10/05/2026
Text No. 143
The Philosophy Behind Kyokushin Karate
By Hanshi Flemming Jinzen 9th Dan
The idea that “Mas Oyama built fighters through full-contact reality” comes directly from Masutatsu Oyama and the way he broke away from the traditional karate training methods of his time.
After World War II, Mas Oyama participated in several karate tournaments where he defeated his opponents by knockout. His uncompromising and realistic fighting style attracted great attention, but also resistance from more traditional karate circles. He was eventually excluded from certain tournaments, which became the beginning of his vision to create a more realistic and true martial art.
This vision later evolved into Kyokushin Karate. In 1964, the Honbu Dojo in Ikebukuro was completed as the headquarters of Kyokushin. The road to achieving this had been difficult. Like many Japanese people in post-war Japan, Oyama had to borrow money to realize his dream. Before establishing the Honbu Dojo, Sosai Mas Oyama taught in various small training halls, where he slowly built the foundation of Kyokushin through discipline, hard training, and an indomitable spirit.
In many classical karate systems before Kyokushin, training was often based on controlled sparring, light contact, or point-based rules. Techniques were tested for speed and precision, but rarely under real physical pressure. Oyama rejected this approach. He believed that without experiencing real resistance, pain, and pressure, a martial artist could never develop true fighting ability or understand the deeper nature of Budo.
For Oyama, Kyokushin was never only about learning how to fight. It was about overcoming oneself. Standing face to face with fear, pain, doubt, and ego — and continuing forward anyway. Hard training was therefore never seen as punishment, but as a path toward personal growth and inner strength.
To achieve this, he introduced full-contact karate training, where students were forced to face real strikes, real exhaustion, and real consequences. This was what made Kyokushin famous throughout the world. Students were hardened through repeated hard sparring sessions known as kumite, where endurance and courage were just as important as technique. Over time, this created fighters capable of remaining calm even under physical punishment and extreme pressure.
One of the most defining elements of this system was knockdown kumite, where fighters attempted to overwhelm their opponents through powerful techniques, strong spirit, and hard body conditioning rather than scoring points. This created a generation of karate practitioners known for toughness, mental strength, and relentless forward pressure fighting.
However, Kyokushin is not only about physical strength. Inside the dojo, students also learn humility, respect, and self-discipline. One does not bow only to the instructor — one bows to the path, the tradition, and the wisdom passed down through previous generations. The strongest fighter is not necessarily the one who wins the most fights, but the one who can control his temper, preserve his dignity, and help others grow.
Oyama often spoke about “Osu no Seishin” — the spirit of perseverance. The word “Osu” means far more than a greeting. It symbolizes patience, respect, willpower, and acceptance of hard work. When a Kyokushin student says “Osu,” he or she also accepts the challenge of never giving up — neither inside the dojo nor in life itself.
Training therefore became both a mental and spiritual journey. Through pain one learns humility. Through fear one learns courage. Through exhaustion one learns discipline. And through defeat one learns that true strength is not about never falling — but always rising again.
This philosophy reached its ultimate expression in the legendary 50-man and 100-man kumite, where a fighter faces 50 or 100 opponents in succession. Only a few people in history have ever completed these challenges, and they became symbols of absolute endurance, willpower, and humanity’s struggle against its own limitations.
Oyama did not simply wish to create strong fighters. He wished to create people of character. People capable of remaining calm in chaos, showing respect through strength, and living with honor both inside and outside the dojo.
Because of this system, Kyokushin fighters gained a global reputation as some of the most physically and mentally hardened martial artists in the world. They were respected and feared in real fights because their training was not theoretical — it was lived through pressure, strikes, fear, and exhaustion.
In simple terms, Oyama’s legacy is this:
He transformed karate from a controlled martial art into a real test of human limits — a path where the body is strengthened through combat, while the spirit is shaped through discipline, humility, and Osu no Seishin. We meet others with respect, patience, and understanding, because true strength is not about domination, but character.
This journey has been my life since January 8th, 1973 — more than 53 years devoted to the spirit and philosophy of Kyokushin. I have traveled around the world teaching and continuing Sosai’s legacy and vision.
Over the years, I have been privileged to achieve major results in Kyokushin Karate. I won the European Championship in Kyokushin Karate in London 1982 in both Kumite and Tameshiwari. I also won the Switzerland Open 1983 and France Open 1981. In addition, I became Danish Champion eight times and Zealand Champion four times in Kyokushin Karate.
At the British Open 1981, I won silver, and at the Holland Open 1983, I also won silver in the open weight division with a bodyweight of only 72 kg, often fighting much heavier opponents.
In Paris 1981, I completed a 50-man kumite against professional Muay Thai fighters. This challenge required more than physical strength — it required willpower, discipline, and the ability to continue even when the body wanted to stop. Through this 50-man fight, I achieved 16 victories by knockout, 28 victories by judges’ decision, and 6 draws.
My final major tournament after more than 104 fights was the Japanese Championships in 2011. Honbu in Japan asked me to honor Sosai by participating in the Sosai Memorial Cup at the age of 57. I accepted despite illness and the consequences of a severe assault, where I was knocked unconscious and stomped while lying on the asphalt.
I managed to stop my two attackers, but the price was severe headaches, dizziness, and extreme sensitivity to light. For more than two years, I often lay in a fetal position under blankets to avoid the light. I was only able to teach twice a week. When I put on my Dogi, I could keep the pain away during training, but once the training ended and I removed the Dogi, the pain returned.
I did not know whether I would be capable of completing the Sosai Memorial Cup. I feared being knocked down with another serious injury. But I could not say no to honoring Sosai Mas Oyama.
Despite diabetes, high blood pressure, and severe dizziness, I chose to fight.
Because of my age, I received a bye in the first round. After that, I fought three hard matches against younger opponents. I defeated the first Japanese opponent with a kick to the head. I defeated the next Japanese opponent by wazari. Then I stood in the final against a Polish heavyweight champion weighing more than 110 kg.
I had never dreamed of winning a Japanese Championship.
Earlier in my career, I competed in the World Open Karate Tournament 1979 in Japan, fighting five matches and finishing among the top ten with a bodyweight of only 71 kg. In the World Open Karate Tournament 1984, I fought four matches and finished among the top sixteen fighters in the world.
Kyokushin taught me that true strength is not about never feeling fear or pain. True strength is about continuing forward — even when the body doubts and the mind wants to surrender.
Osu no Seishin.
Hanshi Flemming Jinzen 9th Dan
KWO Mas Oyama Organization
[email protected]
