His First Lesson Always Is Manners: A Biography of Fumio Demura

“His First Lesson Always Is Manners”

Fumio Demura is a well-known Japanese master of karate and kobudo (weaponry). He holds the rank of 10^th dan in Shito-ryu karate. He was Pat Morita's martial arts stunt double in the first four Karate Kid movies.

Born in Yokohama, Demura began training in karate and kendo at the age of 9 under an instructor named Asano.At the age of 12 he began training under Ryusho Sakagami in Itosu-kai karate.He received his 1st danblack belt in 1956,and won the East Japan Championships in 1957. In 1959, he began training in kobudo, under the direction of Taira Shinken.In 1963, 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.

Demura is one of the most recognized karate ka in Japan. He won the All Japan Karate Championship in 1961.

In 1965, Demura came to the United States, representing the Japan Karate-do Itosu-kai. From his base in southern California, he became well known for his karate and kobudo skills. In 1971, he was ranked 5th dan and remained at that rank until at least 1982. Through the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote several martial arts books for Ohara publications.

In the 1980s, Demura became involved in the Karate Kid series of films. He was the stunt double for Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi.Some of his other films and documentaries include: Ninja, The Warrior Within (1976), Modern Warriors (2002), and XMA: Xtreme Martial Arts (2003).

In 2001, he resigned from the Itosu-kai, and became the Director of Shito-ryū Karate-do Genbu-kai. In 2005, he was promoted to 9th and then later to 10^th dan. He currently resides in Santa Ana, California where he is well known for his karate and kobudo skills, including Shito-Ryu karate. His students include Steven Seagal, and Dan Ivan.

Demura Sensei is one of the very few Japanese instructors who have been able to bridge the gap between the Japanese and American cultures and being loved by both equally.

On February 21, 2015 he celebrated his 50^th year teaching karate in America.

To learn more about Fumio Demura, please check out his book on Tonfa.