swordsman) for changing his life completely. He recounts this book as being his only reading material during his mountain training years. He was forced to leave his mountain retreat after his sponsor had stopped supporting him. Months later, after he had won the Karate Section of Japanese National Martial Arts Championships, he was distraught that he had not reached his original goal to train in the mountains for three years, so he went into solitude again, this time on Mt. Kiyosumi in Chiba Prefecture, Japan and he trained there for 18 months.


Founding Kyokushin

In 1953 Oyama opened his own
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
dojo, named Oyama Dojo (form of Gōjū-ryū), in Tokyo but continued to travel around Japan and the world giving martial arts demonstrations, which included knocking live bulls unconscious with his bare hands (sometimes grabbing them by the horn, and snapping the horn off). His dojo was first located outside in an empty lot but eventually moved into a ballet school in 1956. The senior instructors under him were T. Nakamura, K. Mizushima, E. Yasuda, M. Ishibashi, and T. Minamimoto. Oyama's own curriculum soon developed a reputation as a tough, intense, hard-hitting but practical style which was finally named Kyokushinkai (Japan Karate-Do Kyokushinkai), which means 'the ultimate truth,' in a ceremony in 1957. He also developed a reputation for being 'rough' with his students, as the training sessions were grueling and students injuring themselves in practice fighting (kumite) was quite common. Along with practice fighting that distinguished Oyama's teaching style from other karate schools, emphasis on breaking objects such as boards, tiles, or bricks to measure one's offensive ability became Kyokushin's trademark. Oyama believed in the practical application of karate and declared that ignoring 'breaking practice is no more useful than a fruit tree that bears no fruit.' As the reputation of the dojo grew students were attracted to come to train there from inside and outside Japan and the number of students grew. Many of the eventual senior leaders of today's various Kyokushin based organisations began training in the style during this time. In 1964 Oyama moved the dojo into the building that would from then on serve as the Kyokushin home dojo and world headquarters. In connection with this he also formally founded the 'International Karate Organization
Kyokushin kaikan is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...
' (commonly abbreviated to IKO or IKOK) to organise the many schools that were by then teaching the kyokushin style. In 1961 at the All-Japan Student Open Karate Championship, one of Oyama's students, Tadashi Nakamura, at 19 years old (1961) made his first tournament appearance, where he was placed first. Nakamura later became Mas Oyama's Chief Instructor as referenced in Mas Oyama's book, "This is Karate." In 1969, Oyama staged the first All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships which took Japan by storm and
Terutomo Yamazaki is a Japanese karateka from the Kyokushin Kaikan (極真会館) and professional lightweight kickboxer. He is the founder of Gyakushin-Kai (逆真会館) and a Director of Karate in Japan. He presides over the International Budo Karate Organiz ...
became the first champion, which have been held every year since. In 1975, the first World Full Contact Karate Open Championships were held in Tokyo. World championships have been held at four-yearly intervals since. After formally establishing Kyokushin-kai, Oyama directed the organization through a period of expansion. Oyama and his staff of hand-picked instructors displayed great ability in marketing the style and gaining new members. Oyama would choose an instructor to open a dojo in another town or city in Japan, whereupon the instructor would move to that town, and, typically demonstrate his karate skills in public places, such as at the civic gymnasium, the local police gym (where many judo students would practice), a local park, or conduct martial arts demonstrations at local festivals or school events. In this way, the instructor would soon gain a few students for his new dojo. After that, word of mouth would spread through the local area until the dojo had a dedicated core of students. Oyama also sent instructors to other countries such as the United States, Netherlands, England, Australia and Brazil to spread Kyokushin in the same way. Oyama also promoted Kyokushin by holding ''The All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships'' every year and ''World Full Contact Karate Open Championships'' once every four years in which anyone could enter from any style.


Notable students


Public demonstrations

Oyama devised the 100-man kumite which he went on to complete three times in a row over the course of three days. He was also known for fighting bulls bare-handed. He battled 52 bulls over the course of his lifetime, supposedly cutting off the horns of several and killing three instantly with one strike, earning him the nickname of "Godhand". Oyama is said to have had many matches with
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
s during his travels through the United States.


Later years

In 1946, Oyama married a Japanese woman, Oyako Chiyako (1926-2006) and had three children with her. In the late 1960s, Oyama and Chiyako were having marital problems and decided to separate, and Chiyako, who did not want her husband to start seeing other women, arranged for a Korean woman and family friend named Sun-ho Hong to become Oyama's companion for some time. With Hong, Oyama had three more children and he would remain romantically involved with both Hong and Chiyako until the end of his life. Later in life, Oyama suffered from
osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...
. Despite his illness, he never gave up training. He held demonstrations of his karate, which included breaking objects. Oyama wrote over 80 books in Japanese and some were translated into other languages.


Final years and death

Oyama built his Tokyo-based International Karate Organization, Kyokushinkaikan, into one of the world's foremost martial arts associations, with branches in more than 100 countries boasting over 12 million registered members. In Japan, books were written by and about him, feature-length films splashed his colourful life across the big screen, and
comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
recounted his many adventures. Oyama died at the age of 70 in Tokyo, Japan on April 26, 1994, due to
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
. His widow Chiyako Oyama, made a trust foundation to honor his lifelong work.


In popular culture

* Ryu from ''
Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...
'' was inspired by Mas Oyama as game designer Takashi Nishiyama was a fan of his. The character originates from the kung fu series Karate Master by Ikki Kajiwara. As a child, Nishiyama enjoyed watching Ichidai's animated series, which was influenced by Oyama's life. Nishiyama was impressed by Oyama's martial arts skill and philosophies, which inspired him to create the first Street Fighter game. * A
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
about Oyama's legacy, '' Karate Baka Ichidai'' (literal title: ''A Karate-Crazy Life''), was published in ''
Weekly Shonen Magazine Weekly, The Weekly, or variations, may refer to: News media * ''Weekly'' (news magazine), an English-language national news magazine published in Mauritius *Weekly newspaper, any newspaper published on a weekly schedule *Alternative newspaper, als ...
'' in 1971, written by
Ikki Kajiwara , known by the pen names and , was a Japanese author, manga writer, and film producer. He is known for the work about sports and martial arts, with images of heroic young men with the occasional fine details as he moves from one topic to anoth ...
with art by Jirō Tsunoda and Jōya Kagemaru. A 47-episode anime adaptation was released in 1973 which featured several changes to the plot, including the renaming of the Mas Oyama character to "Ken Asuka". A trilogy of live-action films based on the manga was also produced: ''
Champion of Death , also known as ''Karate Bullfighter'', is a Japanese martial arts film made by the Toei Company in 1975. It was the first in a trilogy of films based on the manga '' Karate Baka Ichidai'' (literal translation: A Karate-Crazy Life), a manga base ...
'' (1975), ''
Karate Bearfighter is a Japanese martial arts film made by Toei Company in 1975 and directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. It is the second installment of a trilogy of films based on the manga Karate Baka Ichidai (literal title: "A Karate-Crazy Life") by Ikki Kajiwara, J ...
'' (1975), and ''
Karate for Life Karate for Life ( ja, 空手バカ一代 ) is a 1977 Japanese martial arts film about the martial arts master Mas Oyama starring Sonny Chiba. It is to Champion of Death and Karate Bear Fighter and is the third part in the , a series of movie a ...
'' (1977). The films featured Oyama's pupil, Japanese actor and martial artist
Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...
, in the main role. Oyama himself appeared in the first two films. Another film adaptation, ''
Fighter in the Wind ''Fighter in the Wind'' () is a 2004 South Korean film. It is based on the Japanese book '' Karate Baka Ichidai'' which is a fictionalized account of karate competitor Choi Yeung-Eui (최영의, 崔永宜) who went to Japan during World War II t ...
'', was released in 2004, starring
Yang Dong-geun Yang Dong-geun (; born June 1, 1979) or YDG is a South Korean actor, rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and breakdancer. Yang majored in Theatrical Performance at Yong-In University. Biography Yang enlisted for mandatory military se ...
. * During the 1970s, Oyama and some of his top students were featured in a documentary film ''The Strongest Karate'' (released as ''Fighting Black Kings'' in the US market) followed by two sequels, all having Ikki Kajiwara as executive producer. * Takuma Sakazaki (a.k.a. "Mr. Karate"), a character from
SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
's ''
King of Fighters ''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of ''The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This served as the main pl ...
'' and ''
Art of Fighting is a fighting video game trilogy that were released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the ''Fatal Fury'' series and is set in the same fictional universe as a pr ...
'' video game franchises, was inspired by Mas Oyama. Within the mythology, Sakazaki is the founder and grandmaster of the fictional Kyokugenryu Karate, which is a nod to Oyama's own Kyokushinkaikan. * The works of
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
author
Keisuke Itagaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his martial arts series ''Grappler Baki'' (1991–1999) and its four sequels, which have sold over 75 million volumes. In 1996, he began working on '' Garōden'', an original work by Baku Yumemaku ...
feature at least two characters inspired by Oyama: Doppo Orochi from ''
Grappler Baki Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...
'' and Shozan Matsuo from '' Garouden''. * The
Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...
Sawk was inspired by Mas Oyama. Sawk's single eyebrow is also a remnant of its beta design, which included horns. Due to this, Sawk, alongside Throh, Tornadus and Thundurus, were all intended to be designed after
oni An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess ...
. However, the designer of Throh and Sawk,
Ken Sugimori is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, in ...
, felt their colors made their design too similar to that of Tornadus and Thundurus, so the colors of Tornadus and Thundurus were changed, as well as Throh and Sawk's horns to eyebrows.


Books

* ''The Kyokushin Way''. * ''What is Karate?'' * ''This is Karate''. * ''Advanced Karate''. ASIN B000BQYRBQ * ''Vital Karate''. * ''Essential Karate''.


Notes


References


External links


Mas Oyama Kyokushin Site

Kyokushin Karate Legends Reunite! Stories of Ikki Kajiwara and Masutatsu Oyama
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oyama, Mas 1923 births 1994 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in Japan Kyokushin kaikan Japanese male judoka Gōjū-ryū practitioners Japanese writers Shotokan practitioners Japanese male karateka Kyokushin kaikan practitioners Martial arts school founders Martial arts writers Naturalized citizens of Japan People of Korea under Japanese rule Sportspeople from North Jeolla Province South Korean emigrants to Japan Zainichi Korean people 20th-century philanthropists Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II