A “Legend” ……. “a notable person whose deeds or remarkable acts are much talked about.”  

A “Hero” ……..  “a man admired for his qualities or achievements and regarded as an ideal or a model.”

The life that we celebrate today in Grandmaster Kalaii Kano Griffin is that of both “A Legend and A Hero.”  Grandmaster Griffin was an extraordinary individual who was a blessing to everyone he touched.  He was a student, a teacher, a father, and most of all, a friend.

Grandmaster Griffin “The Legend”

In most cases, it would take the lifetime achievements of a dozen individuals to match what this man accomplished in his life;  and he did it all with such grace and humility.  Although many of us knew him as a teacher, and the best teacher at that, he was always a true example of what a student should be.  Grandmaster Griffin from his initial involvement as a karate practitioner at the early age of 8 years old dedicated himself to learning.  He exemplified the true meaning of Budo which defined what Martial Arts should be back to the origins of the Bushido Code of the Samurai, which means “Way of the Warrior”.  This man that we celebrate today is nothing short of a modern day Samurai who lived his life with a purpose of developing all aspects of himself as a person, with the constant emphasis on achieving Spiritual Realization and Self Perfection. You and I and everyone that he touched in this life are the beneficiaries of the results of his personal journey.

As a Legend of the Martial Arts, many of us are aware of his credentials and capabilities but they are so remarkable, they are worthy of constant reminder.  Grandmaster Griffin’s personal competition results always spoke for themselves, he was a champion many times over; and aside from the trophies he has to prove it, you can ask any one of the people he competed against and I’m sure they will tell you that when Grandmaster Griffin showed up to fight they knew they had their work cut out for them that day.  It is no wonder based on Grandmaster Griffin’s success in the ring ( which included karate matches as well as boxing and one of his greatest loves, Judo) that he trained some of the best Black Belt Fighters around, many of which are in this room today.  Black Belts have been carrying Grandmaster Griffin’s Legend for years already and we are not going to stop now.  I remember Grandmaster Griffin sharing stories from back in the day when the school would march into tournaments, it was like a small army just showed up and people would literally start packing up their bags and leave the tournament regardless of whether they already paid or not.  They just understood that it wasn’t going to be their day.  Grandmaster Griffin was always so proud of his students and their own accomplishments, he use to always say that if you are coming to fight a Griffin student, you better bring a lunch.

Beyond Grandmaster Griffin’s fighting and competition records, he was well known for his amazing ability to “wow” a crowd during various demonstrations and seminars which included astonishing feats beyond human comprehension such as walking on glass or breaking hundreds of pounds of ice or slicing through a head of cabbage that rested on a faithful students stomach with a Samurai Sword while being blindfolded.  In other seminars and demonstrations, he was known to illustrate his cat like agility combined with his lightning speed to disable an assailant’s attack and leave a man with the biggest of physical stature feeling simply like a rag doll.  As students, it was considered the highest honor to be his Uke.

Grandmaster Griffin’s dedicated training in the Arts is what defined him as the True Martial Arts Legend that he is.  It was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who first described him as a true Martial Artist rather than someone who just studied karate based on his diversified background and knowledge of several Arts which established him with a completeness and a dimension beyond most which afforded him a readiness in the truest sense of warlike preparation to defend himself and others.  There is no man that I am aware of that has accomplished the level of mastery in the number of arts that Grandmaster Kalaii Kano Griffin did.  His resume of ranks is beyond impressive:

• 10th Degree in Vee-Arnis Jitsu
• 10th Degree in Chinese Kenpo
• 10th Degree in Goju-Ryu
• 9th Degree in Kajukenbo Karate
• 8th Degree in Aikijitsu
• 5th Degree in Judo
• 4th Degree in Isshin-Ryu

Beyond the impressiveness of the ranks themselves is the numerous World Renowned Instructors that he was able to study under.  Such notables included but are not limited to:

• Sijo Adriano D. Emperado
• Professor Florendo Visitacion
• Grand Maestro Peter Urban
• Grandmaster Edmund Parker
• Sergeant George Harris
• Dr. Daniel Pai
• Dr. Robert Trias
• Master Woody Chan

It has always been amazing to ponder the depth of this man’s knowledge of the Martial Arts. I recall numerous occasions being at tournaments sitting next to him in the bleachers where he would be watching someone’s form and he would be able to tell you the name of the form, what style it was from, and if any mistakes were made. It would blow your mind.  Grandmaster Griffin loved to teach and pass on his knowledge and he had a keen understanding of when you were ready to receive the message.  He had the ability to motivate you and pull out greatness within you that you never realized you had.  He often believed in many of us before we ever believed in ourselves and by the way he never stop believing in any of you.  As his students know, if he wasn’t yelling at you, something was wrong and we better sharpen up.  When he was yelling at you, which he referred to as “Tough Love”, he did it in such a way that as a student you really knew he was doing it out of love and a desire to make you the very best.

Grandmaster Griffin was truly an intelligent man and he proved on numerous occasions that his intelligence extended way beyond the Martial Arts realm.  He was a philosopher, a visionary and a spiritual man.  He achieved higher levels of education and was trained in the culinary arts.  Grandmaster Griffin often referred to himself as a Black Belt in the Kitchen as well.  He had a love for cars and racing them and his knowledge of animals, especially dogs was equal to the top people in the field. 

Although Grandmaster Griffin contained such a vast knowledge of such a broad number of topics, he was always willing to be the student, such a great example for us to take into our lives.  Not only was he willing to learn, he did not discriminate who he learned from.  As many of his students know, some of the forms we know today were taught to Grandmaster Griffin by a 13 year kid.  Again, we are the beneficiaries of his humility and humbleness.

It is with ease that I can state that Grandmaster Kalaii Kano Griffin touched thousands of Martial Artists lives around the world.  It is often the greatest example of that when an individual shares that they never even formally met him but they saw him and saw how he conducted himself and knew what a great man he was.   These individuals go on to explain that how witnessing him has been such an impact and an example for them to live their lives by.  

As we ponder all of the remarkable deeds of Grandmaster Kalaii Kano Griffin, they will invoke stories and memories within each one of us.  It is these stories and memories that will continue to define his legacy into the future generations.  It is our responsibility  to keep them alive in order to truly keep his spirit alive and preserve him as the Legend he truly is.

Grandmaster Griffin “The Hero”

Looking beyond the accomplishments and into the man himself, Grandmaster Griffin was a man of character and integrity.  He loved people as people and he always strived to help whoever he could.  He was notorious for putting others first before himself.  No matter how small the need, he just felt it was his responsibility to fill it.  Throughout his Martial Arts career, he never worried about being in the spotlight even though many knew that he deserved it.  When he was at an event that featured a head table of dignitaries that he was appointed to, he would respectfully decline because he preferred to sit with his students.  It is this level of humility and humbleness that Grandmaster Griffin has lived with throughout his life.  One of the reasons I believe he is so respected both in the Martial Arts Community as well as the public is due to the level of respect he always treated others with.  He recognized people as human beings and children of God.   In his eyes, that was enough to treat someone with dignity.  On numerous occasions, he would just stop and speak with people that he never had met before.  For some of these people, he was the first person that had expressed an interest in them and a willingness to listen in a very long time.  Before he departed that person’s company, it was as if they had been lifetime friends.  For all intents and purposes, from that day forward they were.  Grandmaster Griffin remembered everyone.  If he met you once, he knew you forever and he would take the time to stop and become a part of that person’s life even if it were only for a few minutes.  Likewise people remembered Grandmaster Griffin.  Everywhere you went with Grandmaster Griffin it was guaranteed that several people would know him and come over to talk to him.  At Martial Arts events it was literally like being around a celebrity.  Grandmaster Griffin could actually stand in one spot for hours and you would witness dozens of people stop by to say hello and talk.  As a student, it was truly a proud moment to see your Instructor respected in this way. 

Grandmaster Griffin loved his Ohana or family.  He would love to brag on his kids and their accomplishments and successes; and he just cherished his grandbabies.   He was such a proud Grandad.  Grandmaster Griffin worked extremely hard to always do whatever he could to support his family and try to give them a life that was better than his.  He always wanted the best for them no matter what.  Even though it may not have always been visible to others, Grandmaster Griffin made many sacrifices for his family without thinking twice about it. 

Grandmaster Griffin also loved his students who he referred to as a second family.  Grandmaster Griffin always tried to instill high values in his children and his students.  When he referred to training students to the Black Belt level, he always said he was training Leaders and Instructors.  For many of his students, we have learned life lessons through studying Martial Arts under Grandmaster Griffin.  Many of his students will attest to the fact that they thought they came to get a workout and learn how to kick, punch and defend themselves however over and above all of that, we have learned how to live life. Although we came to get, we left learning how to give.   In many cases, Grandmaster Griffin has helped out his students in a variety of ways which extend so far beyond the Dojo.

Grandmaster Griffin had a passion for life and always maintained a positive outlook and had visions of a greater future.  Grandmaster Griffin embraced everything he did and attacked it with a level of commitment and perseverance.  The Bible talks about, “whatever you put your hand to, do it with all your might”.  Nothing has ever been half way with Grandmaster Griffin.  He always put his entire self into what he has worked to accomplish, from the Martial Arts, to serving his country in the Marine Corp, to his family, and most recently to his spiritual walk with the Lord. 

When being around Grandmaster Griffin, you always felt better when you left than when you came in.  He always showed a genuine love for people especially children.  I have never been around an individual who had such an impact on children.  He could get more out of you than you ever realized that you had inside.  He understood people and particularly with his students, he understood their strengths and weaknesses and he was a Master at being able to turn your weaknesses into strengths and utilize your strengths to pull out the very best in you.  Just by being around this man, you grew as an individual. 

Grandmaster Griffin held people to high expectations but that was because he held himself to high expectations.  It was this thought process that he enforced with his Martial Arts students and he demanded that respect and humbleness be maintained always.  This is what people have seen in the past and continue to see in his students and have identified with as a model to run their own schools by.

Grandmaster Kalaii Kano Griffin portrayed qualities in his character which were an example for others to live by.  Remembering how he lived, the values he lived by and applying them in ours and others lives is our responsibility to preserve the “Hero” that he truly is.

The Message 

In the latter years of his life, Grandmaster Griffin worked diligently to strengthen his spiritual life.  He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord, Master and Savior.  He was committed to pursuing a life filled with spirituality.  He dedicated his life to performing the Lord’s work and using the platform given to him in the Martial Arts to touch as many people as possible for the Lord.  He was a model of Faith, Hope and Love.  Even after everything he had accomplished over the course of his life, he never felt as complete and accomplished as he did as a Christian.  He has touched so many of us in so many ways and even under these circumstances he continues to impact our lives.

As sad as this day may be as we look back and celebrate his life on this earth, I know Grandmaster Griffin would want us to know that everything is alright because he is celebrating eternal life in heaven now; and I am confident that he has already scheduled a training session.   Once again he claims victory.
I ask all those who are present and anyone who has ever been touched by this great man to allow his legacy as a “Legend and a Hero” to live on in our hearts and minds forever. Take positive action upon leaving this gathering to implement the wisdom of Grandmaster Griffin, a man of integrity, who always emphasized the need to do the right thing.  Even if it is not the most popular decision and may cause pain for those involved at the time, you still have to do the right thing.

To you Grandmaster Kalaii Kano Griffin, from everyone that you have ever touched, we say Thank You, This World Was and Will Truly Be A Better Place Because You Were Here.

God Bless and Oss