Kyokushin

Kyokushin means the “Ultimate Path” or “True Way” or “Perfect Method” to mastery. Mas Oyama’s observation was that to attain mastery, one has to apply oneself tirelessly and continuously, constantly making gradual progress towards perfection of technique, strength and stamina, but if training is interrupted even for a day, progress is reversed. It is said that it takes 1000 days of practice to gain some mastery of technique but it takes 10,000 days for that mastery to become complete. In actuality, the idea of Kyokushin is that effort is continuous, through effort the practicer gains transcendence and may enter the zen state of non-duality: "developing the perfect harmony of mind and body." In other words practice is a means to gain something else and the single-minded effort applied to practice is ultimately more important than the practice one chooses. In the martial arts, where there is no such thing as perfection, the essence of Kyokushin is the attitude of continuously moving forward in the cultivation of character and the training of body and mind.

The essence of Kyokushin lies in the Length of the Path.

How It All Started

After the establishment of Kyokushinkaikan, seeing that gas, electricity, water and, etc. were shut off due to the inability to pay for the bills, Chiyako decided to enter Kaikan’s office herself. Even though the Kaikan did not have much income, she managed to save money and sometimes even subtracted their own living expenses to support the management of the Kaikan. Not only the financial aspect, but they also had to take the role of publicity relations by for example, making flyers, to recruit more Dojo students. Furthermore, they believed that once the students entered the Dojo, the students become that Dojo’s responsibilities until they are out of the Dojo. They put an effort to change the conventional way of thinking that “Getting injured makes you stronger”, sometimes they even travelled to distant places to visit injured Dojo students. Chiyako’s presence was significant to Masutatsu behind his single-minded devotion to Karate and the realization of his fame.

Chiyako described her own life as that “Without exaggeration, every single day of my life was really just like a drama.” Even in their later years, the two of them were so close that they even went out together to Ginza, and that they had a bond that went beyond just husband and wife.

The true essence of the Martial Way can only be realized through experience. Knowing this, learn never to fear its demand.

To Love and Serve Others: Where does Kyokushin Lead?

Oyama explained the spiritual philosophy of Kyokushin with the following words: “Be ambitious, but have high ideals, be impeccable with your words, keep an open mind and think about benefiting others as the foundation of life." The goal of Kyokushin is not limited to personal growth - beyond that, its purpose is to spread love and to serve others. In other words, its goal is to contribute to society and to world peace. By challenging our bodies and knowing the pain of others, we can learn to serve others with a humble attitude. The symbol of Kyokushin Kanku Logo consists of six circles. These circles represent the six continents of the world and each arc represents the "bridge of world friendship" that Kyokushin aims to build. The goal of Kyokushin is to transcend racial, ethnic, and national boundaries, to bring people together through Kyokushin Karate, and to create a peaceful world. This is the purpose of Kyokushin.

Chiyako Oyama

Chiyako, wife of Masutatsu, is a beautiful and talented woman who grew up in a wealthy family and had close friendships with many people in the entertainment business, also with CEOs of famous companies. She met Masutatsu at a lecture on politics when she was 19 years old. Chiyako sent flowers as a gesture of her appreciation to Masutatsu, who was giving orders as the person who’s in charge of the venue. And as it was the first time for him to receive flowers from a woman, he checked through to find out the sender of the flowers. That was the beginning of the long relationship between the two. As they spent more and more time together, Masutatsu said, “No matter how much we talk, it never feels enough. Yes, it’s too much trouble, let’s just stay together forever” as his propose to Chiyako. Over 50 years have passed since then, Chiyako had devoted herself to continuing supporting Masutatsu from behind the scenes on his path to keep pursuing more legends in Karate.

There are so many episodes to be told about how Chiyako supported Masutatsu on his tremendous life. Even when Masutatsu left Chiyako to train in the mountains during the time she was pregnant with his eldest daughter, she just waited for him and endured the life in poverty without complaining a word. Even when they ran out of money and their household goods were taken as securities for their debts, she never gave up on Masutatsu and supported the family financially as his wife. Moreover, no matter how poor they were, they never argued with each other.

After the establishment of Kyokushinkaikan, seeing that gas, electricity, water and, etc. were shut off due to the inability to pay for the bills, Chiyako decided to enter Kaikan’s office herself. Even though the Kaikan did not have much income, she managed to save money and sometimes even subtracted their own living expenses to support the management of the Kaikan. Not only the financial aspect, but they also had to take the role of publicity relations by for example, making flyers, to recruit more Dojo students. Furthermore, they believed that once the students entered the Dojo, the students become that Dojo’s responsibilities until they are out of the Dojo. They put an effort to change the conventional way of thinking that “Getting injured makes you stronger”, sometimes they even travelled to distant places to visit injured Dojo students. Chiyako’s presence was significant to Masutatsu behind his single-minded devotion to Karate and the realization of his fame.