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Class History
The Stanford Self-Defense Club was founded in 1969 by Ron Blankenhorn, M.A., a graduate of Stanford University with the rank of 7th Dan in Mas Oyama's Kyokshinkai Karate and the author of Women's Self-Defense, a textbook for high schools and junior colleges. (Blankenhorn also rose to high rank in Aiki Jujitsu and Kodokan Judo.) The class from the initial founding was open to coeducational enrollment.Mr. Blankenhorn invited his Aiki Jujitsu instructor, Professor Raymond Duke Moore, 10th Dan, to direct the class in 1976. Professor Moore was the Head Instructor of the club until his final retirement from professional martial arts teaching in 1981.
Dr. Duke Moore is a very highly regarded, pioneering martial artist who learned many Asian sport and self-defense martial arts from leading masters in the 1940's and 1950's. Some of his instructors included George Yoshida and Mits Kimura (Judo), Mas Oyama, Hidetaka Nishiyama, and Richard Kim (Karate), Kiyoshi Nakae (Jujitsu), and Ray Law (Jujitsu). His professional career has been varied and has included the role of Founder-Director of the Zen Budokai Martial Arts Academy in San Francisco for 30 years and work as a prison guard at San Quentin Penitentiary in Marin County during the 1950's.
Professor Moore founded the American Judo and JuJitsu Academy in San Francisco at 1819 Market Street in 1944. He graduated over 200 black belts in Judo, Aiki JuJitsu, and Karate through the early 1970's, when he first planned to retire from professional martial arts teaching. Professor Moore is an internationally renowned martial arts practitioner and instructor who has been awarded Teaching Professorships in Judo, Aiki JuJitsu, and several systems of Karate. He recently received an honorary doctoral degree. He is also the founder of the American Teacher's Association of the Martial Arts (ATAMA), which is a nonprofit credentialing and educational organization for the promotion of multidisciplinary teaching and learning among various styles and systems of martial arts. ATAMA currently has an international membership throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
In 1979 Professor Moore invited Jim Moses, a black belt graduate (now 9th Dan Aiki Jujitsu, 4th Dan Karate) of Professor Moore's original Budokai Martial Arts Academy in San Francisco, to join the club as an assistant instructor. When Professor Moore retired he assigned the Head Instructor role of the Stanford Self-Defense Club to Jim Moses, who still holds that position.
In 1999, the athletics department reorganized their offerings and the Stanford Self-Defense Class was renamed the Stanford Jujitsu Club. Although students could no longer get academic credit for participation, little else changed, and the club continued to hold meetings in the traditional schedule and format.
The Jujitsu Club has produced a growing number of advanced black belt graduates who have achieved advanced teaching level rank through their participation in the Club.