About:
International Director — USA, Japan & Singapore
Matthew Plewes
Matthew Plewes currently serves as the Chief Instructor of the Carrsville Kung Fu Club. After operating and teaching at several commercial martial arts schools over the past two decades, Matt has intentionally returned to a smaller, more personal club setting as he approaches his retirement years.
His focus is now on quality instruction, practical self-defense, and preserving the traditional, close-knit atmosphere of martial arts training.
Matthew Plewes, 8th Degree/Rank | Master Instructor | 45+ Years in Martial Arts | Two-Time Hall of Fame Inductee
Matthew Plewes has more than 45 years of martial arts experience spanning several traditional and practical systems.
As a child, Matt studied Seikukan Karate-do under Terumasa Ogawa. As a young adult, he began intensive training in Shaolin Wu Xing (Five-Animal) Kung Fu under Samuel Cheeks, training from 1984 to 2001 and ultimately achieving Master Instructor status.
During the 1990s, Matt expanded his martial arts background through additional cross-training. He was introduced to and studied the fundamentals of Wing Chun under Art Wong of Chinatown Imports in Norfolk, Virginia. He also trained in the fundamentals of Escrima and Jeet Kune Do at Frank Cucci’s FDC Academy in Virginia Beach.
With decades of training, teaching, and continued study, Matt has been recognized as a two-time Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee.
2010 IIMAA HALL OF FAME-Grandmaster of the year 2010
and
THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2022.
Matthew Plewes has trained and taught martial arts in the United States for more than 27 years and in Japan for 22 years. During the 1990s, prior to moving to Japan, Matt trained alongside and instructed law enforcement officers and active-duty military personnel through his school in Suffolk, Virginia. These experiences, along with practical feedback from professionals, helped shape the Academy’s specialized short programs with an emphasis on realistic, functional self-defense.
In 1998–99, Matt expanded his studies into internal martial arts, Chin’na, Yang-style Tai Chi, and Qigong under Li Sun, a member of the Shanghai Taijiquan Association. This training contributed to his broader approach, combining practical self-defense with traditional martial arts, health, and longevity practices.
Matthew moved to Japan in 2001, where he continued teaching martial arts at multiple locations in Shizuoka. He and his Japan school were featured on Japanese television, and he also appeared in promotional television work connected with martial arts films.
Throughout his career, Matt has intentionally favored smaller, quality-focused schools rather than a highly commercialized approach. He has sometimes been described as a “big fish in a small pond”—an instructor with extensive experience who chooses to work closely with a limited number of students. This approach reflects the traditions of his teachers and helps maintain consistent standards while reducing the risk of programs becoming diluted as they are passed from instructor to instructor.
Matthew also founded the International Combat Martial Arts Instructor Association (ICMAIA), an organization established primarily for instructors associated with Chuntian Academy programs. Its purpose is to help maintain program standards while providing instructors with a network for communication, cooperation, and the exchange of training information.
In March 2022, Matthew Plewes was inducted into the Ultimate Warriors Hall of Fame by martial arts legend Ron “The Black Dragon” Van Clief, recognizing his decades of involvement in martial arts training, instruction, and development.
Sihings (Assistants) in Virginia
S. Bradshaw (Assistant)
Sumner has been with the club since 2024. He recently was accepted as a Formal / Closed door student. He is certified in the short programs R.A.T.T. and B.E.A.R.. Sumner is also and experienced wrestler and is currently a high school wrestling coach.
F. Shipp (Assistant)
Freddy has been with the the Carrsville club since 2025. Freddy was an original student of Matt’s first solo class, he also trained under Master Cheeks. He has a back ground in Kung Fu and Karate. He has over 15 years of accumulated training. He recently was accepted as a Formal / Closed door student. He is certified in the short programs R.A.T.T. and B.E.A.R..
In Shizuoka, Japan
Sihing K.Nakamoto is the leader of CAI in Shizuoka. Matt advises via Zoom on Wednesdays. Nakamoto has been a private student training under Matt Plewes for a few years. He is the class liaison and student leader at the new Shizuoka city – B.E.A.R. instructor certification in April of 2022. Mr. Nakamoto speaks English and Japanese.
中本は静岡市新足久保口組のマット・プルーズの私立学生です。 彼は日英の連絡係になります。 彼は新しいクラスの新入生のリーダーになります。 彼はカンフーの学生であり、彼のB.E.A.Rを受け取っているショートプログラムの学生です。 彼は2022年4月に認定されました。中本氏は英語と日本語を話します。
In Singapore
Instructor: Sheikh Azmir Ally. Bodyguard and Security Certified. SACT certified instructor. 10 years with Chuntian Academy Japan under Master Instructor Plewes. Special program teacher approved. Given General Instructor Status to operate independently Chuntian Academy Singapore. Mr. Ally has permission to adjust programs to the needs of his operational area.
Master Plewes’ Teachers.
Listed and pictured are Matt’s Two main teachers in which he spent several years with each. In addition of these two, Matt also had training with Art Wong in basic Wing Chun, and Frank Cucci’s FDC Academy in Escrima and Jeet Kune Do. In Japan, Matt trained under Tatsuo Sato (Shoriji Kempo and Iaido). Matt learned a lot if the mental combat strategies from legend and friend Ron Van Clief. Matt was the chief teacher in Japan for over a decade.
Matt’s First Teacher (1976 – 1981)
Terumasa Ogawa, 10th Degree Black Belt – Seikukan Karate-do. Terumasa Ogawa trained directly under Tainen Takemori following WWII. After many years of training, Master Ogawa was promoted to “master of the style” and granted the the full ability to teach Seikukan by Takemori. The entire style was passed to Master Ogawa after Takemori’s death. Master Ogawa immigrated to the United States in the 1970’s, where he opened his own Dojo in Virginia News, VA. In 1975 be taught at satellite locations, including the former Birdsong Recreation Center in Suffolk, Va. Matt Plewes started training there in December 1976 until 1981 when the Suffolk class was discontinued. Matt sampled other Karate schools in the area but found most sport based or not what he wanted.
Matt’s Second Teacher (1985 – 2001) Retired
Master Sam Cheeks, 9th Rank. 60 years of Kung fu study. Retired from teaching after M.Plewes completed the system and took over. Master Cheeks is a diligent martial artist. He has a history in Judo and Jiujitsu before finding Nicholas Banks Man-O-War Karate school in the 1970’s. Man o War was focused on practical self defense taught to neighborhood youth, often in parks around town. The top students would be taught the advanced program which was the original fundamental Shaolin Five Animal Kung Fu system. Master Cheeks took on Matt Plewes and taught him several days a week for several years. Master Cheeks preferred to train alone and not have a school. Matt Plewes was granted full teacher status and took over all teaching of the system and called the collective programs “Chuntian Academy” and not really having a style or system name.
Master Cheeks Teacher and lineage
Late, Great Grandmaster Nicholas Banks. Posthumously 11th Rank Black Belt.
(1943-2021) Master Cheeks teacher.
In the 1960s, Grandmaster Ho Lee brought his family’s Five Animal Kung Fu from Guangdong and Hong Kong to New Jersey. There he met Nicholas Banks, an Okinawan Shorinji practitioner and Vietnam-era serviceman. Recognizing a shared commitment to practical martial arts, the two began exchanging knowledge and training.
Banks eventually became one of Ho Lee’s leading students and taught neighborhood youth free of charge to build confidence, discipline, and positive alternatives to gangs and drugs. Advanced students received additional private instruction in the traditional Five Animal system.
In the early 1970s, Banks and several senior students relocated to Tidewater, Virginia to work at Newport News Shipbuilding during construction of the USS Nimitz. There, the Man-O-War Fighting Arts School was established.
Among its notable instructors were:
* James “Juju” Washington
* Lee Grant
* Samuel Cheeks
After the shipbuilding project ended, many students returned north, but Samuel Cheeks remained in Virginia and continued teaching
Obit:
THE LIFE OF WILLIAM NICHOLAS BANKS Jr. aka “Nick Banks”
William Nicholas Banks, Jr. was born to William Nicholas Sr. and Etta Brown Banks on October 21, 1943.
In December 1971, Nick married the love of his life, Alfreda Ward, and that union has stood the test of time. For over 50 years, they have had a solid bond of love, commitment, and devotion. They experienced all the joys and challenges of their life’s journey together hand in hand, and with heart filled love. Five more children were added to their family circle during this marriage.
Nick’s work history included employment with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and the Longshoreman Company in Norfolk. Nick was born with an entrepreneurial spirit and mind set and during his lifetime, he embarked on several businesses which reflected his interest in the creative arts and community service.
As a young man, Nick opened the Man of War Karate School, 15 in total, where he taught martial arts and street-smart self-defense to many of the youth in the community. He made sure they learned Christian values, discipline and respect for themselves and others. He delighted in taking the young people to karate tournaments held around the state of Virginia. He had a fighting schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. His goal was to improve the lives of community youth. He responded when they asked him to sponsor dances for them at the Shipyard Building located next to Huntington High School. That he did on Friday nights bringing in a local disk jockey and inviting his Mother to host the snack bar. His commitment to youth in the community was strong and never ending. This was further demonstrated when he created the Etta Banks Scholarship Fund in his Mother’s memory to support young people’s educational pursuits.
Select Photos of Master Plewes, very popular schools he led for many years in Japan.
Matt is also available for seminars in America and Singapore in support of his instructors.
Master Plewes pictured with the legendary Black Dragon, who is pictured with his friend the legendary DRAGON aka. Bruce Lee!
