Zen Bei Butoku Kai

 Objectives

The objectives of the ZBBK are:

1. Help students acquire self defense and personal development skills in the context of martial arts traditions. 

2. Share information on the art amongst a community of like-minded people.

3. Inspire students by bringing them together with the best teachers to create an energetic, fun, and rewarding training environment.

4. Provide a standardized ranking system that recognizes proficiency, achievement, contribution to the organization.

Foundation of the ZBBK

In 1959,  Hanshi Ono Kumao, the vice chair of the Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai of Japan, asked O’Sensei to become the official representative for the organization outside Japan. O’Sensei settled in San Francisco and formed the Zen Bei Butoku Kai (All American Martial Arts organization). 

O’Sensei arrived back in the U.S. in 1959. Foundation of the Kokusai Butoku Kai. In 1976 O'Sensei formed the Butoku-Kai International to represent the countries where he taught outside of North America. These included France, Germany, Spain, Finland, and Great Britain. 

Breaking ties with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai

 In 1999 O’Sensei Kim and his students ended their membership in the Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai. 

The ZBBK today

After O’Sensei Kim’s death in 2001 the Zen Bei Butoku-Kai was reformed as a non-profit organization by Sensei Louis Jemison and Sense Rod Sanford. Today the ZBBK continues with Hanshi Sanford as the president.