Bill M. Ryusaki

Bill Ryusaki was born in Kamuela on the big island of Hawaii. He had total of ten siblings, many of whom, as well as his father are martial arts masters. Bill started training in two types of karate at the tender age of 8, and later added Kenpo Karate to his arsenal. His teachers would later include William Chow, Bill Chun Sr., and Marino Tiwanak. Bill Ryusaki moved to mainland US in late 1950's, after college, and trained with Ed Parker, Ed Tabian, and John Leoning, the first Kajukenbo instructor on the mainland, in 1957. (Kajukenbo is a mixed martial arts from Hawaii, combining Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, kenpo karate, and Chinese Boxing). In 1961, Bill Ryusaki received his black belt in Kajukenbo/Kenpo. Bill Ryusaki incorporated many moves from Kenpo and Judo into his unique Karate system known as Hawaiian Kenpo Karate. In the 1970's and 1980's, fighters trained by Bill Ryusaki took many top prizes, among them Sensei Dan Guzman, Sensei Otto Schumann, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, and Cecil Peoples. In August, 1998, Wesley Snipes hosted a major awards ceremony in New York City called "Masters of the Martial Arts". This special was televised, and included the best-known and highest-ranked Martial Artists from around the world. Bill M. Ryusaki received recognition for Karate at this event. Bill has appeared in numerous films and TV series as an actor and stuntman. His daughter, Kimberly L. Ryusaki, is also an actress and stuntwoman, and has appeared in various films, including two of the Star Trek movies.