ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Curtis Abu is an active practitioner of the Japanese martial arts, as well as an avid learner of both the Japanese language and culture. Interest in these began at a young age, before his teenage years.

Born & raised in NYC, Curtis started his martial arts training at the age of 8. Growing up, he was fortunate to meet and train with other martial artists to get a broader insight, as well as develop an appreciation, on the many paths one can take to develop a level of proficiency, especially in different styles of martial arts. Throughout the years, he received great lessons from different instructors both in the US and in Japan.

A great deal of Curtis’ time was spent learning Japanese martial arts, with a great deal of his experience being from Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. To further his studies, he became a student at Muzosa Bujinkan Dojo, studying there for 13 years, and received his black belt. During this period, he was given the role as an assistant instructor who ran one of the classes offered, as well as substituted as lead instructor for any of the other classes when needed.

Curtis also began studying the Japanese language from the age of 12. This includes the spoken, written, and reading aspects. This further developed into studying social and historical topics of Japan. He took up Japanese-to-English translating in his early 20s, working mainly as a freelance for several companies, as well as for personal clients. Today, he continues to use his translation experience for work, as well as non-profit assignments.

On his free time, Curtis runs the blog Light in the Clouds, where he is able to share some of his personal works, which include articles about Japanese history & culture, martial arts-related discussions, and translations on various documents. This is all to help promote a better understanding of Japan, its martial tradition, and its history.