This video biography of Masayuki Shimabukuro was presented during his induction into the 2006 Black Belt Hall of Fame as Weapons Instructor of the Year. Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1948, Masayuki Shimabukuro began his martial arts career with childhood lessons in judo, karate-do and Okinawan kobudo. Upon meeting 20th-generation grandmaster Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa, Masayuki Shimabukuro began a lifelong pursuit of emulating his template for technical mastery and human compassion, grace and humility. In 1976, he moved to Southern California and began teaching shito-ryu karate-do, iaido, jodo and Okinawan kobudo---just in time for the 1980s fascination with samurai weapons and philosophy, which had become one of Masayuki Shimabukuro's specialties. In the early 1990s, Masayuki Shimabukuro became a founding member of the North American Japanese Karate-do Masters Association and now serves on its board of directors. In 1995, Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa appointed Masayuki Shimabukuro international chairman of the Nippoin Kobudo Jikishin-Kai and entrusted him with the dissemination of authentic eishin-ryu swordsmanship. In 2002, Miura Takeyuki Hidefusa awarded Masayuki Shimabukuro the title of hanshi and named him the 21st-generation inheritor designate of muso jikiden eishin-ryu iaijutsu. Masayuki Shimabukuro became a member of the prestigious Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, the oldest martial arts governing body in Japan. In 2003 he wrote the United States Amateur Athletic Union’s competition guidelines for iaido/battodo and served as the chairman for the organization’s iaido/battodo division. In 2006, he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Weapons Instructor of the Year.
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