Masters of Martial Arts

Masters of Martial Arts exist in all of the various disciplines whatever the origin and speciality. Individuals admired by students and followers for their skill or contribution to martial arts. Contact the team and let us know who are your Masters of Martial Arts.

Mifune, Kyuzo, 1883 – 1965. One of judo’s masters of martial arts.

Kyuzo Mifune is possibly the greatest ever judoka. Small in stature, he defeated many much larger opponents and was the embodiment of the philosophy and skill of judo. Certainly, he is considered by many to be the greatest judo technician that ever lived and a master of martial arts.

Having already started judo at age 13, Mifune began training under Sakujiro Yokoyama at the Kodokan when age 20. Eighteen months later, he was 2^nd degree nidan blackbelt and within 10 years he had become a 6^th degree rokudan sensei. Rapid promotions continued and in 1937 Mifune sensei was awarded 9^th degree kudan by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo.

Renowned for his energy and dynamism, which was especially expressed in the dojo through his own desire to learn and compete, and then as a teacher and sponsor of other judoka, Mifune was a tireless promoter of Kodokan judo. After Kano’s death, Mifune became the most influential Kodokan judo instructor, and worked especially hard to re-establish the Kodokan when World War II ended in 1945. At this time, he was promoted to 10^th degree Judan and thus became only the fourth master of martial arts to attain this level in judo. Before his death, Mifune sensei was the only tenth dan alive in the world.

It is said that Kyuzo Mifune never lost a competitive judo match. Certainly, he was never defeated in the annual Kodokan Red & White tournament. He was also winner of the first all-Japan championship; this was before weight categories were introduced. Mifune is also reported to have won a challenge fight against a Sumo wrestler more than twice his weight. Kyuzo Mifune was gifted with great balance and fast reactions, but is most remembered and revered for his ability to break the balance of his opponents and to apply elegant yet dynamic technique, much of which is outlined in his book Canon of Judo and the quote below.

'…to win the greatest result through the least strength is the best presentation of energy. It must be remembered, however, that it is a mean and less worthy victory to win by averting the opponent’s power and only by making use of his. The real purpose of Judo is not to win victory only, but is to personify the truth contained in Judo …'

Lee Jun-Fan, 1940 – 1973. The movie master of martial arts.

Better known simply as Bruce Lee, no Masters of Martial Arts page would be complete without mentioning the man who sparked the kung fu boom in the Western world through both his teaching and his action films. He is the greatest icon of 20^th century martial arts and martial arts cinema and his influence has led to him often being referred to as the father of modern MMA. He himself did not live to see the results of his efforts to bring the concept of mixing martial arts to the attention of the rest of the World. Bruce Lee's untimely death also meant that he did not see the release of his biggest movie Enter the Dragon. Click here for Enter the Dragon Special Edition DVD.

As a child, Lee learned Tai Chi Chuan from his father and then studied mostly Wing Chun style kung fu throughout his teenage years, later teaching a modified version of this when he settled in the United States. He also studied for a while in fencing and trained and fought in boxing, both of which were to influence his fighting style in later years. In the mid 1960’s, Lee developed a philosophy and fighting system that he called Jeet Kune Do or The Way of the Intercepting Fist. This came about through his constant research into different fighting styles and the teachings of other masters of martial arts, and especially after a no rules challenge match against another teacher in which he took longer than anticipated to finish the fight and was forced to consider the limitations of following one particular style.

In The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, a collection of his writings, Lee outlines his holistic approach to training and life and the need for flexibility and efficiency, in both mind and body, in dealing with life’s challenges. He also emphasised the need for better body conditioning, and a more freestyle and practical approach to fighting, especially with regard to self defence, taking techniques from many other disciplines. JKD also had a dramatic visual impact on the action scenes in Lee’s movies, and his amazing fitness and physique made him believable even to audiences lacking an appreciation for his great kung fu. His contribution and open mindedness to try new things has earned him his place as a master of martial arts and is typified by the quote below.

'A teacher is never a giver of truth – he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself. A good teacher is merely a catalyst…. Jeet Kune Do is not an organized institution that one can be a member of. Either you understand or you don’t.'

Fedor Emelianenko, b. 1976. One of MMA’s masters of martial arts.

Ranked no. 1 for many years in Mixed Martial Arts fighting, Fedor Emelianenko’s route to becoming a master of martial arts began with judo and Russian sambo wrestling. In 1997 he was awarded the title of Master of Sports, and the following year he won a Class A Judo tournament to make him the top Russian Judo champion under the age of 23. Emelianenko started fighting in combat sambo in 2000, winning Russian and World titles on numerous occasions.

Emelianenko started in MMA that same year, stating that he switched from strict martial arts to fighting in the ring because he ‘needed the money’. Today he continues to be driven, not by the money, but, like all good martial artists, to be the best fighter he can be. To date, he has lost only once in MMA competition, a controversial decision prompted by a cut from an illegal blow and the need for a contestant to progress to the next round later that night. He has held the Pride Fighting Championships title since 2003, including victories over former UFC heavyweight champions.

Fedor Emelianenko has defeated fighters from many backgrounds, including wrestling, kick boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu and muay Thai. As well as great strength, suppleness and stamina, Emelianenko has exceptional striking, grappling and takedown skills and is able to win equally well by knockouts or by submissions from chokes and locks. Fedor's book: The Fighting System Of The World's Undisputed King of MMA. He is the embodiment of the modern master of martial arts.