Our Founder
Supreme Grandmaster
Doctor Moses Powell
Dr. Moses Powell, a 10th degree black belt and one of the true legends of the martial arts world, was born on January 13, 1941 in Norfolk, Virginia.
He is the founder of Sanuces Ryu, a fighting style that combines his over 45 years of experience in various martial arts. He is a member of both the Black Belt Hall of Fame and the World Karate Hall of Fame. Dr. Powell was the first martial artist invited to demonstrate martial arts at the United Nations and a featured martial arts demonstrator at the New York World's Fair in 1965. The following year in 1966, he was the first martial artist to receive The African Benign Arts Award. Between 1967 and 1968, Dr. Powell pioneered his craft by traveling overseas to the Caribbean. There, he introduced Sanuces Ryu Jiu Jitsu to the island of Jamaica and Trinidad and to Bermuda in the early 1970's. He was inducted into the International African Arts Festival's "Living Legend" Award, and he was also one of the first African-American martial artists to teach the fighting arts to U.S. law enforcement agencies including the Secret Service and FBI. In addition to these great accomplishments, the Benin Empire of West Africa awarded him the international Benin Award in 1972 for his community work and efforts throughout the world.
Dr. Powell was deeply committed to sharing his knowledge and principles with all. He helped ex-offenders by teaching them self-respect, self-control and honesty through the martial arts. Dr. Powell was featured in "Masters of the Martial Arts", "Warrior Within" and many other films. His Sanuces Ryu system is unparalleled in its combat effectiveness and brute simplicity.