I would like to take some time to address my role and the history in this lineage, those who trained with me and introduce the Grand Master.  I first knew Grand Master John Burkhardt as a Westville New Jersey police officer in the town where I grew up; I was a young teen at this time. He was always involved in community activities and the PAL program. However, there was always this mystery about John and his karate. I can recall seeing television shows about karate, most notably “The Green Hornet”, where the late Bruce Lee performed feats that very few ever knew existed, let alone understood what karate really entailed. My only knowledge of any karate up to this point was the karate school existing approximately 10 miles from town. It sat on the 2nd floor of a used car lot which seemed sort of out of place and mysterious.

It was well known in the entire Philadelphia region that John Burkhardt had extensive karate training, but we as teenagers never dared approach him or ask questions on the topic. Yet, at face value we still saw him as this “neat guy” who always talked to us kids. We heard he was a Master and the highest rank he could achieve in the world at that time. This was a terrific accomplishment and created a sense of mystery, fear, awe, and reverence for him. As I look back now I realize that from my early teenage perspective it was a silly notion to fear such a good and friendly man. In fact there was no mystery at all, but we remained silent until he opened the subject for us to ask questions.  I recall how he patiently answered all of the questions we could muster. He began telling the history of the lineage and the key people who created and trained in the style: Grand Master T. Chitose, Grand Master G. Yamaguchi, Grand Master Henry Slomanski, Master Melvin Sauer and this other guy named Elvis Presley who later became a 2nd degree black belt in this style under Melvin Sauer’s training and Slomanski testing Elvis for his belts.  Burkhardt was adamant how one would use this style of karate. It was only for three strict key purposes; protect loved ones, protect those who cannot protect themselves and protect yourself when all other avenues have been exhausted. This style was not a sport, nor was it for “show-boating.”  I could not think of a better person to study karate under and therefore when I learned of his willingness to teach, I jumped at the chance like so many.

I remember the first few times I went to learn with a few other kids, it was in Burkhardt’s back yard near his built-in pool. On the very first occasion we were to meet him at his house on Saturday at 10:00 AM.  His only directions were to come clean, with short clean fingernails, short toenails, and the rest was unknown to us. We rang the doorbell several times and no answer. Hmm, his car was in the driveway.  It now dawned on us, he had worked all night as a police officer, and probably just got to bed and if we woke him up he would be mad. I remember feeling a little sad not to be able to see what karate was about, but more scared of waking him up after working a 12-8 shift. After a few moments he answered the door, smiled and said, “go in the back yard, guys.”  We knew we woke him up, but he did not forget us and to our delight he was not mad or upset. He remembered that a couple of the kids in the town were coming to learn, and he was not going to disappoint us.

I later learned what I was about to embark upon was a style that John Burkhardt alone was teaching in the Philadelphia tri-state area.  There were times that other local Masters and /or Instructors from all New Jersey and the Philadelphia regions would visit the Dojo. They wanted to see what we were learning and what was being taught. The news of John Burkhardt flourished rapidly. He was the martial arts hero to all who trained in any martial art.  This style was somewhat mysterious to most because there was not a lot of information made public as it was taught behind closed doors. However, in the martial art world rumors of the existence of Burkhardt would continue to prosper. The style was about decorum and customs and was taught the way it was learned, which facilitated painful bruises, blood, and plenty of pride. There were was no schools in the region teaching full power blows to the throat, full power punches and kicks to the solar plexus, and doing moves and falls outside on concrete once you were properly trained. It is well known, some students made several trips to the hospital ER in their effort to learn this style. The idea was that if you had to use these skills on the street, then you had to train to win in the environment of the fight.  The philosophies were clear, and so was the method of training, hard but effective. I, along with a few others, was learning how to cause serious injury to a person, if not kill them, and dispatch them in a fast and efficient manner. This was karate, there was no time for pretty boys, our gi’s were dirty, sweaty, and bloodstained.  Pain and bruises lasted for weeks.  After full power punches to the throat, trying to eat and swallowing food was a task for a couple of days to say the least. Only then did those who had what it took return for continued training under Burkhardt. We all used to say, “Welcome to Master Burkhardt’s training class”.

Students would quit, and they did by the dozens, which spoke to the nature of the style. One of Slomanski’s instructors modified what they were taught for money and fame. Burkhardt did not do this, money was not his concern, nor was karate supporting him in life. He was a police officer; therefore he stayed true to the teachings and methods. He was not concerned if you quit, you had to have what it takes to train under him. One martial artist who was a publisher of a major martial arts magazine once came to the Dojo and told John Burkhardt that he traveled the entire country doing articles on different styles and Masters.  It was than, that he told Burkhardt that he had visited more schools than he cared to remember, but nothing was being taught like he was teaching, nothing could compare to Burkhardt’s style. Another former student used techniques that he was taught by Burkhardt and is in the Guinness Book of World Records. He was a Green Belt in our style back than and showed a technique to the world that made him world famous. He perfected something he was taught and showed the public something that was being taught daily behind closed doors to our students. The world thought he was made of steel, the truth is, and he was trained in this style by John Burkhardt as we all were. He just took it to the public arena. He later on in time in years respectfully gave Burkhardt the credit he was due in the media.  This person took it to the next level of course. When Slomanski or Melvin L. Sauer taught a student, they had to be military in most cases, you had to be extremely tough only the elite dared to train under Slomanski, Sauer and Virtue. Sometimes even the elite did not make it. Slomanski taught only the best the military had to offer, that was until this civilian named Presley.  Presley was sent to Slomanski by another master, Ed Parker to be trained for his black belt.

John Burkhardt now opened up a Dojo and was teaching.  At this point many people showed up, we were all learning karate but how would one ever become a black belt. It was so hard and tough we could not imagine what you had to be or do to achieve this rank. One must be superman to earn a black belt it seemed. Each week we saw fewer faces, and new faces come and leave. Most kids would come and go, adults would come and go just as fast. The training was very physical, punishing, mentally draining and grueling. It was taught this way by Henry Slomanski and Melvin Sauer, these names keep coming up in our training. Who were these guys . . .this stuff is hard and it hurts! We thought that John was super human to have endured this training.  We always heard about how great Slomanski and Sauer were. We never heard anything about John; we just knew he had been the Master Instructor under the Grand Masters including Henry Slomanski. We were told stories of this guy named Elvis Presley who trained under Sauer and Slomanski. I remember writing to Black Belt magazine when I was 17 years old to garner all the information I could on Elvis.  While Elvis was training, John Burkhardt had been given his orders to be shipped off to Vietnam. John was airborne, as were Slomanski and Sauer. At this time he was a 2nd degree Black Belt.  John took over as the Main Post Instructor and trained numerous Special Forces and Airborne Rangers. I guess Black Belt magazine in 1972 did not wish to look into this because my response some 3 months later said, “there are many rumors of Elvis we can not confirm or disprove what you are saying.” I remember showing this to John, and he was annoyed, but dropped it. He would only share those stories again to a select few as he felt people did not believe him. Everyone in the town knew if you were talking about an honest man who had integrity it was John Burkhardt. As a police officer Burkhardt could be your buddy one minute and also reprimand us teenagers the next when we needed it. So let there be no doubt if John said it, it was true. His students, fellow police officers and the town residents knew John’s integrity and character. It must have been troubling to him because at that time there was no Internet. Now, the whole world knows the story John was telling 45 years ago. They were true and accurate than as they are now. Only difference the world can see and read it on the computer.

James Mulligan – RIP, He was a1st degree black belt – Good man, good student, and good instructor. Sensei Ken MacAdams helped make him what he was as a martial artist under John Burkhardt. 

In my early training, I met a guy who was a black belt under Burkhardt. He made a great impression on me with his personality, ability, being humble and frankly quite fast and really tough. He was not a man of big stature, but if you ever were foolish enough to question his ability it only took about 2 seconds of watching him or working out with him to know he was a great martial artist.  His name was Jim Mulligan. What a super guy he was. I say was, because at a young age Jim left us and passed away. He was an ideal student, instructor, and friend to many; Jim was always humble, very loyal to John, never cocky and never put anyone of us down for not doing something correctly. He had patience of a saint.  If one did not listen to his instructions, he taught the way he learned; he hurt you and you had to learn the hard way.  Mulligan never let on outside of the Dojo he was involved in karate. What a great instructor and influence John was to him!  Burkhardt never put any of us down either, or disparaged another martial artist or style. He taught Jim this way of teaching students as well: from master instructor to student and on and on.  It stays this way today as well. This style lost a true martial artist when Jim passed away. He is greatly missed by all.

FOOLISH TO CHALLENGE THE MASTER:

John Burkhardt had people who entered the Dojo and challenge his knowledge or they thought their instructor or style was better.  He would always be cordial and say, “What you’re learning sounds wonderful, your instructor sounds like a great person.” I reflect back now, if these people only knew how John was trained and for what purpose, they would have never questioned John Burkhardt. His instructor, Grand Master Henry Slomanski, won the matches by defeating 126 men in a row in 1956. Many were lamed or killed.  He trained his students to lame and kill people in a deadly martial art. His instructors taught their students this way. There were one or two who joined our Dojo that came from other arts. Some were black belts and brown belts in their respective styles. They wanted to learn from Grand Master Burkhardt. A couple had an ego or nefarious reasons for joining and wished to challenge the Master. Seconds later, it was over; the foolish student leaving in more pain than he cared to endure in a lifetime. Needless to say, they never returned and these events only happened a few times.  As a side note, John was smart enough to make them sign a release form if you were crazy enough call on him to spar full power.  Circa 1970, a few had to see the style the hard way, they challenge it out of being curious or foolish I guess.  Maybe it was to try and disprove how tough it was?  For the very few who did this, their sparring lasted only seconds once they made the challenge of full power to the wrong person. I am positive their trip to the car while en-route to the emergency room was longer.

ATTRITION RATE:

Not many students stuck around after the first week or two. It was so grueling; there was no mercy on a student. Burkhardt was never shown mercy on him when being taught and he was not going to show mercy on his students. You were being trained to fight till death, if needed, and to be the last standing. You were able to withstand things to parts of the body through this intense breathing exercise or Ki that no one could ever imagine.  I now think back and reflect I trained under one of  Henry Slomanski’s instructors. There were only 7 of them ever to exist in world. I never dreamed I would ever come to the pinnacle of this style as an 8th Degree. I could never imagine being like a Jim Mulligan who was a 1st degree when he died. Out of the many hundreds who started, there were very few under John Burkhardt who lasted, let alone to earn a black belt.  I was the last and the youngest person to ever earn a black belt from Master Burkhardt, until October 2011, when my daughter Daneen Whinna the first woman in the world in this lineage to be awarded a senior grade Black Belt. I enjoy the fact that Grand Master Burkhardt and I share the same stats: he was the youngest under Grand Master Slomanski to earn a black belt and I under him. Now, my daughter making her black belt adds to my pride. As of this writing, out of the 7 black belts that were issued by Burkhardt, I am the highest ranked black belt in the world, under Grand Master Burkhardt, who is the 10th degree Red Belt, upon the passing a Grand Master Slomanski. Grand Master Slomanski took over in two traditional styles once Yamaguchi and Chitose died, as history and documentation shows.  I am his highest-ranking black belt in Mugoi Gijutsu  as a 8th degree, a blend of Kempo, Goju Ryu and Chito Ryu. The only person higher than myself is of course Grand Master John B. Burkhardt who displays this rank by wearing a Red Belt as mentioned prior. I hold this rank with tremendous pride and honor. I am humbled to think under the lineage of T. Chitose, Yamaguchi, Henry Slomanski, Melvin Sauer, John Burkhardt, and Elvis Presley, I am connected as the only Hanshi – Senior Master Instructor along with my rank as an 8th Degree. 

Other great men and martial artist in this lineage:

There are GREAT men and marital artists in this style under Grand Master John Burkhardt. As I tell my story, they deserve to be mentioned and recognized too. They trained just as hard and withstood the training that it took to be made a black belt. They are at the pinnacle of the many who were trained under John Burkhardt. These men are: Ken MacAdams  – 1st degree black belt, Jim Mulligan  – 1st degree black belt (deceased), Robert Hill – 2nd degree black belt, Wayne Hires – 1st degree black belt, Jules Schimanna – 1st degree black belt, William E. Whinna – 1st degree black belt and my older brother. These men had valuable influences on my training!!  Thank you to the other black belts for training with me while I was going through the ranks to be tested. Thank you for reaching out to me in support you have shown me in my position as a Hanshi and rank of 8th degree in this tremendous heritage.

There is so much more I would love to be able to tell you about John Burkhardt.  Not only was he my instructor, he became a life long friend and mentor. I have hunted and fished with John. He taught me many things in life. He inspired me to become a Camden City, New Jersey police officer at the age of 18.  I cannot go into further detail and expound more on John because he is a humble, forthright man and has asked me not to do it. From instructor to student, his request is being honored.

John is the last surviving Master Instructor under the legendary Henry Slomanski, the only true Karate Commissioner in the world. Slomanski was the 3rd ranking belt under the Emperor of Japan and the two Grand Masters over him, who wore red belts. Slomanski later on became one of two legal Red Belts in the world in traditional old style, following the death of T. Chitose he took over both Grand Masters red belts. This is not to be confused with the commercial styles being taught today or the new-formed versions of the same common named styles. They have been softened tremendously to train the masses for profit.

Henry Slomanski was the best, and he trained only the best. I was trained and mentored by one of them, the only one still living. I feel all who were trained under John Burkhardt, no matter what color belt you may have achieved; you were trained by the best. Now, in this style we are proud to say that all rights and privileges of this martial art has been passed down to Soke Burkhardt by Slomanski personally when he retired from karate to seek a life in the ministry. All students who trained in this style should be proud their Instructor is now the Grand Master/Soke and the only one in the world who can govern any history under Henry Slomanski. Bar None John Burkhardt is the worlds leading expert on Henry Slomanski and his karate history. Others make fraudulent and misleading claims and we have NO affiliations with these people at all.