Raymond Duke Moore

10th Dan, founder of Zen Budokai, author, teacher, and longtime martial arts practitioner.

Raymond "Duke" Moore trained with major martial arts teachers of his era, founded schools and associations, and promoted hundreds of black belts before his death in 2003.

Life

1915-2003

Rank

10th Dan, awarded by the Zen Budo Society in 1980

Founded

Zen Budokai; American Judo/Jujitsu Academy; Northern California Judo Association

Recognition

1999 Daruma Award for lifetime commitment to martial arts

Early Training

Raymond "Duke" Moore was born in San Francisco on April 19, 1915. He loved boxing and wrestling in his youth.

In 1941, he studied Danzan Ryu Jujitsu under Ray Law at the University Avenue dojo in Oakland, California. In 1943, he went to New York City to study judo with George Yoshida and trained privately with jujitsu master Kiyose Nakae.

In 1944, Duke won his black belt in competition, awarded by George Yoshida.

Schools and Associations

After returning to San Francisco, Duke opened the American Judo/Jujitsu Academy at 1819 Market Street. In 1946, he founded the Northern California Judo Association.

In 1948, he co-founded the American Judo & Jujitsu Federation with John Cahill, Bud Estes, Dick Rickerts, and Ray Law. He later resigned from the association in 1950 over its requirement that all members be black belts in Okazaki's Danzan Ryu system.

Teachers and Ranks

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Duke trained with Masutatsu Oyama and Richard Kim. He received a Kyokushinkai Karate black belt from Mas Oyama in 1957, a 4th Dan in Shorinji Kempo Karate from Master Kim, and a 7th Dan in Aiki Jujitsu from Master Richard Kim in 1965.

His other teachers included Mitz Kimura, Walter Todd, Yosh Ajari, Kiyose Nakae, and Sensei Takahashi.

Zen Budokai

In the early 1970s, Duke moved to Mountain View, California and taught his jujitsu style at Stanford University. Later, he moved to Sacramento.

On October 25, 1980, the Zen Budo Society awarded him the title, rank, and honor of Hanshi-Judan, 10th Degree. On December 19, 1981, he helped form ATAMA, the American Teachers Association of the Martial Arts.

Writing and Legacy

Duke wrote several books on martial arts and Zen philosophy, including "Holistic Meditation," "School of the Tiger," "Dharma-First of the Zen Masters," "The Self-Defense Syndrome of the Human Mind," and "The Fighting Spirit of Zen."

He promoted more than 300 black belts and lived in Sacramento until his death in 2003 at age 88. Before his death, he named Professor Tim Delgman as the second soke of the Zen Budokai system.

Survival is everything...all else is trivial.

Biography credited as copied with permission and modified from the named source.