Our Master, Shi-fu Yohgen Maruyama (Shi-fu=Master), who is the founder of our Academy of Tai Ji Martial Art, was born in Kobe, Japan.

Shi-fu is a member of "The Fujiwara Family" which is concerned with politics, economy, and creation of beautiful Japanese culture.
The Fujiwara Family have been well-respected aristocrats in Japan for over 1200 years (since A.D.645), and Shi-fu is a 48th generation member.

The Fujiwara Family likes martial arts, even they are aristocrats.
Mr. Kamatari Fujiwara who was in the first generation of the Fujiwara Family, is known for bringing knowledge of Chinese martial arts to Japan in the seventh century.
He mixed these techniques with his own martial art, and created Jiu-jitsu.
This is called "Koden-Style Jiu-jitsu" and schools following that still continue today.

Shi-fu's father was born in Taiwan and learned Chinese martial arts since he was a child.
After he became an adult, he came to Japan and became skilled in the Jiu-jitsu of his family. He studied at a university in Shanghai, and studied Nei Jia Quan Kung-Fu at Central China Martial Arts School.

Shi-fu's father and grandfather were known well in the Chinese societies of Kobe.
They interacted in a human way with Chinese who lived in Japan, without being influenced by politics, racism, and war.
They helped many Chinese in Japan. In particular, his grandfather, who was the high official of the military authorities, protected many Chinese people's lives and human rights from the tyrannic of the Japanese army stationed in Taiwan during wartime .

Shi-fu Maruyama met with the Tai-Ji master Zhang (external Chen's blood relatives) who was the 19th master of the Chen Style Tai-Ji tradition in Yokohama in1972.
Master Zhang formally allowed Shi-fu Maruyama admission to the tradition as true disciple. For 9 years after that, he was trained in many secret traditions by master Zhang, a true intermediary of Tai-Ji .

Shi-fu then turned to individual training at some dojo. He practiced Karate and other traditional Japanese martial arts. Many of his opponents were afraid of him and hated to fight with him.
Shi-fu fought with strong men, such as a student champions of Aikido, Judo, and Karate, but nobody was able to beat him.

Shi-fu passed the time next 13 years from 1983 living in a small village in the Northern Alps in Japan. Then from 1994, he began to act as the professor of the Chen Style Tai-Ji.

In Japan, almost all men think that Tai-Ji is healthy exercise. However, the Tai-Ji which Shi-fu inherited is a very strong battle martial art. It is his mission to make the true Tai-Ji martial art known worldwide, starting with Japan.

Shi-fu is training his true disciples. And he is looking for people who has talent and passion for Tai-Ji, and who are suitable to become his successors and teach tradition to the next generation.

Moreover, Shi-fu is continuing to preserve the traditional advanced the Tai-Ji Theory and practice while adjusting it according to contemporary scientific research findings(regarding Tai-Ji principles).