Background
Demura was born on September 15, 1938, in Yokohama, Japan.
出村 文男
Demura was born on September 15, 1938, in Yokohama, Japan.
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. 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.
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 as a karate instructor.
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). 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.
Demura has appeared in several films and documentaries, including: The Warrior within (1976), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1977), The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid, Participant III (1989), Shootfighter: Fight to the death (1992), Rising Sun (1993), The Next Karate Kid (1994), Masters of the martial arts (1998, presented by Wesley Snipes), Mystic origins of the martial arts (1998), Modern warriors (2002), XMA: Xtreme Martial Arts (2003), and Ninja (2009). Demura is the subject of the 2015 documentary "The Real Miyagi". In 1986, Demura was promoted to 7th dan in Shito-ryū karate.
In 2001, he was expelled from the Itosu-kai, and became the Director of Shito-ryū Karate-do Genbu-kai.
In 2005, he was promoted to 9th daughter He currently resides in Santa Ana, California.
In October 2010, Demura performed for the Koyamada Foundation"s United States Martial Arts Festival at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach, California.