Sosai Masutatsu Oyama

Masutatsu Oyama, also known as Mas Oyama, he founded the first and most influential style of full contact Karate, The Ultimate Truth - Kyokushin. He was born Choi Young Eui in the town of Kimje near Kunsan in South Korea, but to indicate his Korean ethnicity he preferred to be called Choi Bae-dal (최배달). In Korea he is known as Choi Bae-dal.

Choi Young Eui was born in South Korea 27th of July 1923, as a child he was sent to China to live with his sister. There he started to train in Chinese Martial Arts at the age of 9 years. At the age of 12 he return to Korea and started to practice Korean Martial Arts. After 3 years, he traveled to Japan to make his dream come true. He wanted to be an aviator. He started his studies but suddenly he left the career. Alone in the big city of Tokyo without any place to go, he went from house to house looking for a place to stay. Finally he could rent a room at the Oyama family on the boarder of Tokyo. They were also of Korean origin and took pity on their lost fellow country-man. To be an immigrant in Japan was not easy, therefore Choi Young Eui changed his name to a Japanese name. He chose the name Masutatsu Oyama from the family he lived with.

In Japan he continued to do Martial Arts, such as Judo and boxing. One day he experienced Karate and he became very interested. He started to do Karate and at the age of 17 he was already 2nd Dan and at 20 4th Dan.

When he was 23 years old, Oyama met Eiji Yoshikawa, the author of the novel Musashi, which was based on the life and exploits of Japan's most famous Samurai. Both the novel and the author helped to teach Oyama about the Samurai’s Bushido code and what it meant.

Oyama started to practice more and more Karate, he left the Shotokan and started to practice with Nei-Chi So (Cho Hyung Ju). Hewas also Korean who came from the same province as Oyama. He taught the karate style of Goju-ryu. Oyama was very influenced by Nei-Chi So, in a spiritual way.

Oyama wanted to be the strongest man he could be. Influenced by the “book of the five rings” by Miyamoto Musashi and the art of Budshido, his training started to become very different. He went up to the mountains to seek the truth and to become a strong man. He went up on two occasions for very long periods. The second time his intention was to stay 3 years but after 18 month he had to stop his training due to his supply of food abruptly ending. During his exile in the mountains, Kyokushin started to take shape inside Oyama.

The current World Headquarters was officially opened in June 1964, where the name Kyokushin, meaning "Ultimate truth" was adopted. In that same year the International Karate Organization (IKO) was established.

Sadly, on the 26th of April 1994 Masutatsu Oyama dies due to lung cancer.

Oyama’s and the history of Kyokushin are very large and deep. I want to share the spirit of Kyokushin, the hard trainings, the desire of always improve, to step further, and to be above the limitations. Just as Masutatsu did in his life and in his daily living. Not only because of the hard trainings but also due to his experiences in a foreign country and a hard life with hard times.