Steven Bellamy
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Steven John Bellamy (born in Sheffield, England on June 12, 1950) is a British martial artist, author, and lecturer.
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[edit] Biography
Steve Bellamy practiced judo and boxing at school. He began studying karate in the early sixties, crediting the seminal book Karate the Art of Empty Hand Fighting by Nishiyama and Brown as his inspirational source. His first formal lessons were in the Wadō-ryū under Masafumi Shiomitsu later changing to Goju-ryu under Brian Waites.
In the late sixties and seventies he won numerous national, European, and World titles in karate. He was a British All-Styles Karate Team Member from 1970 to 1973. During 1974 to 1977, he won several full contact and kick-boxing titles in Japan and in the USA. He has lived and trained in Japan for more than 30 years.
In addition to instructor ranks in karate, jūdō and aikidō, he holds advanced teaching licenses in several classical martial arts of Japan, notably Shindō Muso-ryū Jodō, Musō Shinden ryū Iaido, and Kasumi Shindō-ryū Kenjutsu
[edit] Training History
Steve Bellamy studied karate under:
- Tatsuo Suzuki and Masafumi Shiomitsu in Wadō-ryū
- Brian Waites, Steve Morris and Gary Spiers in the Gōjū Kai
- Morio Higaonna[1], Eiichi Miyazato and Koshin Iha in Okinawan Gōjū
- Kickboxing and Full Contact under Jeff Smith and Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace
- Wing Chun under Joseph Cheng (UK) and Leung Sheung (HK)
- His teacher and mentor in Japanese classical martial arts and in Japanese calligraphy for many years was Ichitaro Kuroda.
[edit] Controversy
In the early 1980s, whilst coming to the aid of a Japanese woman being punched and sexually assaulted in the street, Bellamy kicked and killed her attacker. The ensuing investigation and court case polarized the Japanese judicial system and established new Japanese law.
Bellamy claimed "justifiable homicide in the defense of another". This defense "by a civilian" was a precedent-setting legal argument pitting the National police agency, which supported his claim and refused to arrest him, against the Justice Ministry, which initially charged him with murder, later changed to manslaughter. It was the first Japanese case in which karate was cited as the weapon used. First found not guilty, then reversed on appeal, the case against Bellamy was finally dismissed by the Supreme Court of Japan
Since then Bellamy’s case has become the central argument used by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations for reform of Japan’s system of Justice. This lobbying has resulted in the passing of a judicial reform bill in May, 2004, reestablishing the jury system and allowing for citizen judges in 2009. As preparation for this changeover, the Justice Ministry held a mock trial in November 2006 in which Bellamy’s case was examined and re-tried. He was, again, found not guilty.[citation needed]
[edit] Other notes
- Bellamy is an Ashtanga Yoga, TM meditation, and Neuro-linguistic programming instructor.
- Bellamy is related to Francis Bellamy, an American Baptist minister and author of the American Pledge of Allegiance.
