Fumio Demura

Fumio Demura (出村 文男, Demura Fumio, born September 15, 1938) is a well known Japanese master of karate and kobudo (traditional weaponry).[2][3] He was Pat Morita's martial arts stunt double in the first, third and fourth Karate Kid films.[4] Demura holds the rank of 9th dan in Shitō-ryū Karate.[3]

Fumio Demura
F. Demura, November 2006
Born (1938-09-15) September 15, 1938
Onoe-Cho, Yokohama, Japan
ResidenceSanta Ana, California, USA
NationalityJapanese [1]
StyleShitō-ryū karate
Teacher(s)Ryusho Sakagami, Taira Shinken
Rank9th dan karate
Websitehttp://www.genbu-kai-hq.com/

Early life

Demura was born on September 15, 1938, in Yokohama, Japan.[3] At the age of 9 (1947/48), he began training in karate and kendo under an instructor named Asano.[3] At the age of 12 (1950/51) he started training under Ryusho Sakagami in Itosu-kai karate.[3] Demura received his 1st dan black belt in 1956,[3] and won the East Japan Championships in 1957.[3] In 1959, he began training in kobudo, a style of Okinawan weapons training, under the direction of Taira Shinken.[3][2] In 1963, he "came to know the Koga Ryu Ninjutsu Soke, Seiko Fujita- a 14th Generation Koga Ryu Ninja - personally" (quote attributed to Fumio Demura himself). Demura met martial arts scholar Donn Draeger, who introduced him to Dan Ivan, who would eventually bring him to the United States of America as a karate instructor.[4]

United States

In 1965, Demura came to the United States, representing the Japan Karate-do Itosu-kai.[3] From his base in southern California, he became well known for his karate and kobudo skills.[4] In 1971, he was ranked 5th dan,[5] and he remained at that rank until at least 1982.[6] Through the 1970s and 1980s, Demura wrote several martial arts books, including: Shito-Ryu Karate (1971),[7] Advanced nunchaku (1976, co-authored),[8] Tonfa: Karate weapon of self-defense (1982),[9] Nunchaku: Karate weapon of self-defense (1986),[10] Bo: Karate weapon of self-defense (1987),[11] and Sai: Karate weapon of self-defense (1987).[12]

In the 1980s, Demura became involved in the Karate Kid series of films.[4] He was the stunt double for Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi.[4] Demura has appeared in several films and documentaries, including: The Warrior within (1976),[13] The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part III (1989),[14] Shootfighter: Fight to the death (1992),[15] Rising Sun (1993),[16] The Next Karate Kid (1994),[17] Masters of the martial arts (1998, presented by Wesley Snipes),[18] Mystic origins of the martial arts (1998),[19] Modern warriors (2002),[20] XMA: Xtreme Martial Arts (2003),[21] and Ninja (2009).[22] Demura is the subject of the 2015 documentary "The Real Miyagi".[23]

In 1986, Demura was promoted to 7th dan in Shito-ryū karate.[3] In 2001, he was expelled from the Itosu-kai,[24] and became the Director of Shito-ryū Karate-do Genbu-kai.[3] In 2005, he was promoted to 9th dan.[3] He currently resides in Santa Ana, California.[25]

In October 2010, Demura performed for the United States Martial Arts Festival, hosted by Koyamada International Foundation (KIF) at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach, California.[26]

References
  1. "Sensei Fumio Demura". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  2. Clayton, B. D., Horowitz, R., & Pollard, E. (2004): Shotokan's secret: The hidden truth behind Karate's fighting origins (p. 108). Black Belt Books. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0144-6)
  3. Japan Karate-Do Genbu-Kai International: Sensei Demura at a glance ... Archived 2009-09-28 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2007). Retrieved on March 3, 2010.
  4. USA Dojo: Shihan Fumio Demura Archived 2010-08-08 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2009). Retrieved on March 3, 2010.
  5. Demura, F. (1971): Shito-Ryu Karate (p. 4). Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0005-0)
  6. Demura, F. (1982): Tonfa: Karate weapon of self-defense (p. 5). Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0080-7)
  7. Demura, F. (1971): Shito-Ryu Karate. Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0005-0)
  8. Demura, F., & Ivan, D. (1976): Advanced nunchaku. Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0021-0)
  9. Demura, F. (1982): Tonfa: Karate weapon of self-defense. Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0080-7)
  10. Demura, F. (1986): Nunchaku: Karate weapon of self-defense. Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0006-7)
  11. Demura, F. (1987): Bo: Karate weapon of self-defense. Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0019-7)
  12. Demura, F. (1987): Sai: Karate weapon of self-defense. Burbank, CA: Ohara. (ISBN 978-0-8975-0010-4)
  13. IMDb: The Warrior within (1976) – Full cast and crew Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  14. IMDb: The Karate Kid Part III (1989) – Full cast and crew Retrieved on March 3, 2010.
  15. IMDb: Shootfighter – Fight to the death (1992) – Full cast and crew Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  16. IMDb: Rising Sun (1993) – Full cast and crew Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  17. IMDb: The next Karate Kid (1994) – Full cast and crew Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  18. IMDb: Masters of the martial arts (1998) Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  19. IMDb: Mystic origins of the martial arts (1998) Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  20. IMDb: Modern warriors (2002) Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  21. IMDb: XMA – Xtreme Martial Arts (2003) Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  22. IMDb: Ninja (2009) – Full cast and crew Retrieved on March 4, 2010.
  23. IMDb: The Real Miyagi (2015) Retrieved on March 16, 2016.
  24. Karate World: Fumio Demura expelled from Itosu-kai (November 1, 2001). Retrieved on March 3, 2010.
  25. Demura, F. (2006): Fumio Demura resume Archived 2009-04-19 at the Wayback Machine (June 6, 2006). Retrieved on March 3, 2010.
  26. "@The Filme Files SHIN KOYAMADA'S INAUGURAL UNITED STATES MARTIAL ARTS FESTIVAL by Dr. Craig Reid".
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