Cracked Boars skull??

[Topic]

Whos is the master who cracked a boars or bulls skull? I beleive he was korean but he came up with his on style in Japan.

[equaninimus]

Are you thinking of Oyama Masutatsu, who killed bulls in exhibitions in the 1950s and 1960s?

[Topic]

Yes indeed. Ill do a search on him and see what i can find thanx alot.

[TheDevilAside]

Yeap, that's Mas Oyama, an amazing martial artist.

[Rich_2k3]

Yep, killed bulls with his bare hands (pretty damn cruel though!!)

[Gyte]

Yep, killed bulls with his bare hands (pretty damn cruel though!!)

Yes, very cruel indeed. What did those bulls do to him that he killed him with his bare hands? Supposedly he was inspired by the story that Sokon Matsumura once fought a bull. Thus Oyama decided to try to fight against a bull too. During his whole life he faced 52 bulls, killing 3 and smashed the horns of the others.

 

All I can say about it is that Masutatsu Oyama doesn't impress me much. Among karate masters I see him more like a macho type kind of person, who didn't contribute anything to karate other than full contact contests. As for the style he created : Kyokushinkai. His style doesn't show any distinctive characteristics. He just borrowed some kata's from Shotokan and Goju-ryu and added these to his style. Of these kata he taught quite simple bunkai.

Edited April 9, 2004 by Gyte

[Sho-ju]

Mas, the "God hand."

[tommarker]

Of these kata he taught quite simple bunkai.

 

Simple = Bad?

 

Cruelty to animals aside, that's a bit of a cheap shot.

 

Sometimes the most "simple" application is the one that "works". Oyama's style was simplicity, but that doesn't necessarily imply that his knowledge of kata was lacking.

[equaninimus]

To be fair, the bulls were scheduled for slaughter anyway. In addition, sympathy for animals is a fairly recent phenomenon, mostly post 1850. Popular childrens passtimes prior to that era included putting kittens in a bag and hitting it with a stick! See Grubb, James, Firstborn of Venice, Princeton, 1996.

 

While there was more sympathy for animals in the 1950s and 1960s, consider that horses and other livestock were routinely maimed in the filming of motion pictures during this time.

 

As for Oyama's karate, I admit to mixed feelings on the subject. I personally thionk that he never "got it" as far as karate technique, howver , if you wish to concentrate on the superficial level of karate technique, i.e. punch, kick, block, then he and his successors are probably the best there are. As far as his personality is concerened, I think he was someone who tried to live down his early reputation as a 'tough guy,"and was never really able to do so. Certainly recollections of Oyama from students of his, like Ninomiya Joko here in Denver, paint a picture of a conmplex and in many ways tortured man who was dedicated to the ideals of budo, in a 16th century fashion, as well as to world peace and understanding.

 

Remember, Oyama was a Korean immigrant to Japan in the late 1930s, and in addition experienced the privation that went along with simple existence in immediate post-war Japan. I would suggest that the clues to his pysche, and understanding its reflection in his karate are best deciphered in this context.

 

My two cents.

[equaninimus]

Of these kata he taught quite simple bunkai.

 

Simple = Bad?

 

Cruelty to animals aside, that's a bit of a cheap shot.

 

Sometimes the most "simple" application is the one that "works". Oyama's style was simplicity, but that doesn't necessarily imply that his knowledge of kata was lacking.

Have you seen the you seen the official oyo of most Japanese karate styles? Block punch kick was the ruling paradigm until very recently. Penalizing someone for acting according to contemporary standards is an intellectually lazy practice.