“The Twentieth Century Samurai”

Richard Kim 1917 – 2001

“The Twentieth Century Samurai”

Richard Kim (Nov 17, 1917 - Nov 8, 2001) was an American martial artist. He was an instructor of various disciplines, including Okinawan Kobudo and Shōrinji-ryūKarate.

Kim was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and began studying judo as a child in the early 1920s, under Kaneko. Around the same time, he also began studying karate under Arakaki Ankichi.Before World War II, his service in the United States Merchant Marine took him to east Asia.

He cited many martial artists as his teachers, including Tachibana, Chen Chen Yuan, and Choa Hsu Lai. While in Japan, Kim studied Daito-ryu under Kotaro Yoshida and lived with him for seven years also with Toyama Kanken. He also was taught by Moreihei Ueshiba and Gogen Yamaguchi. Kim stated that he had in his possession the Daito-ryu scrolls and had been granted the Daito-ryumenkyo kaiden. Kim also studied and taught Japanese and Okinawanweaponry.

In 1959, Kim began teaching martial arts in San Francisco. He traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe teaching wherever he went. As well as teaching the physical aspects of the martial arts, Kim taught the philosophy, history, strategy, and spiritual aspects.

Kim's students continue through a number of organizations: the Kokusai Butokukai is the international organization that Richard Kim started as the Busen Butoku Kai. It is made up of Zen Bei Butoku Kai, Butoku Kai Canada, Butoku Kai France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Finland, and Scotland now under the direction of Jean Chalamon, Rod Sanford, and Lou Jemison. The Bu Toku Do was founded by Don Warrener, a senior student of Richard Kim. The Zen Bei Butokukai International was also founded by two of Richard Kim's senior students, Brian Ricci and Frank Gaviola.

In addition to being a great martial arts instructor, he was reportedly also an untiring student, constantly studying, practicing and learning throughout his entire life, right up until the time of his death. He taught body dynamics and the technical aspects of many traditional martial arts to an intense depth and extent. Those who trained with him often observed that he was always teaching something new plunging them deeper and deeper into an incredible world of the martial arts, and starting them down the path to becoming ‘Artists of Life’. He was also known as an interesting storyteller with knowledge, experience and direction from oral tradition as well as written documentation, including his meticulous note taking. His summer camps were legendary open to all belts, they were dedicated to intense physical exercise, kata, basics, self defense, weaponry, meditation, demonstrations of various styles and schools, and stories and lessons passed down from the old great masters. Richard Kim was also a prolific writer of essays, articles, and books which today form an integral part of martial arts reference libraries and individual student collections. One of Kim’s concepts was that words are our very lives and future: “Words become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, character becomes destiny”.

His students and colleagues carry on his legacy, and include names like LeRoy Rodriguez, Johnny Pereira, Tony Troche, Robert Leong,

Chuck and Rosemary Siani, Rod Sanford, Richard Lee, Clarence Lee, Geter, Lonnie Francise, Don Warrener, Brian Ricci, Frank and Leonore Gaviola, Greg Mellor, Jean Chalamon and Louis Jemison.

As a testament to O’Sensei’s achievements, longtime friend and colleague Master Hidetaka Nishiyama of the International Traditional Karate Federation presented him with the rank of Judan at his memorial service.