Martial Arts History Museum

Martial Arts History Museum in Glendale, CA

Martial Arts History Museum

Martial Arts History Museum

Established| 1999
Location| 201 N. Brand Blvd., B100, Glendale, CA 91203
Coordinates| 34°08′53″N 118°15′18″W﻿ / ﻿34.148078°N 118.255046°W﻿ / 34.148078; -118.255046
Type| Martial Arts History Museum
Director| Michael Matsuda
Website| https://martialartsmuseum.com/
Opening Hours| 11:00am-6:00pm
Wednesday-Sunday
Kung Fu Weaponry at the Martial Arts History Museum

The Martial Arts History Museum is an American museum devoted to the history of martial arts located in Glendale, California, USA. 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, America (including Hawaii in a separate category), Anime and Media.[6][7]

## History

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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.[8] He is a master of Monkey Kung Fu,[9] and has been practicing various martial arts forms since 1968.[10]

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[11] 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.,[12] the Martial Arts History Museum began operating out of a permanent site in Santa Clarita, California 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.[13][14]

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[15][16]

In 2024, the museum moved to Glendale.[17]

## Exhibits

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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.

A Media Room displays 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[18] used by Ralph Macchio in "The Karate Kid,"[19] 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 video highlighting the impact of Asian culture on American history. In 2015, the museum introduced their latest exhibit, The History of Anime, which includes Hong Kong Phooey.[20] The museum regularly holds a number of monthly events including book fairs, sword cutting demonstrations,[21] movie premieres, sushi seminars,[22] first aid workshops, blood drives, history lessons, basic language classes, Asian musical performances, martial arts demonstrations and self-defense for women workshops.

The museum plans to feature Armenian kokh and Mexican lucha libre.[23]

## References

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1. ^ Mills, Michelle. "25 must-see museums you have to visit", The Whittier Daily News, January 28, 2016.
2. ^ What To Do in Burbank "Martial Arts History Museum", Visit Burbank, June 21, 2011.
3. ^ Ford, William "Santos Chang Honored by Martial Arts History Museum", The Rafu Shimpo, November 21, 2014.
4. ^ Balyien "Martial Arts History Museum", Five by Five, February 18, 2015.
5. ^ Cultural News: Come to Japanese Art and Cultural Places "Martial Arts History Museum to relocated to Burbank", Cultural News, March 2, 2011.
6. ^ Neighborhoods "Martial Arts History Museum", Los Angeles.com, February 24, 2012. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016 at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ Family Days Out "Martial Arts History Museum", Great Things to do with Kids in the USA, February 1, 2016.
8. ^ Koji, Steven "APA Spotlight: Michael Matsuda, Founder & President, Martial Arts History Museum", 8asians, August 25, 2011.
9. ^ Los Angeles Tourism "Monkeying Around in Los Angeles", Discover Los Angeles, January 4, 2016.
10. ^ Kreuzer, Nikki "Offbeat L.A.: Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting- The Martial Arts History Museum", The Los Angeles Beat, August 2, 2013.
11. ^ All About Martial Arts "The Martial Arts History Museum Makes a Difference", All About Martial Arts, January 5, 2012 Archived from the original on November 8, 2014 at the Wayback Machine
12. ^ Ramada Inn Area Guide "Celebrate Asian art at the Martial Arts History Museum", Ramada Inn News, February 8, 2014.
13. ^ Matsuda, Michael "The Martial Arts History Museum: How it all Began", Martial Arts History Museum, October 25, 2014.
14. ^ Lin, C.J. "Martial arts fans get their kicks at new history museum in Burbank", LA Daily News, June 26, 2011, Archived from the original on June 29, 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
15. ^ Matsuda, Michael "The Official Hall of Fame", The Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame, January 15, 2015.
16. ^ The Action Elite "Martial Arts History Museum to honor the Late David Carradine", Film Combat Syndicate, December 11, 2014.
17. ^ Kennedy Zak (July 22, 2024). "Martial Arts Museum Finds New Home". Glendale News-Press. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
18. ^ Hall, Martha "5 Little Known Museum In and Around Los Angeles", Mommy Poppins, September 9, 2013.
19. ^ Bentancor, Nestor "G.I. Joe: Retaliatin Event at the Martial Arts History Museum", Desde Hollywood MovieNews, July 30, 2014.
20. ^ Kreuzer, Nikki "Best Museum to Channel Bruce Lee", LA Weekly, January 1, 2014. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
21. ^ Hourani, James "Martial Arts History Museum Opens", NBC Channel 4: Southern California, July 8, 2011.
22. ^ Windsor "Martial Arts History Museum: From Samurai's to Sushi", Windsor Communities: Things To Do, June, 2014.
23. ^ "Martial Arts History Museum Reopens Its Doors". Glendale News-Press. April 16, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.

## External links

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* Official website