The Taoist Center

3824 Macarthur Boulevard
Oakland, California 94619
510-336-0129
info@thetaoistcenter.com

(1899 - 1969) 
http://danzan.com/

Prof. Law was born in 1899 in Roundup, a town in Silver Bow County, Montana. After a varied youth and adolescence, he conceived of a promotional idea in health education, the “Health Clown,” and toured under the sponsorship of various health organizations, including the Utah Public Health Association and National Tuberculosis Association.

On July 2, 1923, he married Marie Bounita Law and moved to Northern California. Becoming a staff lecturer for the National Dairy Council, Prof. Law incorporated the “Health Clown” routine, along with magic, animal acts and acrobatics, into his lectures.

Later, with the dawn of radio, Prof. Law created, “Darius, King of Health Land,” and devised unusual sounds in creating characters to depict. For example, there were excursions through “Tooth Robber Canyon” near “Neglected Teeth Caves.” The radio years were exciting, and Prof. Law played an important part in pioneering several promotional ideas for campaigning and fund-raising.

In 1938, Prof. Law traveled to Hawaii as part of a public relations effort to make the Islands popular, and there met his neighbor, Prof. Henry Okazaki. He studied under Prof. Okazaki and returned to the Mainland with his Black Belt and a burning desire to share what he had learned. He settled in Oakland and established the first full time Danzan Ryu Jujitsu school in the United States. Law was the owner of what is widely believed to be the first commercial jujitsu dojo on this continent, an establishment that opened on 3917 Grand Avenue in Oakland. This is where Dr. Feng studied after arriving in America and earned his black belt under Prof. Law.

In 24 years, Prof. Law taught over 14,000 students and 116 Black Belts. Prof. Law became a founding member and past president of the Northern California Judo Federation and its successor, the American Judo and Jujitsu Federation. He created programs for schools, colleges and police agencies. He really embraced this idea of kokua--openheartedness

As a founder of the American Judo and Jujitsu Federation, he was accorded the rank of 10th Degree Black Belt, a rank that was recognized by the International Judo and Jujitsu League. He served in the capacity of Continental President of the International World Judo Federation, and was a distinguished member of the International Technical Committee, Danish Sports Judo Federation and the Austrian J.U.V.O.