Clyde Zimmerman of Carson City promoted to Jujitsu’s highest rank

Shoshin Ryu Yudanshakai, Shoshin Ryu Black Belt Association, a national martial arts organization, honored Carson City resident Clyde Zimmerman with a promotion to the rank of Judan, or 10th Degree Black Belt in Danzan Ryu jujitsu, on Aug. 23 at its annual convention in Los Angeles.

Zimmerman, 67, has been studying and teaching martial arts since 1957. As a judo student and instructor in the 1960s, he trained some of the world’s best judo black belts, including judo legend, Gene Lebell, and Pan American and U.S. champions, Hayward Nishioka and Gene Mauro. He was the head instructor of his college judo team, after which he spent many years in law enforcement in California and Oregon. Since 1989, he operated Shoshin Ryu of Nevada, turning out a number of state and national martial arts champions.

Danzan Ryu jujitsu, formulated in the 1920s in Hawaii by Prof. H. Seishiro Okazaki, is one of the most widely taught jujitsu systems in the country today.