Masutatsu Oyama, commonly known as Sosai Mas Oyama, was born into an aristocratic family in a small village in South Korea in 1923. At the age of nine, he began studying Southern Chinese Kempo under the tutelage of Mr Yi, an employee on his father’s farm. Then at the age of fifteen he moved to Japan where he joined the Yamanashi Youth Air Force Academy and then the Imperial Japanese army.
In 1946, Oyama enrolled in Waseda University School of Education to study sports science. It is here that he began studying Shotokan karate under Gigō (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi, the second son of Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi.
With this being said, it is believed that Oyama did not have much respect for Funakoshi’s teaching. “It’s not karate. What he taught me was etiquette and exercise. Too slow”. Oyama described Funakoshi as “soft and gentle, good for teaching karate to little children like he did in Okinawa. But he’s not a real karateman. It was all kata with the old man”.With this being said, it is believed that Oyama did not have much respect for Funakoshi’s teaching. “It’s not karate. What he taught me was etiquette and exercise. Too slow”. Oyama described Funakoshi as “soft and gentle, good for teaching karate to little children like he did in Okinawa. But he’s not a real karateman. It was all kata with the old man”.
Sometime during this era of Oyama’s karate instruction the Shotokan students in Tokyo began to hear about the tough fighters practicing a different style in Osaka, called Goju-ryu. According to a widespread story, also told by Oyama, Gichin Funakoshi’s son Gigō picked 10 of his best students and traveled to Osaka to engage in an inter-school match. All of Funakoshi’s students lost to the Osaka students. At some point during this competition, apparently in the last match, Gigo Funakoshi fought someone named Nei-chu So.
Apparently, the powerful So simply picked up the smaller Funakoshi and threw him against a wall, injuring not only his body but his dignity. It is said that after returning to Tokyo, the Shotokan schools intensified their study of kumite and stepped up its intensity, resulting in their later fearsome reputation in tournament competition. The story suggests that Goju karateka were more advanced in jiyu-kumite.
After this event Oyama said of Gigō. . . “Funakoshi’s son became a real karate fighter. Very strong. I like. He use to tell me ‘karate is kumite’”
However, Oyama would always refer to Gichin Funakoshi as his true karate teacher and would later state that of all the things he learned from the founder of the Shotokan system, kata was the most important. Although, this is perhaps because he didn’t feel Funakoshi had more than kata to offer him.
Oyama would always refer to Funakoshi as his ‘true’ karate teacher and would later state that of all the things he learned from the founder of the Shotokan system, kata was the most important. After the end of World War Two, Oyama began to train under fellow Korean Nei-Chu So, an exponent of the Goju Ryu style and one of Gogen The Cat Yamaguchi’s best students. He also took up Judo at this time and within four years was a fourth-degree black belt in the discipline.
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