The founder of Kyokushinkai (Japanese Association of the Seekers of the Highest Truth) was the Japanese Masutatsu Oyama (1927 – 1994). The life of this man was extraordinary, and not only because he devoted it entirely to self-improvement and popularization of modern martial arts in its spiritual and physical aspects. It is noteworthy, for example, that in 1945 Oyama joined the squad of suicide aviators (kamikaze), wanting to lay down his life for his beloved homeland – because that’s what he used to say about Japan. He was then saved from death by the end of hostilities. The great personality of this man is evidenced by the fact that already during his lifetime he was called “The Last Samurai”. As it was written in one of the most prestigious magazines devoted to the martial arts of the Far East “Black Belt”: “Oyama not only took over the hardest to meet the ideal of Bushido (the code of ethics of samurai), but went one step further. through self-discipline, it is directly proportional to the degree of success. Fighting karate, when there are firearms in the world, is no longer essential in times of war, it seems something archaic.

In 1936, Masutatsu Oyama obtained a master’s degree in Chinese martial art called kempo, and as a 17-year-old student at Takushoku University, he passed the 2-dan karate exam, which he trained with the greatest master of the time, Gichin Funakoshi. He was also 4th Dan in judo. In 1947, after winning the World Championships in Kyoto, Oyama decided to devote his life entirely to this martial art in the Far East. Following the example of the Buddhist monk Nichiren, who had spent many years in strict training, the Japanese went alone to Mount Kiyosumi. In hermit conditions, for 18 months he perfected his skills in the art of karate and also in Zen. After returning from the mountains, he was the only one in the history of karateka who decided to fight a bull. He was convinced that such a fight would show how much he had improved his mental and physical skills. The clash with the animal took place in Chiba and ended with Oyama’s victory. The bull was killed with a single punch between the eyes.

The creator of Kyokushin decided to propagate his karate all over the world. He was sure that it is not only a martial art, but above all a carrier of the Far East tradition and culture – the ethical values proclaimed by Confucius and Lao-Tse. Oyama always told his students that karate begins and ends with courtesy and that while physical development is the beginning of this martial art, spiritual development is the ultimate goal. To better display the ethical principles of kyokushin, the Japanese created a seven-point moral code for this martial art. It speaks of an obligation to respect elders and parents, to strive for physical and spiritual perfection, and to refrain from violence.

In 1952, Masutatsu Oyama left for the United States, where for 11 months he gave numerous shows of kyokushin art. Among other things, he fought several fights with bulls. After one, one of America’s most prestigious newspapers, The New York Time, called it “God’s Hand.” The Japanese claimed that even a bull of 800 kg can be easily defeated in combat, on one condition – one must not be afraid of him. Oyama’s many travels around the world made kyokushin very popular in a short time. Currently, they are cultivated by over 2 million people around the globe.

In 1974, the International Kyokushin Organization awarded Masutatsu Oyama the highest level of initiation in the art of karate – 9 dan, and then 10. “The Last Samurai” was the author of several books on karate: “What is karate?” (1958), “Here’s Karate” (1965), “Dynamics of Karate” (1966), “Fighting Spirit” (1972), “The Way of Kyokushin” (1976) and others.