The name of Eastern Way martial Arts has changed. I am pleased to carry on the Simba Tradition, including the name! Please see the new blogspot for:
Training Hall of Lions: Simba DoJang
http://simbadojang.blogspot.com/
Ki Whang Kim was born in 1920 in Seoul, Korea. He began training in Judo in 1931 while living in Japan. In 1936 he received his black belt from the Kodokan. While a student in college, Ki Whang Kim trained in Shudokan Karate under Kanken Toyama. He was the captain of the Nihon University Karate team and was nicknamed "Typhoon." He also spent time in China studying Kenpo and Shaolin Kung Fu.
Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim moved to the United States in 1964 where he began teaching classes in Silver Springs, MD and Washington, DC. He was also an ambassador of the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Association. Some of the students of this school include: John Camance Albert Cheeks, Phil Cunningham, Mike Warren, Furman Marshall, and John Mickens. It was when Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim was working to unify several Korean martial arts that the name of our style of martial art was changed from Tang Soo Do to Tae Kwon Do.
Grandmaster Soo Wong Lee moved to America to assist Ki Whang Kim, teaching and living in his DoJang.
It was at the Washington, DC school that Furman Marshall and Phillip Cunningham trained with Grandmasters Ki Whang Kim and Soo Wong Lee. At some point Soo Wong Lee left to form his own school, Lee’s School of Karate, and Furman Marshall and Phillip Cunningham followed him to continue their training.
Phillip Cunningham began training in martial arts in 1956 while stationed overseas in the Navy. Grandmaster Cunningham was a Fulbright scholar who studied in Afghanistan and also at Howard University.
Furman Marshall served in the Marine Corp. He is well known for his dedication to the youth in his neighborhood. In addition to winning nearly 100 trophies in martial arts competitions, he also has trophies in auto racing, track, cycling, skiing, football and tennis.
Furman Marshall began teaching when neighborhood kids who saw him train asked to learn from him. His classes grew larger and larger until he had to find a space for them. He joined with Phil Cunningham and the found a space at the Baptist Center in southeast Washington.
They named their school "Simba DoJang." This was in the 1960’s before the Lion King was created. They chose the name "Simba" because it means "lion" in Swahili. DoJang, is a Korean term for training hall.
Grandmasters Marshall and Cunningham set a good example for their students by neither smoking nor drinking. They taught in the toughest inner city neighborhood and strove to keep their students out of trouble and off drugs. They wanted to create more than just a school, they wanted a safe place for kids to come train. They said, "Simba is family."
The students of Simba Dojang were very poor. In order to afford competing at tournaments, everyone would pool their money and the school would select a few students to represent them at a tournament.
It was at Simba DoJang that Leo Johnson and Reginald Moten studied Tae Kwon Do. When Leo Johnson moved to Wichita, KS, he began teaching in much the same way that Furman Marshall began: a few neighborhood kids in somebody’s basement. One of his students was Cali Stegall. Mr. Stegall trained under Leo Johnson until he was a green belt.
I am not sure what happened, but for some reason Mr. Johnson stopped teaching and Mr. Stegall was left without an instructor. His options for training were limited since he was still a high school student. He continued to train on his own and with a few of Mr. Johnson’s other students for a year and a half until he finished high school.
Once Cali Stegall was out of school, he drove more than 1,000 miles to the Washington, DC area to begin training with Simba Dojang again. There he trained under Reginald Moten.
Mr. Stegall moved back home to Wichita, KS. Although he was not yet a black belt, he received permission from his instructors in DC to begin teaching. He named his school Simba DoJang.
Mr. Stegall is my instructor.
