He was one of the senior Kyokushin karateka who sparred with Mas Oyama in his younger days, and he saw the latter's first bout with a bull in Japan.
[2] Richard Bernard, a representative for Kyokushin in New York, requested a Japanese instructor, and Mas Oyama chose S.
[2] Over the years, S. Oyama greatly contributed to establishing Kyokushin as one of the preeminent karate styles practiced across the globe.
Many tournament champions of Kyokushin, including world champions such as Makoto Nakamura (World Full Contact Karate Open Championship winner in 1979 and 1983) and Shokei Matsui (winner in 1987) were sent to S. Oyama for training before their subsequent tournament competition.
[7] Even after parting ways with Mas Oyama's Kyokushin organization, he continued to maintain great respect for the man, calling him his 'father, karate master, and mentor who showed him the path of life.
'[11] After dedicating five decades to teach and popularize a more modernized, practical system of karate to students around the world, Shigeru Oyama died on February 14, 2016.