Martial Arts History Museum

Martial Arts History Museum

Martial Arts History Museum
Established	1999
Location	2319 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91506
Coordinates	34°10′21″N 118°20′01″W / 34.172386°N 118.333473°W / 34.172386; -118.333473
Type	Martial Arts History Museum
Director	Michael Matsuda
Public transit access	Metrolink:          Downtown Burbank
Website	http://mamuseum.org
Opening Hours	11:00am-6:00pm Thursday-Sunday

Kung Fu Weaponry at the Martial Arts History Museum

The Martial Arts History Museum is the first museum in America devoted to the history of martial arts. It was created as an educational facility teaching young people and visitors about art, culture^[1] and tradition and how Asian history became part of American history through the martial arts.^[2][3] The Martial Arts History Museum is divided into several sections^[4] including China, Japan,^[5] Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Hawaii, Anime and Media.^[6][7] From Japanese Samurai to today's Kung Fu Panda,^[8] it reveals the influence of Asian artistry on the West. It is located in the Los Angeles County in the city of Burbank, California. This museum gets high marks for holding the attention of kids and for its interesting exhibits on the history of different martial arts traditions. The museum provides a fun scavenger hunt form to all young kids to encourage to learn more about martial arts history.^[9]

History

The Martial Arts History Museum began its journey on September 15, 1999. The concept of the Martial Arts History Museum began in the 1980s,^[10] but it took many years of research, development and planning before we took our first step. This was going to be the first museum dedicated to the martial arts so great caution was taken as we prepared to open our doors. Through the assistance of martial arts icons, business developers, people from Disney, DreamWorks and The Simpsons,^[11][12] we launched the Martial Arts History Museum at Team Karate Centers in Woodland Hills in the County of Los Angeles.

The museum was started by Michael Matsuda, a 20-year contributing editor for Inside Kung fu and Black Belt magazine and one-time founder of Martial Art Magazine.^[13] He is a master of Monkey Kung Fu,^[14] and has been practicing various martial arts forms since 1968.^[15]

The Martial Arts History Museum launched its website in 1999 and later began hosting annual Hall of Fame ceremonies. Becoming a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Martial Arts History Museum took to the road as a traveling exhibit^[16] and traveled from as far south as San Diego to as far north as New Jersey. After six years of attending expos, anime festivals, martial arts tournaments, Asian shows, etc.,^[17] the Martial Arts History Museum opened its doors at a brick and mortar location in the city of Santa Clarita in the Los Angeles County in 2006. In 2010, the Martial Arts History Museum relocated to the city of Burbank, CA and reopened its doors to the public on June 25, 2011.^[18][19]

According to Matsuda, their most difficult task is for the community as a whole, to understand what a potential impact a Museum will have for everyone. From the garage school owner to the head of the UFC. A Museum opens the doors to young children who have never studied the arts, to visitors who come from all across the globe and more. When there is an understanding of the potential of an organized Museum such as this, the community can make a bigger difference.^[20]

To benefit the martial arts community, the Martial Arts History Museum provides a series of annual documented historical publications that serve as a reference books for martial arts history. These include the history of the martial arts, the origin of the museum, the official Martial Arts Hall of Fame^[21][22] and more.

Exhibits

The Martial Arts History Museum has exhibits covering a wide variety of martial arts and the countries from which each evolved. There are displays relating to kung fu, samurai, ninja, karate, judo, Hawaiian Lua, Filipino kali and Thailand’s Muay Thai including the weaponry used in each discipline.

The museum does not just limit itself to various forms of weaponry, however. It showcases a unique presentation of artifacts from every Asian culture including Korean fans, drums from Thailand and Chinese lion heads. Also on display are uniforms and personal items once belonging to various martial arts legends. A distinctive Media Room boasts famed and recognizable objects of martial arts movie and television memorabilia, including the real gopher chucks used by Steve Oedekerk in the film, "Kung Pow! Enter the Fist," the actual headband^[23] used by Ralph Macchio in "The Karate Kid,"^[24] the demon mask from "Revenge of the Ninja," the uniform from "Wendy Wu," and an animatronic character just installed. As part of an easy to follow self-guided tour, each section contains a fun and informative video highlighting the impact of Asian culture on American history. In 2015, the museum introduced their latest exhibit, The History of Anime, an impressive "must see" which includes Hong Kong Phooey.^[25] The museum regularly holds a number of monthly events including book fairs, sword cutting demonstrations,^[26] movie premieres, sushi seminars,^[27] first aid workshops, blood drives, history lessons, basic language classes, Asian musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, self-defense for women workshops and more.

References

External links

• Official website
• Official Museum Books