# arthur cavello



## progressivetactics (Jul 19, 2003)

Anyone familiar with Arthur Cavello?

He is known here as the michigan samurai, and actually gets flown into Japan to teach Iaido to Japanese Masters. He is the real deal, and well certified by Japanese Government for his work with them.

Anyone familiar with him?


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## Saitama Steve (Jul 20, 2003)

Bovine feces my friend, bovine feces.


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## Charles Mahan (Jul 21, 2003)

I suggest you repeat that query in the Baffling Budo form at http://www.e-budo.com

The claims you make regarding his trips to Japan are outlandish to say the least.


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## Gregory Allan Childs (Jan 23, 2008)

I'm familiar with the michigan samurai. I ctually know him personally. He's a good friend of my grandfather,and he just recently came to my dojang to watch my belt testing. If there is anything you would like to know, I can probably get information for you.


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## pgsmith (Jan 23, 2008)

> If there is anything you would like to know, I can probably get information for you.


  Hello Mr. Childs,
  Seeing as how this thread is over four years old, I seriously doubt that the original poster will answer you. However, since you are volunteering, I would seriously like to know how this person can claim to be "flown to Japan to teach iaido to Japanese masters?" Also, how can someone be "well certified by the Japanese government?" 

  Having been involved in the Japanese sword arts for a number of years, I don't personally see how either of those claims could be possible. Perhaps it was simply a misunderstanding on the part of the original poster?

  Just curious.


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## Sukerkin (Jan 23, 2008)

I have to concur that, as we strive to maintain a polite mien, claims such as those made in the long ago OP can only be attributed to a misconception of the nature and hierarchy of the JSA.


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## Planetary (Feb 7, 2020)

Sukerkin said:


> I have to concur that, as we strive to maintain a polite mien, claims such as those made in the long ago OP can only be attributed to a misconception of the nature and hierarchy of the JSA.




Let's see how many years later a reply can be sent.  Arthur Cavallo is indeed the Michigan Samurai, h he does have accolades from the Japanese Government, the part that is getting twisted is that they used to fly him in yearly to teach seminars WITH the Grand Masters not TO the Grand Masters. I was a student of his many years ago. He garnered favor by the Emperor of Japan because he was a foreigner who made his life about learning Japanese arts from the Grandmasters. 

I can understand the confusion. One word makes a big difference. Arthur Cavallo was a 5 time inductee to The Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He prefers not to have much information digitally however.  But I can verify through many photos that I have seen, he is indeed "The Real Deal"


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## Tez3 (Feb 7, 2020)

It's nice that every decade or so someone posts something to defend this guy ( is he still alive?) but of course the rest of us are left as baffled as ever because there's simply no proof. 
Still, welcome to MT .


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Feb 7, 2020)

Planetary said:


> I can understand the confusion. One word makes a big difference. Arthur Cavallo was a 5 time inductee to The Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He prefers not to have much information digitally however.  But I can verify through many photos that I have seen, he is indeed "The Real Deal"


There are like 20 different martial arts hall of fames. From what I recall, you end up with letters from most of them asking if you want to join after some big event-normally allowing you to join, after you pay a fee for the privilege.


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## Planetary (Feb 7, 2020)

It is incredibly frustrating that there is not much proof but that is by his own doing.  I have personally seen, first hand, photos and videos of particular accolades.  But because he used to make a small income by selling them, he wouldn't let anyone digitize them.  He is still alive and is 73 years old. I intend to go and visit him in there next few weeks and again see if he will allow anyone to digitize some of his works. 

 Here is extremely old school and still did things there old school way. Here also worked with local police agencies, so I guess there was a bit of reason for the anonymity.  But Wow it is beyond frustrating not having any physical proof.  

As an Iai student, I had to learn an unbelievable amount of information, i never received any particular belts and personally wouldn't want to.  I could have but it wasn't necessary to train or learn. Your Obi got dirty as it got dirty. You learned Kata,  you learned technique and you learned traditionally. I know there are several schools in Southeast Michigan started by his students at this point. 

 I have personally seen photos of him at the Ceremony When Elvis got his first Black Belt.  I have seen photos personally with him having tea with grandmasters and teaching with them.  Or the ceremony when his Katana was Given to Him.  

In all likelyhood, the proof will just never be there or if it does surface it will be after his passing. And I cannot tell you how frustrating that is to me,  that he will likely disappear to the shadows because he is too stubborn to let stuff out.


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## O'Malley (Feb 8, 2020)

What style of sworsmanship did Cavello train?
Who was his instructor?
What rank/certificate does he hold in said style?

Iaido is a pretty recent martial art so I guess it would be relatively easy to check whether he's the "real deal".


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 8, 2020)

kempodisciple said:


> There are like 20 different martial arts hall of fames. From what I recall, you end up with letters from most of them asking if you want to join after some big event-normally allowing you to join, after you pay a fee for the privilege.


I’ve been invited several times to at least two of them. No idea what might have led them to issue that invitation. Maybe it’s every time I get back up to 5 students.


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## Tez3 (Feb 8, 2020)

gpseymour said:


> I’ve been invited several times to at least two of them. No idea what might have led them to issue that invitation. Maybe it’s every time I get back up to 5 students.




Are you asked to pay a fee? 



kempodisciple said:


> after you pay a fee for the privilege.



This is always what I thought these things are.


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 8, 2020)

Tez3 said:


> Are you asked to pay a fee?


Yep. Usually more than the total fees I charge in a month.


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## Ericmcclurg (Sep 6, 2020)

progressivetactics said:


> Anyone familiar with Arthur Cavello?
> 
> He is known here as the michigan samurai, and actually gets flown into Japan to teach Iaido to Japanese Masters. He is the real deal, and well certified by Japanese Government for his work with them.
> 
> Anyone familiar with him?


He's my uncle. Uncle Al we called him. He goes by Allen, it's his middle name. 

Yes, I know a few things about him. He is a Grandmaster! He was trained or had traing from the Shau Lin monks. He was the first non-diplomatic honorary guest invited to China. He was the martial arts instructor for the Detroit Police.


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## Ericmcclurg (Sep 6, 2020)

Ericmcclurg said:


> He's my uncle. Uncle Al we called him. He goes by Allen, it's his middle name.
> 
> Yes, I know a few things about him. He is a Grandmaster! He was trained or had traing from the Shau Lin monks. He was the first non-diplomatic honorary guest invited to China. He was the martial arts instructor for the Detroit Police.


He also has a comic book about him.
I would not doubt your claim. He is a bad-***! One thing though, you got his name wrong. It's Arthur Allen Cavallo.


Ericmcclurg said:


> He's my uncle. Uncle Al we called him. He goes by Allen, it's his middle name.
> 
> Yes, I know a few things about him. He is a Grandmaster! He was trained or had traing from the Shau Lin monks. He was the first non-diplomatic honorary guest invited to China. He was the martial arts instructor for the Detroit Police.


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## geezer (Sep 6, 2020)

Ericmcclurg said:


> He also has a comic book about him.
> I would not doubt your claim. He is a bad-***! One thing though, you got his name wrong. It's Arthur Allen Cavallo.



I'm confused. You seem to be answering _your own quotes!_ Well, at least there's comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one who talks to himself!


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## bobmendel (Jun 28, 2021)

Planetary said:


> Let's see how many years later a reply can be sent.  Arthur Cavallo is indeed the Michigan Samurai, h he does have accolades from the Japanese Government, the part that is getting twisted is that they used to fly him in yearly to teach seminars WITH the Grand Masters not TO the Grand Masters. I was a student of his many years ago. He garnered favor by the Emperor of Japan because he was a foreigner who made his life about learning Japanese arts from the Grandmasters.
> 
> I can understand the confusion. One word makes a big difference. Arthur Cavallo was a 5 time inductee to The Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He prefers not to have much information digitally however.  But I can verify through many photos that I have seen, he is indeed "The Real Deal"


Exactly! Yes, Arthur Cavallo was a martial artist from Romulus. I studied under him when I was younger. The reason he is unknown is because he taught out of his garage dojo. You are correct! He spent a lot of time training in Japan, but he wasn't teaching. He had a lot of respect for the Japanese masters.  

His expertise was old school Ju Jitsu:  *Hakkō-ryū Jūjutsu and Jukishen Ryu. He was also a 4th degree in Isshin Ryu Karate. Now that was the late 1980s, so his ranks could have changed. He was good friends with Sensei Nichols of Lots of Nichols in Wayne, Michigan. As far as real martial artist? The bark on his trees were bare because he punched them to condition his right hand. I did hold 25 lbs barbell plates for him that the punched during demonstrations. He told me that he could no longer write with his right hand because he had no joints, just solid bone. 

Eventually, he was bought out by Metro Airport for the new terminal and, I heard, he moved to Taylor and had another garage Dojo. *


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## isshinryuronin (Jun 28, 2021)

Planetary said:


> I have personally seen photos of him at the Ceremony When Elvis got his first Black Belt.


This alone makes me doubt any credibility he may have.  

Talking about Elvis, 7th degree????  From 1st or 2nd to 7th in a few years????  Should take 20-30 years in most any style.  I read he did get a six week intensive course to get his black belt skills at some point.    

I also read that the guy that gave him 7th degree got a Cadillac for his trouble.  I know Elvis gave an expensive engraved watch to Ed Parker - he showed it to me.  It's because of these kind of things a celebrity's rank are to be taken with a (very large) grain of salt.  A celebrity's teacher gains celebrity too, as well as cars and jewelry.  It's a shame as it makes it difficult to separate BS from those who may actually deserve the honor of rank. 

I wonder if _I _gave my sensei a watch for another degree? He'd kick my *** and kick me out, and not just because it was a only a Timex.


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## Bill Mattocks (Jun 29, 2021)

I like Timex watches.  They're not bad at all these days.


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## bobmendel (Jun 29, 2021)

isshinryuronin said:


> This alone makes me doubt any credibility he may have.
> 
> Talking about Elvis, 7th degree????  From 1st or 2nd to 7th in a few years????  Should take 20-30 years in most any style.  I read he did get a six week intensive course to get his black belt skills at some point.
> 
> ...


I cannot defend any qualifications or certificates that he earned. I was young and did not know about what good or credible martial arts were at that time. At the time -  I was amazed at the power that he had in his right hand when he punched. Later on, after researching his training methods, I found out that damaging your hand like that was irreversible.   I am sure that now in his 70s that he is paying the price for damaging his hand. 

His Jujitsu was impressive, but then again, I was a young man who never saw any real jujitsu before, so you have to take what I say from a lack of experience point of view. I did look up *Hakkō-ryū Jūjutsu and Jukishen Ryu in the Detroit area and could not find any old schools where he could have trained back in his youth. He must have traveled out to the East Coast in order to train in those arts.

His son, Little Al, was very good and had all kinds of trophies from tournaments. However, in the 90s he was killed in an auto accident in Nevada. *


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## HenryRice (Aug 19, 2021)

Soke Arthur Cavallo is very much the real deaI. And he is still alive. He is grand master founder of the Midwest Samurai Jukishin Ryu Ju Jitsu Association. I personally trained with him for almost 20 years. And his list of credentials over his 60 years of training far exceeds those listed. And i can assure you he does not care if you know about them. He trains and teaches solely for his love of the arts. People should be careful not to try and cast doubt about people they know nothing about. He is one of the living legends in the martial arts world, and should be shown due respect.


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## Gerry Seymour (Aug 19, 2021)

HenryRice said:


> Soke Arthur Cavallo is very much the real deaI. And he is still alive. He is grand master founder of the Midwest Samurai Jukishin Ryu Ju Jitsu Association. I personally trained with him for almost 20 years. And his list of credentials over his 60 years of training far exceeds those listed. And i can assure you he does not care if you know about them. He trains and teaches solely for his love of the arts. People should be careful not to try and cast doubt about people they know nothing about. He is one of the living legends in the martial arts world, and should be shown due respect.


Just a note that most of the posts you're referring to were many years ago, and most of the people who posted them are no longer active on the forum.


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## j.wilson (Nov 23, 2021)

I am surprised to See my friends name in this forum . He does still teach , but, old age does have its effects on us all , if any of his former students are still here, please contact him , he would love to here from you


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## brentabdulla (Jan 3, 2022)

I studied Isshinryu with Shihan Cavallo from 1973 to 1978. I was 9 thru 14 years old. He’s the real deal. We started in his kitchen at his little White House in Romulus, then moved to a dojo on Michigan Avenue near Inkster road and Telegraph. We didn’t care about winning tournaments though we did easily. We learned martial arts from a traditional disciplined almost reverend respect for the art. I was a white belt for three years repeating basics, Sanchin kata, Seisan, sieuchin, Wansu  and Naihanchi over and over. We were into respect and training to kill not score points. I have been a green belt for 43 years so that shows you how much I give a **** about chasing ranks.  I revisited him in 1984 and worked out for another 3 months in the garage converted to a dojo. The “Bujin Dojo.”Since then I’ve gone on to study Tai Chi Chuan, Kyusho jitsu, Arnis, Small circle with Leon Jay and more. Shihan Cavallo respected every martial art and trained diligently. He loved his 72’ suped up Chevy Nova jacked up in the back. Is he still alive in January 2022?


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## j.wilson (Jan 3, 2022)

brentabdulla said:


> I studied Isshinryu with Shihan Cavallo from 1973 to 1978. I was 9 thru 14 years old. He’s the real deal. We started in his kitchen at his little White House in Romulus, then moved to a dojo on Michigan Avenue near Inkster road and Telegraph. We didn’t care about winning tournaments though we did easily. We learned martial arts from a traditional disciplined almost reverend respect for the art. I was a white belt for three years repeating basics, Sanchin kata, Seisan, sieuchin, Wansu  and Naihanchi over and over. We were into respect and training to kill not score points. I have been a green belt for 43 years so that shows you how much I give a **** about chasing ranks.  I revisited him in 1984 and worked out for another 3 months in the garage converted to a dojo. The “Bujin Dojo.”Since then I’ve gone on to study Tai Chi Chuan, Kyusho jitsu, Arnis, Small circle with Leon Jay and more. Shihan Cavallo respected every martial art and trained diligently. He loved his 72’ suped up Chevy Nova jacked up in the back. Is he still alive in January 2022?


Yes, he's still alive  , you should give him a call or visit,  he would really appreciate it now


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## brentabdulla (Jan 3, 2022)

j.wilson said:


> Yes, he's still alive  , you should give him a call or visit,  he would really appreciate it now


Phone number or contact info????


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## j.wilson (Jan 4, 2022)

brentabdulla said:


> Phone number or contact info????


[personal information removed by moderator]


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## j.wilson (Mar 21, 2022)

Arthur Cavallo has passed away


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## Steve (Mar 21, 2022)

j.wilson said:


> Arthur Cavallo has passed away


Sorry to hear that.  I hope he rests in peace.


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## Mandasia (Today at 3:06 PM)

j.wilson said:


> Arthur Cavallo has passed away





j.wilson said:


> Arthur Cavallo has passed away


I know this is a strange request, but I believe this man is/was my biological grandfather. My father was his son Allen whom passed when I was 2. I was adopted at a young age and want to learn more of my history. If anyone has information to share about him, I would love to learn more.


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## Wing Woo Gar (Today at 4:32 PM)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I like Timex watches.  They're not bad at all these days.


Takes a licking’…


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