The first issue of Black Belt was published in 1961 by a Japanese-American who, not surprisingly, practiced martial arts (primarily aikido, kendo, judo and jeet kune do). Based in Southern California, Mito Uyehara envisioned a national magazine that would help spread the Asian martial arts, the benefits of which he knew very well, to the American public.
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</p><p><em>Black Belt, first issue, 1961</em></p><p>The second issue didn't hit newsstands until almost a year after the first, but it was an obvious improvement with better coverage, more pages and a trim size that was twice as large.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><em>Black Belt, second issue, January 1962</em></p><p>As the years passed, the magazine adopted a monthly publication schedule and then added color inside. Along the way, it broke new ground by featuring a woman on the cover for the first time in 1964.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><em>Black Belt, first woman on the cover, November-December 1964</em></p><p>In 1968 <em>Black Belt</em> featured an African-American martial artist on the cover for the first time. His name is Thomas LaPuppet.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><em>Black Belt, August 1968</em></p><p>The editors even put Bruce Lee on that coveted front page <em>before</em> he was a superstar. It was 1967, and his name was not deemed to be enough of a selling point to be placed next to his photo. Instead, the cover line read <em>"Green Hornet's</em> Kato: Does He Really Practice Kung Fu?"<br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><em>Black Belt, October 1967</em></p><p>The year after Bruce Lee appeared on the cover, the editors unveiled the <em>Black Belt</em> Hall of Fame. In the ensuing decades, the company published books, made videos, hosted events and launched spin-off magazines — including <em>Karate Illustrated, Martial Arts Training, FightSport</em> and <em>Self-Defense for Women.</em><br/></p><p><em></em>Later, when the world went digital, <em>Black Belt </em>expanded onto the Web, started an e-newsletter, launched a series of <a href="https://shop.blackbeltmag.com/collections/online-video-courses" target="_blank">online martial arts courses</a> and built a strong following on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackBeltMagazine/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Black_Belt_Mag" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BlackBeltLLC" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/blackbeltmag/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><em>Black Belt's 40th anniversary issue, July 2001</em></p><p>Fast-forward to the present: <em>Black Belt</em> is sporting an ultramodern redesign, a significant paper upgrade and unexpected growth under its new owner, Century Martial Arts.</p><p> Mito Uyehara surely would agree that the humble publication he created in 1961 has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.</p><p><em>— Robert W. Young, editor, Black Belt</em></p><p><em>BRUCE LEE is a registered trademark of Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC. The Bruce Lee name, image, likeness and all related indicia are intellectual property of Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved. <a href="http://www.brucelee.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.brucelee.com</a></em></p>
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