MARTIAL ARTIST
LAURENCE
BRAHM
A lifetime martial arts enthusiast, he is a Fifth Degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate, a fourth generation lineage holder in Zhangjia Kungfu, and has extensive training experience in Wing Chun, Qigong and Shaolin Five Animal Neigong.In 2025 the Karate Association of China ranked him as a Sixth Degree Black Belt. He is also a deep practioner of Tibetan Secret Yoga. He currently teaches workshops and courses in both martial arts and tantric Buddhism.
He received his first black belt from Shihon Kenneth Funakoshi who has trained him for decades. His second black belt was graded by Hiroka Kanazawa. He went on to grade third degree black belt from Kenneth Funakoshi and fourth and fifth under Kyle Funakoshi.
Three generations of Karate. His master Shihon Kenneth Funakoshi together with his son Kyle Funakoshi and his two sons Laurence Jr and Robert.
Laurence Brahm's Fifth Degree Black Belt Certificate from Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Association
He has 'bai shi' becoming disciple of Chinese Kung Fu master Liu Hongchi. He has become a fourth generation lineage holder in Zhang Jia Kung Fu also known as San Qing Men, an esoteric inner training system. He has spent time learning from Shi Deyang the 31st lineage holder of Shaolin and received calligraphy as recognition supporting his work advocating the martial arts. He has also received permission from Jonangpa Tibetan Buddhist lineage master Jamyang Jinpa Gyatso to teach and spread globally Shambhala Vajra Kung Fu which is an internal system based on the five sacred protector animal totems which represent the five divisions of King Geysar's army.
He has also directed and produced films on Asian martial arts, including the award winning “Searching for Kung Fu” documentary. On special request from the Karate Association of China, he directed a documentary tracing the origins of Karate to Shaolin Kung Fu, winning at the official Olympics official film festival in Milan in 2024.
Laurence Brahm’s book “Gate of Nine Dragons: Searching for Kung Fu” recalls his own experiences in a lifetime of martial arts training, presenting nine core principles that he believes represents the spirit of the martial arts and can serve to guide us in life: perseverance, loyalty, balance, change, centering, harmony, flow, emptiness, non-violence.
He has also developed a training system called “Gate of Nine Dragons” around these principles combining techniques from different lineages that he teaches at Gate of Nine Dragons Club in Beijing.
The Gate of Nine Dragons Club was established in a heritage courtyard home within Beijing’s inner protected historic district. The club is devoted to promoting Chinese Kung Fu culture to youth. It hosts the annual “Searching for Kung Fu International Film Festival” and the “Gate of Nine Dragons Underground Music Awards.” It has become a center of Beijing youth sub-culture with music performances every weekend that include music genres such as digital Psy-tech and House, Blues, World Music, Punk Rock and Post Rock. The club has also launched Gate of Nine Dragons Records releasing music in China and internationally to support and encourage young talent. Laurence also teaches martial arts to many of the musicians and artists who gather at the club.
Laurence Brahm’s quintessential thoughts on Asian martial arts are summarized in the opening of his book: “Be like clouds. Arrive undetected with the wind. When moving float. Be ethereal, always present never apparent, always changing and unfathomable. Let others guess what you are thinking. But don’t think. Feel. Embrace and exist in the electromagnetic field that is both emptiness and overflowing with all energy at once in unison. Be that energy . Be the shadow that fades into darkness in the sky when humidity rises. When pressure condenses respond like thunder. When there is an opening, strike like lightening. When the storm is over become a rainbow spectrum of all light forms. In the space of light possibility knows no limitations. Become that possibility. Remember at all times you are only emptiness nothing more. Never forget this. But remember in the state of emptiness you can be creator of all flow. So be like the clouds my friend.”
