“What does a Martial Arts History Museum do for the martial arts community?”
To answer this questions, we look back at history. Martial arts landed on American soil back in the 1800’s, but it wasn’t until the mid 1900’s that the West become interested in the martial arts. In the 1940’s, James Cagney brought attention to Judo and Jiu Jitsu by using such techniques in the film “The Blood on the Sun,” which caused a flood of interest in learning Judo.
In 1971, the film “Billy Jack” brought the biggest interest to the arts and the Kung Fu movie boom was born. This caused martial arts schools to spring up all over the country. Michael Matsuda shared with us that the school where he studied was so packed with new students that they had to practice in the parking lot.
If it wasn’t for the attention brought to the martial arts by action films, the study of martial arts would never have grown and spread throughout the United States the way it has. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, martial arts films came out on a regular basis and they built excitement for the arts and this led to a large interest in the martial arts and the study of the martial arts. People began enrolling in martial arts schools and the need for new schools grew. Today, martial arts films no longer dominate the box office and new martial arts action films hit theaters only every couple of years.
So how does the Martial Arts History Museum make a difference? The Martial Arts History Museum promotes the martial arts on a continual basis, every single day. The Museum promotes martial arts events and shows up on websites, in Tour Books, and in magazines, and it is part of the much larger Museum community. The Museum is open to the public, is seconds from the airport, and 50% of the visitors to the Museum are from out-of-town or out-of-country which means we are building international recognition.
The Martial Arts History Museum brings validity to all martial arts, past and present, in the eyes of the non-martial arts community. The Martial Arts History Museum shows people the importance of martial arts throughout history, and the fact that we have a physical building for the Museum makes the history of the martial arts tangible for everyone. Michael Matsuda, the President and Curator of the museum, has created very dynamic exhibits for the museum. Whether you are a martial artist, or a martial arts enthusiast, whether you are young or old, you will find the Martial Arts History Museum enthralling.
Recognized by the Hollywood film industry, the Martial Arts History Museum is a wonderful host to all kinds of Hollywood style activities including film junkets, movie debuts, and movie and TV auditions. The museum promotes movies and all kinds of events on its web site and hands out promotional materials to visitors for action movies and documentaries about martial arts and it provides another top notch avenue for film research.
The Martial Arts History Museum keeps the martial arts community on the map and in the public eye continually.
Another wonderful opportunity given to martial artists by the Martial Arts History Museum is Sponsorship’s. Michael Matsuda says that in his 45 years in the martial arts, one of the hardest things to get was sponsorships from big name company vendors such as Coke, Gatoraid, Nike, Sportmart etc. because these vendors didn’t believe that the martial arts community was organized enough to commit to sponsorship. They didn’t believe that there are millions of people that study martial arts, so they didn’t offer support. The Martial Arts History Museum shows these types of companies that we are organized and gives us a permanent presence. As the Museum continues to attract these types of sponsors, sponsors will take a second look at sponsoring our tournaments and other events.
Nearly half of all the visitors who come to the Martial Arts History Museum don’t study the martial arts yet, but the Museum draws them into our exciting world and creates in them a desire to study the martial arts.
Is the Martial Arts History Museum here to stay? Yes, it is!!! The Martial Arts History Museum started in 1999. It began as a touring exhibit and traveled across the country sharing exhibits and drawing people into the world of martial arts. In 2003, the Museum became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and this allows everyone to donate tax-deductible donations.
In 2006, the Museum opened in Santa Clarita, California and in 2010 it was relocated to Burbank, California. Michael Matsuda is happy to say that the Museum owns the building it is housed in so the Martial Arts History Museum is here to stay.
Wonderfully, the Martial Arts History Museum depends on donations, which means we all get to take an active part in helping to build and care for the Museum. There is a small fee to visit the museum, but we as martial artists keep it operational and allow Michael Matsuda and others to open new areas, create new exhibits, and to offer more events.
The Martial Arts History Museum is not huge, but Curator, Michael Matsuda, has used the space in wonderfully creative ways. As donations grow, so will the Museum. As the Museum grows, so will the number of visitors. As the number of visitors grow, the Museum will attract more major sponsors and Hollywood film companies and this will promote martial arts in an even bigger way and lead to more people becoming students of the arts. In the future, with a larger location, the Martial Arts History Museum will host movie premieres, special shows and more.
The Martial Arts History Museum is the one tangible place that all martial artists everywhere can support. It doesn’t matter what style you practice, what rank you are, or where you live, you can support the Martial Arts History Museum and feel wonderful about doing so.
Email the Museum at mamuseum@gmail.com.
Martial Arts History Museum
2319 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
818-478-1722
