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On January 31, 2004, New England was graced by a
martial arts icon. Shihan Fumio Demura, who has over 50 years of
experience and has trained with such legends as Master Ryusho Sakagami,
masterfully taught the 108 people who were there seeking his knowledge.
The seminar was broken up into two parts. The first was empty hand self
defense of which Shihan Demura taught a demonstrated his speed and precision
against a variety of attacks. Part two was a lesson in the art of Bojutsu
in which Shihan Demura had the group's complete attention as he taught and
shared a Kata that he developed of which encompasses all the basics needed to
learn the traditional Okinawan Bo Katas. The audience was amazed as this
65 year old icon moved with such grace and accuracy as to belie his age.
Although the seminar was to be 3 hours long, time was meaningless as Shihan
Demura taught until he was satisfied that everyone understood the concepts that
he was sharing. After the seminar was completed, Shihan Demura graciously
honored everyone's request for autographs and pictures. As great a martial
artist as he is, he is an even greater person who put everyone's needs ahead of
his own. We at Nick Cerio's Kenpo would like to thank Shihan Demura for
his time and generosity this weekend. We know the gift that he shared with
us and we are grateful.
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