Kyokushin kaikan is a style of full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama - who was born under the name Choi Yong-I in Korea. Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth." Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has had international appeal (practitioners have over the last 40+ years numbered more than 12 million).Kyokushin has influenced many of the "full-contact" schools of karate, emphasizing realistic combat, physical toughness, and practicality in its training curriculum.Many other martial arts organizations have "spun-off" from Kyokushin over the years, with some adding additional techniques, such as grappling, but continuing with the same philosophy of realistic and practical training methods.(Wikipedia®)

On April 26,1994, Sosai Mas Oyama regrettably passed away leaving the Directorship of the worldwide organization to Shokei Matsui.