KYOKUSHIN KARATE IN BRIEF

Kyokushin was founded by Masutatsu Oyama in 1964, but it had been developing since the early 1950s. As a child, he also trained in Kempo, and later extensively in Shotokan under Gichin Funakoshi, Goju Ryu under So Nei Chu, and Judo.

Kyokushin rapidly gained in popularity, to the extent that more than 12 million people worldwide practice it. It became known as "The Strongest Karate", not only because of the incredible feats of strength and endurance that Mas Oyama performed, such as the 300 man kumite, but also because of the rigorous requirements of training and tournaments. It requires you to be strong in mind and body, and this characteristic of its practitioners is generally well recognised among the martial arts in general. Kyokushin is best known for its full contact fighting.

In 1994, Mas Oyama died, leaving behind a saddened organisation. The original one he formed broke up into a number of different ones using the same, or similar, name, which sometimes is a source of confusion to the uninitiated. The spirit of the karate however still remains much the same in all of the groups.