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Grandmaster D'veed Natan was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.
He started his martial arts training while attending Missouri Military
Academy in Mexico, Missouri, in 1959, when he was eleven years old. 
Later, as part of the United States Armed Forces (Army) stationed in
Seoul, Korea,  Kyo Seng Chou was his instructor in Tang Soo Do, Soo
Bahk Do, Moo Duk Kwan with the Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA). The
training was three hours a day, six days a week for eighteen months. In
1966, now 18, he received his Shodan  in Shin Shin Jujutsu from
Grandmaster Wilson; and Shodan (初段) from the KTA. In 1967, at age 19, he
received his 2nd Dan  Black Belts and a license to teach from the KTA.

                While a science major (Geology/Biology) attending the
University of Missouri Kansas City, D’veed began learning and teaching
‘Chinese’ Kenpo Karate. Soon, he was employed full time as manager for
Traco International, a large international chain of Kenpo schools. By
the time Choon Lee arrived in 1974, Natan-shi was deep into ‘Chinese’
Kenpo and made a conscious decision to remain involved with the “Chinese”
Kenpo system of self defense instead of returning to Taekwondo. In
1975, he opened his own full time professional dojo. In 1976, he was
appointed chairman of region 5 for AAU Karate and received a Shodan  in
the Okinawan Kenpo weapons system of Seikichi Odo from Master Bill Marron.

                In 1976, Oyata, Sensei came to the United States.
D’veed was waiting for him when he arrived from the airport. Master Oyata
gave D’veed’s Dojo the name, Ryukenkan, or Academy of Ryukyu Kempo*.
D’veed became Master Oyata’s first ‘transfer’ student. Having successfully
made the jump from one system to a radically different one, earlier;
D’veed had no trouble adjusting to the instruction of Oyata, Sensei. For
ten years, D’veed, daily, learned and practiced Master Oyata’s Ryukyu
Kempo*. From three times a week to almost daily, he was in contact with
Oyata-san. Not a week passed that he didn’t learn, personally, from
Oyata, Sensei; private lessons, in small group classes, or in personal
conversations. In 1977, Master Oyata conferred upon him a Shihan Menjo
. D'veed had been participating in open ‘point’ competitions since
1969; but, he withdrew from ‘point’ kumite, and concentrated, instead,
on bogu kumite, which he had been practicing since 1972.
* Ironically, Master Oyata’s instructor, Saikou Shihan Shigeru
Nakamura, spelled Kenpo correctly in his English transliterations. An
early film taken in 1968, shows Master Oyata doing Kata in Kansas. A
makeshift title spells Kenpo correctly at this time. Later, Master Oyata’s
students spelled the name as it is pronounced; due, to lack of
familiarity with Japanese grammar. Master Oyata doesn't care to correct it and
it has been too long in usage, now, to change.

        By 1979, D'veed’s style had changed so much that it no longer
bore any resemblance to his teachings of just a few years earlier. In
August 1979 he captured the Heavyweight Championship in bogu kumite,
defending his title until his retirement in 1981. Before retiring, he spent
five months teaching in Israel, introducing Ryukyu Kenpo here.
Oyata, Sensei promoted D'veed to Renshi and 6th Dan Black Belt in 1984.
At this time, D'veed started traveling with Master Oyata across the
United States, giving seminars and interviews with him. He represented
Master Oyata in Europe and the middle east.

        Due to orchestrated political machinations, D'veed was forced
out of Master Oyata’s organization. Keeping with the tradition of Karate
masters before him, when circumstances made it impossible to continue
training with his teachers, D’veed struck out on his own. In 1987 Master
Natan moved to Israel. There, he combined and modified (over a fifteen
year period) what he knew into Lanten (Lantian) Ryukyu (Liuqiu)
Kenpo (Quan) Kobujutsu . The training with Master Oyata was
the key to this process. Saikou Shihan Seikich Uehara’s, ideas and
principles, as taught to D’veed through Master Oyata, transformed the old
‘Chinese’ Kenpo Karate techniques (and understanding of their kata) into
something new and totally different.

             D'veed Natan, Hanshi received his 9th Dan ( Kudan) Red
Belt  in Lanten Ryukyu Kenpo Kobujutsu from the Ryukyu Kenpo Karate
Kobudo Rengokai in 2002, an 8th Dan ( - Hachidan) Red Belt in Ryukyu
Kenpo from Midori Yama Budokai in 1996, a 6th Dan ( Rokudan) Black
Belt in Shin Shin Jujutsu  from Grandmaster Leo D. Wilson in 1996,
6th Dan ( Rokudan) Black Belt in Ryukyu Kempo and Kobudo from Taika
Seiyu Oyata in 1984; 5th Dan ( Godan) Black Belt in Okinawan Kobudo
from 8th Dan Master Bill Marron in 1996; 5th Dan  Godan) Black
Belt in Hapkido from 8th Dan Grandmaster Gunter Bauer. He is the retired
undefeated heavyweight champion of the United States, and former #1
world rated heavyweight fighter in bogu kumite. He is the Headmaster of the
Ryukyu Kenpo Kobujutsu Kai ; and, the Chief Technical
Officer of the Ryukyu Kenpo Karate Kobudo Rengokai, both
internationally recognized organizations with branches in Israel and
the United States. He is: a member of the Standards Board for the World
Martial Arts Society, headquartered in Helsingborg, Sweden; Israeli
Representative for the WMAS and Kempo International; and, Senior Advisor
for Kempo International. He teaches at the Ryukenkan (Academy of
Ryukyu Kenpo) in Jerusalem, Israel. Natan, Shihan attended the Coach's
Course (Course Mei'amen) at the Israeli Sports College, Wingate
Institute, and is recognized as a licensed instructor by the Ministry of
Education in Israel.
 

Written by D'veed Natan