Fumio Demura

Fumio Demura (出村 文男, Demura Fumio, born September 15, 1938) is a Japanese American master of karate. He is a well known master of karate and kobudo (weaponry), and was Pat Morita's martial arts stunt double in the first four Karate Kid movies. Demura holds the rank of 9th dan in Shitō-ryū karate.

Early life

Demura was born on September 15, 1938, in Yokohama, Japan. At the age of 9, he began training in karate and kendo under an instructor named Asano. At the age of 12 he started training under Ryusho Sakagami in Itosu-kai karate. Demura received his 1st dan 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. 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.

United States of America

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 he remained at that rank until at least 1982. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Demura wrote several martial arts books, including: Shito-Ryu Karate (1971),Advanced nunchaku (1976, co-authored),Tonfa: Karate weapon of self-defense (1982),Nunchaku: Karate weapon of self-defense (1986),Bo: Karate weapon of self-defense (1987), and Sai: Karate weapon of self-defense (1987).