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| Elvis with Shotokan Sensei Tetsuji Murakimi in Paris January 1960 |
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| Elvis Presley Black Belt 1960 |
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| TCB Patch |
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| Master Kang Rhee & Elvis Presley |
Elvis was first exposed to Karate in 1958 after he was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany. His first instructor was a German shotokan stylist named Juergen Seydel who taught Elvis at his off-base housing in Nauheim until 1958. One nice thing about the military was that you got thirty days of paid vacation (leave) each year. During his vacation in Paris he would take private lessons with Tetsugio Murakami, one of Japan's top shotokan stylists, who would help pioneer shotokan in Europe. On one occasion he spent nine straight days studying for several hours each day with Murakami.
With a lot of spare time on his hands Elvis would spend hours training with Rex Mansfield, another soldier stationed with Elvis in Germany.
It was during this time that Elvis would also start conditioning his hands for board breaking by banging his knuckles against hard surfaces.
His next Instructor was Japanese Shotokan Master Tetugio Murakami who became the Shotokan master of Europe.
In 1960 Elvis, with Japanese style training under his belt, Elvis met the Father of American Kenpo, Ed Parker at the Wilshire Beverly Hills Hotel after a Karate demonstration. Mr. Parker introducded Elvis to Hank Slomanski, an Instructor at Fort Campbell to test for his black belt. It was Hank who promoted Elvis to 'Black Belt' on July 21, 19690 and personally gave Elvis his own personal Black belt when he promoted him. He is said to have sent word back to Ed Parker 'Your boy ain't pretty anymore, but he's a black belt'.
Elvis and Karate by Master Kang Rhee
Elvis trained from 1970-1974 under Master Kang Rhee in Memphis, TN. He said Master Rhee had a good reputation and had come highly recommended by Ed Parker, his former instructor, of California.During the four year period under Master Rhee, Elvis, like all the other students, selected an animal title by which to be addressed in the training area. After first choosing Mr. Panther, that name was later changed to 'Mr. Tiger' because of existing political implications associated with the name 'Panther' at that time.
Elvis trained with the other students in a regular training session. Classroom discipline was so strict that Elvis was allowed the same freedom of training as the ordinary students without the usual press from adoring fans. Elvis was awarded 7th Degree Black Belt in 1973 by Master Rhee and on occasion had the opportunity, himself, to test and promote students of lower rank.
Elvis was an instructor in the Pasaryu Karate Association under Master Kang Rhee, and served with such Karate greats as Master Rhee, who had been a Korean Grand Champion, and Bill Wallace, World middleweight Karate Champion. Once during a training session he was instructing a female student in a break-away technique which called for the victim to scrape the shins of the assailant. After repeated attempts by Elvis to get her to perform properly, the exasperated student came down so hard against his shins that he almost fell down with pain. She had learned. Younger students in the classroom were often frightened by the presence of Elvis. Upon learning of this problem regarding a young 9 year old boy, he called the boy aside, spoke privately with him and presented him with his own 'Elvis Presley' engraved watch.
Close friends of Elvis call this four year period the Golden Years - the years of peace and spiritual contentment for him.
Photos exist documenting that four year period.
On June 4, 1973, Elvis Presley gave Kang Rhee a custom-delux Eldorado Cadillac. This was not an ordinary gift. Vernon Presley had purchased the white Cadillac, customized with the Continental rear-end and silver front-end grill, for Elvis as a gift. Elvis drove the car for his personal use ten months before bestowing the car as a gift upon Master Rhee.
What makes this gift so unusual? Many friends of Elvis Presley, such as Linda Thompson, Elvis' girl-friend at the time, say that Elvis rarely gave a car away that had been personally customized, but because of his tremendous respect for his Karate instructor, he wanted to express his feelings. This is why we would like to give the many fans a chance to share all the wonderful memories, even his friends such as Kang Rhee, have stored up in their hearts.
Shipping is FREE. Canadian residents higher.
