Mas Oyama

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Masutatsu Oyama (Choi Bae-dal)
Oyama in 1954
BornChoi Yeong-eui
(1923-07-27)July 27, 1923
Kintei, Zenrahoku-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan
(now Gimje, North Jeolla Province, South Korea)
DiedApril 26, 1994(1994-04-26) (aged 71)
Tokyo, Japan
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
StyleKyokushin
Teacher(s)Gigō Funakoshi, Gōgen Yamaguchi, Nei-Chu So [a][1][2][3]
Rank  10th Dan Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate
SpouseChiyako Oyama (1946–1994)
Children3
Notable students(see below)
Choi Bae-dal
Hangul
최배달
Hanja
Revised RomanizationChoe Baedal
McCune–ReischauerCh'oe Paetal
Kyokushin
Hangul
극진
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGeukjin
McCune–ReischauerKŭkchin

Masutatsu Ōyama (大山 倍達, Ōyama Masutatsu, July 27, 1923 – April 26, 1994), more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a

Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate.[4][5] Oyama was an ethnic Korean; he was born Choi Yeong-eui (Korean: 최영의; Hanja: 崔永宜) and spent most of his life in Japan. He acquired Japanese citizenship
in 1968.

Early life

Mas Oyama was born as Choi Yeong-eui (최영의) in Kintei, Korea, Empire of Japan. At a young age, he was sent to Manchukuo to live on his sister's farm. Oyama began studying Chinese martial arts 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.[6][7] 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.[8]

In March 1938, Oyama left for Japan following his brother who enrolled in the Imperial Japanese Army’s Yamanashi Aviation School.[9] Sometime during his time in Japan, Choi Yeong-eui chose his Japanese name, Oyama Masutatsu (大山 倍達), which is a transliteration of Baedal (倍達). 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, 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. 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. 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 School of Education to study sports science.

Wanting the best in instruction, he contacted the

karate master and Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi.[10] He became a student, and began his lifelong career in karate. To stay focused he remained isolated and trained in solitude.[9]

Oyama later attended

Chojun Miyagi
.

At sometime between 1946 and 1950, Mas Oyama trained at

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.[2][3]

During this time he also went around Tokyo getting in fights with the

Minobu in Yamanashi Prefecture, 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, 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.[9]

Oyama greatly credited his reading of The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi (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, where he trained for 18 months.

Founding Kyokushin

Mas Oyama karate practice in 1954

In 1953, Oyama opened his own karate dojo, named

Kyokushin kaikan
' (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 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.[15] 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

Further information: List of Kyokushin practitioners § Oyama's direct 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.[16]

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".[17]

Oyama is said to have had many matches with

professional wrestlers
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. 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 manga
recounted his many adventures.

Oyama died at the age of 70 in Tokyo, Japan on April 26, 1994, due to lung cancer.[18]

His widow, Chiyako Oyama, created a foundation to honor his legacy.

In popular culture

Books

Notes

  1. ^ Lived 1908-1996.

References

  1. ^ a b Goshi Yamaguchi on Mas Oyama and Kyokushin Karate. The-Martial-Way.com. Retrieved on 2020-08-15.
  2. ^ a b Jinsoku Kakan. (1956). Interview with Gogen Yamaguchi about karate-do. Tokyo Maiyu.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-4947667717
  4. ^ "Black Belt Summer 1963". Active Interest Media. 1963. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  5. ^ Lowe, Bobby. Mas Oyama's karate as practiced in Japan (Arco Pub. Co., 1964).
  6. ^ "Black Belt Jul 1987". Active Interest Media. July 1987. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Black Belt Apr 1994". Active Interest Media. April 1994. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  8. ^ Christina Choi Martin, From Gimje to Red Oak: A Woman's Journey through Changing Times, DCD Publishers, 2021, pp. 37-38, p. 55.
  9. ^ a b c d Oyama, 1963, What is Karate, Japan Publications Trading Company.
  10. ^ "Black Belt Black Belt Oct 1971". Active Interest Media. October 1971. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  11. ^ Have Gi. Will Travel. (12 July 2013). "Mas Oyama vs Bull". Archived from the original on 2021-12-14 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Oyama, Masutatsu (December 1, 1982). Entrance Guide for Kyokushin Karate. Tokyo, Japan: International Karate Organization/Kyokushin Kaikan. p. 91.
  13. ^ "The Empty Hand | FIGHT! Magazine – Archives". Fightmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  14. ^ Oyama, Masutatsu (1967). Vital Karate (First ed.). Tokyo, Japan: Japan Publications Trading Co., Ltd. p. 13.
  15. ^ Oyama, Masutatsu (May 10, 1979). Challenge to the Limits. Tokyo, Japan: Hoyu Publishing. pp. 66–70.
  16. ^ Sosai Masutatsu Oyama – 100 Man Kumite. Masutatsuoyama.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-30.
  17. ISBN 978-1-892515-24-7
    .
  18. ^ Sosai Masutatsu Oyama – Sosai's History Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine. Masutatsuoyama.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-30.
  19. ^ "DVD Review: The Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy". Trades. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  20. ^ "Sonny Chiba – Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  21. ^ "Sonny Chiba Collection: Karate For Life". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  22. ^ Dr Lava (21 May 2019). "Gen 5 Historia: Pokemon Origin Stories (Part 3) Lost Pokemon, beta Pokemon, and design origins". LavaCutContent. Retrieved 22 February 2022.

External links

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