James Yimm Lee

United States
Born 1920-01-31
Died 1972-12-30, Oakland
7.7

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)

  • Bruce Lee
    sports_martial_artsJeet Kune Do Confirmed
    Confirmed
    Independent sources state it; the sources also describe him as Bruce's senior, mentor and partner.
    The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    4 sources expand_more
    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”
    — James Yimm Lee (Wikipedia EN)link history info
  • Seishiro Okazaki
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    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
  • T. Y. Wong
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    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)

  • Gary Dill
    sports_martial_artsJeet Kune Do Probable
    Probable
    One magazine profile states it, from Dill's own account; no record from James Yimm Lee.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    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)

  • receipt_longInstructor certification in Bruce Lee's system Probable
    Probable
    One magazine profile states it; no certificate or record from Bruce Lee.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    Certificate
    granted by Bruce Lee
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    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

Sources

James Yimm Lee (Wikipedia EN)link history info
Maeda (2022) - Like Water: A Cultural History of Bruce Lee link info

Identifiers

https://martial.is/entity/01KYDB2SWEEF9ECH5JCW95ZN6B
Wikidata

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} }
data_object JSON-LDdata_object Turtle

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