Description
James Yimm Lee (1920–1972) was an American martial arts pioneer, teacher,
author, and publisher. No relation to Bruce Lee, he was already an established
kung fu and iron-palm instructor in Oakland when he chose to train with Bruce,
twenty years his junior; the two opened the Oakland branch of the Jun Fan Gung
Fu Institute, and James taught jeet kune do in his garage. He was one of three
students Bruce certified as instructors, and authored 'Wing Chun Kung
Fu' (1972) with a foreword by Bruce Lee.
Teachers (3)
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Bruce Lee
sports_martial_artsJeet Kune Do
Confirmed
fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
4 sources
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fact_check
Independent sources state it; the sources also describe him as Bruce's
senior, mentor and partner.
“differs from other students of Bruce Lee (such as Taky Kimura, James Lee, Jerry
Poteet, and Ted Wong)”
— Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R.. (2010).
Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation
info
“Although he was 20 years older than Bruce Lee, the open-minded James Yimm Lee
decided to train with him and absorb what this talented young practitioner had
to offer.”
— Meet James Yimm Lee: "The Man Who Helped Make
Bruce Lee a Successlink
history
info
“And he was one of only three students Bruce Lee certified as instructors in his
system.”
— Meet James Yimm Lee: "The Man Who Helped Make
Bruce Lee a Successlink
history
info
alt_routeIndirect
“James Lee is known for being a mentor, teacher and friend of Bruce Lee”
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person
Seishiro Okazaki
fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
1 source
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Like Water states it; no record from Okazaki or a second source.
“a group that included James Lee and Wally Jay, two students of the influential
teacher Seishiro “Henry” Okazaki.”
— Maeda, Daryl Joji. (2022). Like Water: A Cultural
History of Bruce Leelink
info
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person
T. Y. Wong
fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
1 source
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fact_check
Like Water states it; no record from Wong or a second source.
“The success of James Lee’s first book inspired him to write another, this one
coauthored with his sifu, T. Y. Wong.”
— Maeda, Daryl Joji. (2022). Like Water: A Cultural
History of Bruce Leelink
info
Students (1)
-
person
Gary Dill
sports_martial_artsJeet Kune Do
Probable
fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
1 source
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One magazine profile states it, from Dill's own account; no record from
James Yimm Lee.
“Gary Dill was one of James Yimm Lee's top students, and he currently
teaches jeet kune do in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.”
— Meet James Yimm Lee: "The Man Who Helped Make
Bruce Lee a Successlink
history
info
Honours (1)
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receipt_longInstructor certification in Bruce Lee's system
Probable
Certificate
fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
1 source
expand_more
fact_check
One magazine profile states it; no certificate or record from Bruce Lee.
“And he was one of only three students Bruce Lee certified as instructors in his
system.”
— Meet James Yimm Lee: "The Man Who Helped Make
Bruce Lee a Successlink
history
info
Identifiers
https://martial.is/entity/01KYDB2SWEEF9ECH5JCW95ZN6B
Cite and reuse
CC BY-SA 4.0expand_more
Plain text
Muñoz, Frederico (YEAR_PLACEHOLDER). James Yimm Lee. In Martialis: Martial Arts
Lineage Database. https://martial.is/entity/01KYDB2SWEEF9ECH5JCW95ZN6B - CC
BY-SA 4.0. Accessed ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER.
BibTeX
@incollection{martialis_01KYDB2SWEEF9ECH5JCW95ZN6B, author = {Muñoz, Frederico},
title = {James Yimm Lee}, booktitle = {Martialis: Martial Arts Lineage
Database}, year = {YEAR_PLACEHOLDER}, url =
{https://martial.is/entity/01KYDB2SWEEF9ECH5JCW95ZN6B}, urldate =
{ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }
Database content on this page is CC BY-SA 4.0;
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