is a well known Japanese

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

and kobudo (traditional weaponry).Clayton, B. D., Horowitz, R., & Pollard, E. (2004): ''Shotokan's secret: The hidden truth behind Karate's fighting origins'' (p. 108). Black Belt Books. ()Japan Karate-Do Genbu-Kai International: Sensei Demura at a glance ...
(''c.'' 2007). Retrieved on March 3, 2010. He was

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on ''Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitco ...

's martial arts stunt double in the first, third and fourth ''

Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and ...

'' films (and the inspiration for "

Mr. Miyagi Mr. Miyagi (June 9, 1925 – November 15, 2011) is a fictional character in the original films (1984-1994) of the ''Karate Kid'' franchise. He is a karate master (portrayed by Pat Morita) who mentors Daniel LaRusso and Julie Pierce. Although he ...

").USA Dojo: Shihan Fumio Demura
(''c.'' 2009). Retrieved on March 3, 2010. Demura holds the rank of 9th ''

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

'' in

Shitō-ryū is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by . Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te schools of karate and today is considered one of the four main styles of the art. History Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa 摩文仁 ...

karate.

Early life

Demura was born on September 15, 1938, in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan. At the age of 9 (1947/48), he began training in karate and

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

under an instructor named Asano. At the age of 12 (1950/51) he started training under Ryusho Sakagami in Itosu-kai karate. Demura received his 1st ''

'' black belt in 1956, and won the East Japan Championships in 1957. In 1959, he began training in kobudo, a style of Okinawan weapons training, under the direction of

Taira Shinken was a Japanese martial artist, born as in 1897 on Kume island in the Ryūkyū archipelago. Early life He was the second son in a family of three boys and one girl. He was given up for adoption as a child (not an uncommon practice in old Japan ...

. 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 Donald Frederick "Donn" Draeger (April 15, 1922 – October 20, 1982) was an internationally known teacher and practitioner of Japanese martial arts. He was the author of several important books on Asian martial arts,Modern Bujutsu & Budo: M ...

, who introduced him to Dan Ivan, who would eventually bring him to the United States of America as a karate instructor.

Career

In 1965, Demura came to the United States, representing the Japan Karate-do Itosu-kai. From his base in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, he became well known for his karate and kobudo skills. In 1971, he was ranked 5th ''dan'',Demura, F. (1971): ''Shito-Ryu Karate'' (p. 4). Burbank, CA: Ohara. () and he remained at that rank until at least 1982.Demura, F. (1982): ''Tonfa: Karate weapon of self-defense'' (p. 5). Burbank, CA: Ohara. () Through the 1970s and 1980s, Demura wrote several martial arts books, including: ''Shito-Ryu Karate'' (1971),Demura, F. (1971): ''Shito-Ryu Karate''. Burbank, CA: Ohara. () ''Advanced nunchaku'' (1976, co-authored),Demura, F., & Ivan, D. (1976): ''Advanced nunchaku''. Burbank, CA: Ohara. () ''Tonfa: Karate weapon of self-defense'' (1982),Demura, F. (1982): ''Tonfa: Karate weapon of self-defense''. Burbank, CA: Ohara. () ''Nunchaku: Karate weapon of self-defense'' (1986),Demura, F. (1986): ''Nunchaku: Karate weapon of self-defense''. Burbank, CA: Ohara. () ''Bo: Karate weapon of self-defense'' (1987),Demura, F. (1987): ''Bo: Karate weapon of self-defense''. Burbank, CA: Ohara. () and ''Sai: Karate weapon of self-defense'' (1987).Demura, F. (1987): ''Sai: Karate weapon of self-defense''. Burbank, CA: Ohara. () In 1986, Demura was promoted to 7th ''dan'' in Shito-ryū karate. In 2001, he was expelled from the Itosu-kai,Karate World: Fumio Demura expelled from Itosu-kai
(November 1, 2001). Retrieved on March 3, 2010. and became the Director of Shito-ryū Karate-do Genbu-kai. In 2005, he was promoted to 9th ''dan''. He currently resides in Santa Ana, California.Demura, F. (2006)
Fumio Demura resume
(June 6, 2006). Retrieved on March 3, 2010. In October 2010, Demura performed for the ''United States Martial Arts Festival'', hosted by

Koyamada International Foundation Koyamada International Foundation, commonly referred to as KIF or KIF Global, is an international non-governmental organization, with its mission to improve quality of people's life by empowering global youth and women to reach their full potent ...

(KIF) at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Sa ...

Karate Kid films

In the 1980s, Demura became involved in the ''Karate Kid'' series of films. He was the stunt double for

, who played

. ''The Karate Kid'' screenwriter

Robert Mark Kamen Robert Mark Kamen (born October 9, 1947) is an American screenwriter, best known as creator of '' The Karate Kid franchise'', as well as for his later collaborations with French filmmaker Luc Besson, which includes the screenplay for ''The Fifth ...

stated that Mr. Miyagi was named after

Chōjun Miyagi was an Okinawan martial artist who founded the Gōjū-ryū school of karate by blending Okinawan and Chinese influences. Life Early life and training Sensei Miyagi was born in Higashimachi, Naha, Okinawa on April 25, 1888. One of his parent ...

, the founder of the Goju-ryu karate style, and that Fumio Demura was the inspiration for the character. Demura has appeared in several films and documentaries, including: ''The Warrior within'' (1976),IMDb: The Warrior within (1976) – Full cast and crew
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'' (1977), ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and W ...

'' (1984), ''

The Karate Kid Part III ''The Karate Kid Part III'' is a 1989 American martial arts film, martial arts drama (film and television), drama film, the third entry in the The Karate Kid (franchise), ''Karate Kid'' franchise and a sequel to ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986). ...

'' (1989),IMDb: The Karate Kid Part III (1989) – Full cast and crew
Retrieved on March 3, 2010. ''Shootfighter: Fight to the death'' (1992),IMDb: Shootfighter – Fight to the death (1992) – Full cast and crew
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. '' Rising Sun'' (1993),IMDb: Rising Sun (1993) – Full cast and crew
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. ''

The Next Karate Kid ''The Next Karate Kid'' is a 1994 American martial arts drama film, and the fourth installment in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise, following ''The Karate Kid Part III'' (1989). It stars Hilary Swank as Julie Pierce (in her first theatrical appeara ...

'' (1994),IMDb: The next Karate Kid (1994) – Full cast and crew
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. ''Masters of the martial arts'' (1998, presented by

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. His prominent film roles include '' Major League'' (1989), ''New Jack City'' (1991), ''White Men Can't Jump'' (1992), ''Passenger 57'' (1992), '' R ...

),IMDb: Masters of the martial arts (1998)
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. ''Mystic origins of the martial arts'' (1998),IMDb: Mystic origins of the martial arts (1998)
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. ''Modern warriors'' (2002),IMDb: Modern warriors (2002)
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. ''XMA: Xtreme Martial Arts'' (2003),IMDb: XMA – Xtreme Martial Arts (2003)
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. and ''

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

'' (2009).IMDb: Ninja (2009) – Full cast and crew
Retrieved on March 4, 2010. Demura is the subject of the 2015 documentary "The Real Miyagi".IMDb: The Real Miyagi (2015)
Retrieved on March 16, 2016.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Demura, Fumio Living people 1938 births American stunt performers Japanese emigrants to the United States Japanese male karateka Karate coaches Shitō-ryū practitioners Martial arts writers Sportspeople from Santa Ana, California Sportspeople from Yokohama American sportspeople of Japanese descent