Grandmaster Kim
The Grandmaster and His Vision
Kyu Ha Kim (2/24/1935-5/14/2021) was the son of a Korean farmer who took up Judo at age 15. His phenomenal talent and imposing stature (aptly nicknamed “The Tree”) earned him scholarship at Yong In Judo College at which he earned many All-Korea National titles.
He traveled the United States teaching judo to the armed forces then opened his own studio on Route 51 in 1965, settling in the Pittsburgh area. He has long been regarded as a local legend and taught tens of thousands.
His son, Master Eugene Kim, opened his own studio in Cranberry, PA in 1988. Master Kim also is a highly skilled judoka and taekwondo practitioner who has many national titles and accolades. His sons, Tyler and Tanner (both highly knowledgeable champions) are also working instructors and carry out their grandfather’s tradition well.
Here at Kim’s, we maintain traditional martial arts instruction where we strongly enforce discipline, good technique, respectful etiquette, and warm hospitality. Many of our students can agree that we are certainly not your average martial arts school. And we take great pride in that.
“Kyu Ha Kim passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Friday, May 14, 2021, at age 86. He is preceded in death by his wife, Ursula Reis Kim. He is survived by his children, Mary Kim Garrity and Eugene Kim (Jodie Lynn) and their mother, Dr. Hakyung Kim; and his grandchildren, Tyler and Tanner Kim; Madison, Grant and Luke Garrity. Kyu Ha was born on February 24, 1935, in Daejeon, South Korea. He was a "Grand Master," of Judo and Taekwondo and held the rank of 9th degree black belt. He attended the Yudo College (Yong In University) in Seoul which was famous for producing world caliber martial artists. He became two-time All-Korean National Champion. His teammates nicknamed him "The Tree" because his feet were so deeply rooted into the ground making him impossible to knock down and because of his large stature. Grandmaster Kim trained numerous members of the United States armed forces that were stationed in Korea. He was invited by the US government to teach authentic martial arts making him one of the first Korean masters to arrive on American soil. His first stop was Oklahoma City, OK, where he was a guest of honor at the US Air Force National Judo Championships. It was customary for high caliber masters to "take the line," which meant lining up black belts and fighting each one. They lined up 20 black belts and one by one, he tossed, threw and slammed each one. Word of his prowess spread quickly and he was invited to many cities to teach clinics. Everyone wanted a chance to challenge a legend so he was asked to take the line everywhere he went. Sometimes there were 40 black-belt lines and he was never defeated. Grandmaster Kim was invited to teach in NYC as a full-time instructor. After teaching a seminar in Pittsburgh, the members here implored him to stay. He fell in love with Pittsburgh and cancelled his contract with NYC. He opened his own school, Kim's Martial Arts and Fitness Inc. located in Brentwood in 1965 and later Cranberry Twp in 1987. In 1975, he started teaching Judo and Taekwondo at the University of Pittsburgh as an elective credit course. He also coached the US Olympic Team in 1978-80. He is an inductee into the US Judo Hall of Fame and Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Grandmaster Kim has literally taught tens of thousands in his more than 65 year teaching career. His other passion was his family. Daughter, Mary Kim Garrity of Boston is owner of Zen Den Medical which specializes in sports medicine and integrated medicine. Son, Eugene Kim continues his father's legacy by operating the Brentwood and Cranberry schools with his sons Tyler and Tanner. He was an inspiration to his family, students and friends. His charming sense of humor and infectious laugh will be missed. He was always the first to praise others yet be so humble about himself. He made everyone feel special, even complete strangers. He taught life lessons that inspired generations of families. He lived by the principles that he taught. He walked the walk.”