Steven Seagal

Steven Seagal (born April 10, 1951) is an action movie actor and a 7th dan black belt in Aikido.

Background

Steven Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan to a Jewish father and an Irish Catholic mother. In his youth, he relocated to Fullerton, California and began studying the martial arts under the direction of renowned shito-ryu karate master Fumio Demura. In his late teens, Seagal became part of Demura's Karate Demonstration Team and performed daily demonstrations in Japanese Deer Park, an amusement park in Southern California. When he was around nineteen years old, Seagal moved to Japan in order to continue his study of the martial arts.

Related Topics:
Lansing, Michigan - Jewish - Irish - Catholic - Fullerton - California - Shito-ryu - Fumio Demura - Japanese Deer Park

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In Japan, Seagal trained under various teachers such as Master Hiroshi Isoyama and Master Seiseki Abe, eventually gaining 7th dan black belt in Aikikai and marrying another student of Abe Sensei, Miyako Fujitani. Fujitani's family ran the Tenshin Dojo in Osaka where Seagal became the first foreigner to gain master credentials and teach Aikido in Japan. Upon his return to the United States, Seagal opened the Tenshin Bugei Gakuen in 1982, after the Dojo where he trained in Japan.

Related Topics:
7th dan - Aikikai - Dojo - Osaka - Tenshin Bugei Gakuen - 1982

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