Customer Reviews

Oyama: The Legend, the Legacy

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The world of martial arts deparately needs a definitive biography on Mas Oyama, arguably the greatest practitioner of all time. Unfortunately, this book is not it. It reads more like a 200-page press release than a balanced biography with many points of interest simply glossed over or never fully researched or explained. While Lorden is a skilled practiitioner himself, his skills on the tatami do not carry over to his writing. His elevation of the great Oyama approaches near diety status, which actually becomes humorous about half way through. Unless you get a review copy, save your money and hope that a much better-written tome on Oyama comes along in the near future.

I ordered this book with much excitement and was a little disappionted when I finished it. The book does have some strengths. I finished it in a little over an hour (174 pages) because it reads very easily. The sentences are constructed for quick reading. The book, although a nice read, is better suited for teenagers than adults. The author repeats the same information in chapter after cahpter. He mentions the same extraordinary feats accomplished by Oyama over and over again. After awhile it grows a little tiresome. There are good points , however, that make this a must book for the library of any serious karateka.

Reading about the perseverance of Oyama in his karate training, establishing his dojo headquarters called Honbu, and philospohy on thruth brings a better understanding about this legend. The chapter on the martial arts saying "osu" is also very good and it is in this chapter that the author Michael Lorden does his best work. This chapter alone makes the book a must purchase.

Lorden's book was a real disappointment for someone who has followed Oyama's career since the early 1960s, corresponded with him for several years during that period, and was inspired to begin life-long martial arts training largely because of his example. Lorden uncritically praises this great karate master, and no doubt Oyama deserves much praise for his accomplishments and inspiration of others. But Lorden provides little new biographic or anecdotal information about Oyama. The reader looks in vain for details of Oyama's training with Funakoshi or Yamaguchi, for example. Sadly, Lorden also overlooks some of Oyama's faults and failings, including his conversion to Sun-myung Moon's movement late in life, a step that cost Oyama many of his best followers and the respect of many observers. Lorden's description of the 100-man fighting ordeal was new and interesting, however.

Unfortunately Michael L. Lorden's, "Mas Oyama: The Legend, the Legacy" falls short of its intended target.

Michael L. Lorden begins his book on a positive note, but unfortunately seems to lose his way in portraying the life of Masutatsu Oyama, one of the greatest martial artist of our time. Lorden collects some important facts about Mas Oyama and his karate, but there is very little new information on Mas Oyama's life.

I, like many other admirers, looked forward to reading more of the younger Yong I Choi (Oyama's birth name, in Korea), but there was little written on his youth in this book. Lorden scarcely touches upon Mas Oyama's Korean family, his childhood or teen-age years, his schooling or education, his friends, hobbies - apart from his love of reading, his short-lived military career, etc.

Masutatsu Oyama was undoubtedly one of the world's great martial artists and the founder of Kyokushin Karate, a formidable style that stressed full contact kumite with no protective gear. Mas Oyama was regarded as a true master because he practiced what he preached and preached what he practiced - he lived the life of a true martial artist. His devotion to his Kyokushin Karate was everything to him. Mas Oyama first exhibitions in the United States flabbergasted audiences and martial artists alike. Mas Oyama's extraordinary speed, inconceivable power, and unwavering spirit were recognized throughout the martial arts world. His forceful demonstrations illustrated to all the grand possibilities of Kyokushin Karate and karate in general. The author tells us of Oyama's "uchi-deshi program" wherein a selected few students are permitted to spend three years at his honbu in pursuit of excellence in Kyokushin Karate. Few students made it into his program and even fewer graduated from it.

Any individual that is a product of the 60s and was interested in, or practiced, a martial art was very familiar with Sosai Masutatsu Oyama's karate. You Knew of his exploits with bulls, his open challenges to all fighters (whatever their fighting style), his breaking of boards, roof tiles, blocks of ice, rocks, bricks, and his ability to chop the neck off of a bottle without knocking the bottle over. People were also aware of Mas Oyama's devotion, philosophy, and maxims on karate and on life.

In "Mas Oyama: The Legend, the Legacy", Lorden writes on Mas Oyama's way of life; the value he placed on self-discipline, perseverance, goodness, civility, respect, devotion, and arduous training. Unfortunately, Lorden presents no new biographical footprints to Mas Oyama's past. Whereas other biographers utilize research, archival documents, interviews . . . in order to uncover new insights into their subjects, Lorden is content to put together a book with a conglomeration of previous and well-known facts on Mas Oyama. Lorden does not follow any particular pattern in his writing - he jumps back and forth and uses too much repetition in his writing.

"Mas Oyama: The Legend, the Legacy" is a good book for those unfamiliar with the life of Masutatsu Oyama, but for those who are acquainted with Mas Oyama's life, Michael L. Lorden book offers no new material or insights.

As a new student of the Kyokushin style of karate, I looked around for biographical information on Mas Oyama, it's founder. This book, while it covers basic facts and offers a few interesting stories, was not written well. Chapter by chapter, the author repeats himself, sometimes almost word-for-word paragraphs at a time. It's disjointed, almost as though the chapters were written as individuals essays, then the whole lot thrown together for publication. He keeps jumping forward and back in time, making any chronology difficult to follow. It's a decent introductory read, but I'm going to look elsewhere for a real biography.

I really enjoyed this book and I went to Startbuck to have a coffee and read a couple of pages, but it all ended with that I read the whole book, from the first page to the last page without a break. This book tells the fantastic story about Mas Oyama, and even if you are not a student of Kyokushinekai, I would recommend you to read this book - it is the story about the importance of dedication and the ambition of always doing your best. In order to succeed, you often has to sacrifice something, and this book tells a enormous story about sacrifices but also what good that comes out of doing so.

First of all, I must say that I enjoyed "Oyama: The Legend, The Legacy" by Lorden. It tells a fascinating story about a very interesting and special man, that lived his life in an exceptional way, and if you as a reader just are interested in a good story, I can recommend this book. On the other side, I must say that author describe and discuss Oyama without any form of criticism - and its seems like Lorden tries to analyze the life of Oyama in a way that wont hurt the memory of the Sosai Mas Oyama. Its like if he is giving a speech at a funeral, he tells a story in a way that wont hurt the memory of the dead. Even so, I liked the book and Lorden presents the life of Sosai Oyama in an easy way and therefore I will give the book three stars out of five.

This book was a great read, defiantly worth buying it, no doubt. It was very interesting and inspiring to find out more about Mas Oyama and the life he lived. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a practitioner of Kyokushin Karate or any fan of Mas Oyama.

Great Book, I've been practicing kyokushin since 1999. Definitely this is a book that you must have in your house if you enjoy the kyokushin life and our master Sosay Oyama. The Os Chapter is great. The book is well write and easy to read.

The book is OK if you do not know about Mas Oyama. The problem that I found; the writer repeats some parts in some chapters