Sosai Mas Oyama
Founder of Kyokushin Karate
Sosai Mas Oyama
Matsutatsu Oyama, the founder of Kyokushinkai Karate, was born in Korea in 1923. He began studying kenpo at the age of nine. After graduating from middle school in Korea he came to Japan to study at an aviation school in 1938.
Although he first undertook to master Kodokan judo he later switched to karate, in which he made an amazing progress that at seventeen he was second dan and at twenty two forth dan. In 1947, immediatly after World War II, Oyama won the All-Japan Karate Championship and after resolving to dedvote his body and soul to karate, retired to the mountains where, living alone he practiced the strictest psychological and physical discipline.
After he returned to the ordinary world, he began a career of teaching the true karate to people everywhere. During his first trip to the United States in 1952, in hundreds of exhibitions he proved how astonishing the power of karate is. In those days, his amazing ability to rip the horns from living bulls caused a tremendous sensation but gradually, as his fame spread, his true aim of teaching the essential spirit of martial arts came to the foreground as his students and followers began to establish Oyama Karate training halls all over the globe. Oyama himself has expanded the bonds of karate to the extent that today uncountable students in in thousand training halls all over the world are carrying on his work.
What is Kyokushinkai?
Karate is both an art and philosophy, because each person has a different personality, this reflects itself in their interpretation. Therefore, karate masters founded their own schools, teaching their style or ryu. Kyokushinkai is the name given to our style.
 
Meaning of Kyokushinkai.
KYOKU - means ultimate SHIN - truth or reality KAI - to meet, join, associate. It takes time to fully understand the meaning.
 
The Kanku

The symbol of Kyokushinkai is the Kanku.
The Kanku is derived from the Kanku Kata, sky gazing form. In this Kata the hands are raised to scan the sky and the symbol is formed . The points of the Kanku represent the fingers and imply the ultimate or peaks. The thick sections, represent the wrists and imply power. The centre represents infinity, implying depth. The whole Kanku is based and enclosed by a circle, representing continuity and circular action.