Kyokushinkai was developed by Mas Oyama. Oyama studied
Goju Ryu karate,
Shotokan karate and some Korean martial arts which he
developed into his own style called Kyokushinkai.
Oyama was an extremely strong man who popularised his art by inviting challengers
to fight him and through stunts, such as killing bulls with his bare hands.
Black belt gradings in Kyokushinkai are well known for their large number of
kumite (sparring fights), sometimes as many as a 100.
Steve Arneil trained with Mas Oyama in Japan for five years and was the first non-Japanese person to complete the 100-man kumite.
This feat was later also acheived by John Jarvis, at the time the head of Kyokushinkai for the Asia Pacific. Jarvis later changed to
practising
Okinawan Goju Ryu under
Morio Higaonna.
Origin of Kyokushinkai: Japan
Founder of Kyokushinkai: Mas Oyama