Hanshi Jean Chalamon

Born in 1935.

He made Nidan in 1975.

He began his training with judo, karate and kendo under Jim Alchek in 1958 and was strongly influenced by martial artists in France like Hiro Mochizuki, and Henry Plee.

He was one of Richard Lee’s earliest students when Lee moved to Paris in 1971, and when Lee went on his own in 1982, Chalamon stayed as Sensei Kim’s representative for the Butokukai in Europe.

A decorated war hero for the French Foreign Legion, Chalamon is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, as well as the kata of Sensei Kim and is excellent in his performance of both empty hand and traditional kobudo. He has also spent years training in Tai Chi and continues his own learning process in Tai Chi, one of Sensei Kim’s morning rituals.

He has continued to help propagate Sensei Kim’s teaching by organizing the Butokukai in France, Finland, Poland, Spain and Germany. Chalamon brings Sensei Kim’s senior students from America on a regular basis to teach and learn from at his summer camps. Chalamon has written many books on the kata of the Shorinji Ryu. They represent the most comprehensive work on the kata taught by Richard Kim during his illustrious career.