Fumio Demura Obituary: Japanese Master of Karate and Kobudo has Died

Fumio Demura Obituary: Japanese Master of Karate and Kobudo has Died

Very sad to hear of the passing of Fumio Demura Sensei. Sadly, I didn’t get to train with him. An amazing instructor, author and stuntman. Rest in peace Sensei #KarateKid #RealMiyagi

Fumio Demura has passed away unexpectedly on Monday Morning, April 25, 2022, leaving family, closer relatives and other loved ones in total devastations and sadness. Circumstances surrounding his sudden demise have not been made known to the public at the time of filing this report.

Fumio Demura is a famous Japanese karate and Kobudo master. He was Pat Morita’s martial arts stand-in in the first, third, and fourth The Karate Kid movies (and the inspiration for “Mr. Miyagi”). Demura ranks 9th in Shitō-ryū Karate.

Demura was born on September 15, 1938 in Yokohama, Japan. At the age of 9 (1947/48), he began to learn karate and kendo under an instructor named Asano. At the age of 12 (1950/51), he began training Ryusho Sakagami in Itosu-kai karate. Demura earned his first black belt in 1956 and won the 1957 East Japan Championships.

In 1959, he began Kobudo training in the Okinawan weapons training style under the tutelage of Taira Shinken. In 1963, he “personally met Koga ryu ninjutsu soke, Seiko Fujita – the 14th generation Koga ryu ninja” (quoting himself as Fumio Demura). Demura met martial arts scholar Donn Draeger, who introduced him to Dan Ivan, who eventually brought him to America as a karate instructor.

In 1965, Demura came to the United States to represent the Japanese Karate Ito Club. From his base in Southern California, he is known for his karate and Kobudo skills. In 1971, he was awarded the 5th dan, and he held that rank until at least 1982.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Demura wrote several books on martial arts, including: Karate Shito-ryu (1971), Advanced Nunchaku (co-authored, 1976), Tonfa: Karate Weapons of Self-Defense” (1982), Nunchaku: Weapons of Karate Self-Defense -Defense (1986), Bo: Weapons of Karate Self-Defense (1987) and Sai: Weapons of Karate Self-Defense (1987).

In 1986, Decun was promoted to the seventh dan of Sidouliu Karate. In 2001, he was expelled from the Ito Sukai and became a director of the Shidoryu Karate Genbukai. In 2005, he was promoted to the ninth dan. He currently resides in Santa Ana, California.

In October 2010, Demura performed for the American Martial Arts Festival sponsored by the Koyamada International Foundation (KIF) at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach, CA.

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