About World Oyama Karate, Chelsea

World Oyama Karate Organization houses schools in 19 countries across Europe, Asia, North America and South America. Supreme Grand Master Saiko Shihan Oyama and his brother Soshu Oyama founded World Oyama Karate in 1985. World Oyama Karate is a full-contact style of Japanese karate that combines the best elements of traditional Japanese karate with modern training principles. Students from all parts of the world travel to the United States to train with Soshu Oyama and Saiko Shihan Oyama in order to become world-class fighters or instructors.

Grand Master Saiko Shihan Oyama at the Homewood, AL Honbu Dojo

Saiko Shihan Oyama is Founder and Director of World Oyama Karate Organization. He started his training as a teenager under the legendary karate master Mas Oyama (Kyokushin Kai founder) and became one of Mas Oyama's top students and highest instructors. In fact, Mas Oyama, who trained literally thousands of young fighters, proclaimed Saiko Shihan Oyama a "genius" of fighting.

Now, Saiko Shihan Oyama's talent for teaching attracts many world class fighters and champions seeking a piece of his "genius." He has taught in Birmingham, Alabama since 1972, and maintains the oldest karate establishment in the Birmingham area. Saiko Shihan has been an instructor at Samford University in the PE department for over 20 years. He is known throughout the martial arts world for his expertise as a tactician and has received many awards including World's Best Karate Master. He has produced several books and videos as well as numerous magazine articles.

Head Instructor Sensei Tetsu Yanagisawa at the Chelsea, AL Dojo

Sensei Tetsu Yanagisawa was born in 1967 in Chiba Province, Japan. He began his martial arts training while at Hose University in the style of Shorynji Kempo, where he achieved the rank of 2nd degree black belt. In 1991, he went on to study Shidokan Karate and earned another black belt. In 1995, he won the honorable title of All-Japan Champion. Seeking a deeper understanding of karate, Sensei Tetsu chose to dedicate himself to training World Oyama Karate. He came to Birmingham, Alabama in 1996 to be an uchideshi (apprentice) to Grand Master Saiko Shihan Oyama.

As an uchideshi, Sensei Tetsu maintained a rigorous training schedule that included fight training, weight training, kick boxing, distance running, teaching karate, and even cleaning and cooking! His uchideshi training was non-stop, lasting all day, everyday, for five years. During this time, he won the 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002 Alabama Governor's Cup, the 1999 World Oyama Karate Open Tournament in New York, and the Yoshukai All-American Tournament four years in a row. Sensei Tetsu completed uchideshi training in 2001 and is now the head instructor at World Oyama Karate in Chelsea, Alabama, where he is helping karate students achieve their own goals. Currently, he is a 4th degree black belt.

"Osu!" – The Most Important Word In World Oyama Karate

When you come to our dojo, you will hear the Japanese word "Osu" (pronounced "os" as in "toast") many times. It is used as a greeting, to express thanks, to indicate that you understand or agree with something you are told, etc. We use "Osu" in many ways, but the real meaning of "Osu" is explained below.

Osu means patience, respect and appreciation. In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit, it is necessary to undergo rigorous training. This is demanding and difficult because you push yourself to what you believe to be your limit and very often you want to stop or to give up. When you reach this point, you must fight yourself and your weaknesses, and you must win. To do this, you must learn to persevere, but above all, you must learn to be patient. This is Osu.

The reason you subject yourself to hard training is because you care about yourself, and to care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self-respect evolves and expands to develop respect for your instructor and fellow students. When you enter the dojo, you bow and say "Osu!" This means you respect your dojo and the time you spend training there. This feeling of respect is Osu.

During your training, you push yourself as hard as possible because you respect yourself. When you finish your practice, you bow to your instructor and fellow students and say "Osu!" Then, as you leave the dojo, you stop at the door, bow and say "Osu" once more. You do this out of appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is Osu.

Thus, Osu is a very important word in World Oyama Karate because it signifies patience, respect, and appreciation. That is why we always use the word Osu to remind ourselves of these indispensable qualities.