Shotokan head of the Japan Karate Association's Brazilian branch. Action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme holds a 2nd "dan" black belt in Shotokan and used the style when he competed both in traditional and in full contact karate competitions in the 1970s and 1980s. Michael Jai White has a 3rd "dan" in Shotokan, although he has long practiced other karate styles such as Kyokushin and Goju Ryu. Wesley Snipes has a 5th dan black belt in Shotokan. Shotokan Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, who continued to teach karate after his death in 1957. However, internal
David Ryu David Ryu David Ryu (born 1975) is a Los Angeles City Councilman for Los Angeles City Council District 4. He is the first Korean-American to hold a council seat in Los Angeles, California. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UCLA and a Masters of Public Policy & Administration from Rutgers University. Ryu was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1975, the oldest of three children His father, Eul Chul Ryu, and mother, Michelle Won Chung Ryu, moved the family to Los Angeles, California in 1980, when Ryu was 5 years old. There, Ryu's father served as editor