At age 18, due to the fact he was born in San Francisco and could claim American citizenship, his parents sent him to the United States. He settled in Seattle, where he began attending Edison Technical School. His martial arts skills made him a novelty and celebrity. He began to attract other martial artists and fighters who were amazed at his skills. Each of them was a skilled fighter in his own right. Among them were: Jesse Glover, a black belt in judo; Ed Hart, a middle-weight pro boxer and street fighter; Howard Hall, Leroy Porter, Pat C. Hooks, another black belt in judo; Charlie Woo, Skip Ellsworth, also a judo player; James W. DeMile, a street fighter and heavy-weight boxing champion in the Air Force; Leroy Garcia, a boxer and wrestler; Taky Kimura and John Jackson, both judo players. These men became his inner circle, the charter members of his research and development team.