With everyone in most parts of the world in quarantine and self-isolation, people are looking for inspiration everywhere to train. Separated from the dojo many are lost, and looking to online classes, trainers, methods and inspiration. Feeling anxious by what is happening, and confused with what to do at home.
As Kyokushin students we should draw our inspiration from the founder, Sosai Mas Oyama, who didn’t do a few of weeks of self-isolation in his quest to develop Kyokushin. He did years!
In 1946, Masutatsu Oyama met Eiji Yoshikawa, the author of the novel Musashi, which was based on the life and exploits of Japan’s most famous Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. Thanks to this book and the writer, Mas Oyama begins to understand the profound meanings of the Samurai Bushido Code, and ultimately shaped his own philosophy on martial arts.
Influenced by Nei-chu So, his friend and Sensei in Goju-ru, and the writing of Yoshikawa, Mas Oyama decided to withdraw from social life and live in solitude for a period of 3 years and dedicate his time completely to the intense training of body and mind, as Musashi did in his lifetime.
Oyama would travel to Minobu mountain, the same place where Musashi created Nito-ryu kenjitsu, in the Chiba Prefecture. Mas Oyama was only 23 years old at the time. In his opinion this would be the perfect place to start his severe training of body and mind that he had planned for himself. He set off, a student name Yashiro accompanied him, and assisted by a friend who provided them with the monthly food supplies, they went to the wilderness to train.
Mas Oyama at Mt. Minobu
The relative solitude was strongly felt, and after 6 months, Yashiro secretly fled during the night. It became even harder for Oyama, who wanted more than ever to return to civilisation. So Nei Chu wrote to him that he should shave off an eyebrow in order to get rid of the urge. Surely he wouldn’t want anyone in public to see him that way! This and other more moving words convinced Oyama to continue, and he resolved to become the most powerful karate-ka in Japan.
After 14 months of training, his sponsor and friend sent a message to Oyama that he could no longer help him with his monthly food supplies. Due to this Oyama stoped his training and returned to civilization.
A few months later, in 1947, Mas Oyama participated in the Karate division of the “1st Japanese National Martial Arts Championships” after WWII and won. After this victory Oyama decided to dedicate the rest of his life to karate and again return to the wilderness for training.
Mas Oyama’s training notes
This time he went to the Kiyozumi Mountain, also in the prefecture of Chiba. According to Oyama, his training was very intense and rigorous. Training for about 12 hours a day:
- Practicing techniques and meditating under freezing cold waterfalls
- Jumping over bushes and boulders repeatedly
- Using trees and rocks as makiwara boards to condition the bones in his hands, arms, legs and feet
- Running up steep slopes
- Lifting heavy rocks as strength training
He would rise at five in the morning and once his training was done, would read extensively from martial arts manuals and from Zen Buddhist texts other philosophies. He would finish the day with contemplative meditation; it was here that he began to develop the ideas that would form his own style, kyokushin karate, and where he first though of the idea of testing his abilities by fighting a bull.
During these 18 months of rough and intense training Mas Oyama had combined the most effective techniques of the different systems he had studied and made up his own unique style. After this time he returned back to society as a completely different man. Mentally, Physically and Spiritually. Mas Oyama returned to civilization fully confident in himself and able to take control of his life.
Mas Oyama
So, when you are feeling despair at home, because you are isolated and don’t have your usual training tools, think about what the founder of Kyokushin Karate, Sosai Mas Oyama endured. Draw inspiration from his journey, and what he sacrificed to give us Kyokushin. Through this draw inspiration internally. Look inside for the answers you’re seeking. Draw on your training and use this time to further define your warrior mindset, and the foundation of Kyokushin. Perseverance.
Comments 4
Very nice article !! Time to meet our selves and training harder!! 押忍
He isolated himself.. meditated, read Zen, and than decided to fight a bull to test himself. He combined all of the arts he knew. At such a young age he could not have know much. It took him over a year alone to gain enough confidence. Kyokushin has never been famous for being full of wisdom. Just powerful and strong. Being strong is fine, but there is more to Martial arts than that. Worshiping the bad boys of Karate. Praising the Gangster.
Author
Thank you for taking the time to comment Michael, but I will respectfully disagree with you. Kyokushin has been the most steeply rich of wisdom in any martial art I have taken. Build upon principles of valour and the bushido code. Mas Oyama summed up his entire martial arts philosophy in eleven mottos, known as the Zayu no Mei Juichi Kajo, which are central to his teaching.
Sosai Oyama said himself, “For a long time, I have emphasized that karate is Budo, and if the Budo is removed from karate, it is nothing more than sport karate, show karate or even fashion karate – the idea of training merely to be fashionable.
Karate that has discarded Budo has no substance. It is nothing more than a barbaric method of fighting or a promotional tool for the purpose of profit. No matter how popular it becomes, it is meaningless.”
Osu!
Very nice article. I read one similar about Sosai Oyama’s days in the cave and his student couldn’t take the isolation and left him. Your mind had to be resolute in order to deal with that kind of hardship and training.