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Black Belt Legacy: James Mitose — Kenpo Legend or Convicted Killer?

James Mitose, a Japanese American martial artist, is credited with bringing the art of kenpo to the United States in 1936. Brilliant but controversial, he left an incredible mark on the art’s development in America.


Black and white collage showing martial artists practicing Kenpo in the 1950s, an American flag in the background, and a Kenpo evolution chart.
Taken from the June 1980 Black Belt Magazine archive



Seven martial artists in white uniforms pose formally in two rows against a plain backdrop, exuding a disciplined and serious mood.


His legacy was marred by a criminal conviction — one his family continued to dispute. In 1974, he was found guilty of murder and extortion, sentenced to life in prison, and died there in 1981 from complications related to diabetes.


Two martial artists practice moves on the cover of Black Belt magazine, November 1992. Text highlights Chuck Norris' anti-drug program.

During his time in prison he was visited by kenpo master Bruce Juchnik who chronicled his teachings.


Mitose's son Thomas Barrow Mitose said in a 1992 interview with Black Belt, that his father got a "bum deal from the American legal system and from some of his disciples."


Want the full story?

Check out our digital archive and read it in the November 1992 issue, featuring Thomas Barrow Mitose on the cover!


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