The myth of Mas Oyama

There's a legend surrounding the founder of Kyokushin karate (which means 'the ultimate truth'), i.e. Mas Oyama. The man is said to be able to kill a bull by striking its skull using his bare hands. There's also a rumour that he was able to snap the horns of the bulls he's fighting, using his bare hands. There are even claims that when people investigate the skull of the bulls that Mas Oyama killed, there are cracks on the skulls. Even total destruction of certain bones on the skull. However, is it all true?

The martial of Kyokushin Karate is definitely not a martial art that anyone can look down upon. It is a tough art where the physicality and mentality of its practitioners are strengthened through brutal drills and sparrings. I have sparred with Kyokushin karate practitioners and those guys can definitely take a hit. They also hit very hard. However, they have a weakness. There is a tendency for them to lower their hands. This exposes their head. Perhaps due to the rule in Kyokushin Karate.

In Kyokushin karate, the practitioners are not allowed to punch the head area, but body shots are allowed. Kick to the head is also allowed. Which, in my opinion is a bit weird, considering how powerful and strong a roundhouse kick can be. Now going back to the main question, did Mas Oyama actually killed bulls using his bare hands or is it just another myth created to lure people to learn the art of Kyokushin karate? (Although, it    appears to be a great art to learn).

There are rumours that instead fighting a strong bull, he fought a bunch of weak cattles that were not feed well before the fight. Other rumour suggest that he had the horns of the bulls weakened before the fight, in order to snap them easily. Check this video out and you be the judge: Oyama Bull Fight. All in all, he seems to be a strong, tough dude for his time. Some people argue that he fought a tame bull. However, it still appears to be an impressive feat nonetheless. A couch potato fighting against a tame bull (that, if provoked, surely will fight back) would probably be end up dead.

Kyokushin karate practitioners would demonstrate ice and concrete breaking. Personally, i find it pointless because ice and concrete don't hit back. It is only a mere show. Not to mention they leave space in between these objects. This is done to create a domino effect, which makes it easier to go through the next layers of ice or concrete. Nonetheless, it is still quite entertaining to watch. 

But these breaking performances are just that, performances. It is only a demonstration. However, that doesn't mean Kyokushin practitioners are just clowns doing demonstrations. The art of Kyokushin karate is impressive, to say the least. One of the impressive feat in the art is the kumite, i.e. one man going against several fresh opponents in successions (there's even 100 man kumite). 



Apparently, Mas Oyama managed to finish a 300-man kumite test, which no one in the human history managed to do. It is also recorded that in 1952, Mas Oyama went to the US and took fought against 270 different challengers over a course of a year. A fight never lasted for more than 3 minutes. It was said that if you're hit by his punch, you're out of the fight. If you block his punch, your arm will be broken. 

In conclusion, the legend of Mas Oyama seems to be exaggerated. However, it is still VERY impressive. To achieve such strength and power is no easy task. Only people with strong mentality and dedication can reach such level of toughness.