Jay was born in Hawaii of Chinese descent. At age 11, he began to study boxing under a community program. By the age of 18 he was studying jujitsu under Paul Kaelemakule. In 1938, Wally enrolled at Oregon State College where he studied medicine and agriculture. In 1940, he studied Danzan Ryu jujutsu under Juan Gomez and learned judo under the former Hawaiian Champion, Ken Kawachi. Jay and his wife Bernice were awarded a Certificate of Mastery by Seishiro Okazaki, the founder of Danzan Ryu jujutsu, on February 22, 1948. Jay spent time with Bruce Lee and his associates in 1962 teaching them judo and jujutsu techniques Jay was the head instructor of Jay's Jujitsu Studio, which is also known as Island Judo/Jujitsu Club in Alameda, California. Even past the age of 90, he traveled worldwide teaching seminars on Small Circle Jujitsu. Jay published two books; Dynamic Ju Jitsu and Small Circle JuJitsu and numerous instructional videos. During the 1990s Wally Jay, Remy Presas, and George Dillman traveled together throughout the United States and worldwide promulgating small-circle jujitsu. Remy Presas incorporated elements of Small Circle JuJitsu into Modern Arnis. Jack Hogan continues to promote and advance the principles of Wally Jay's small-circle jujitsu having incorporated a multitude of the techniques into Hogan Karate International and the Kyusho Certification Program. In 1969, Jay was inducted into Black Belt Magazine’s Black Belt Hall of Fame as “Ju-Jitsu Sensei of the Year” and again in 1990 as “Man of the Year”. In August 2002, Jay held a ceremony officially handing the title of grandmaster over to his son Leon Jay in their hometown of Alameda, California. Family, friends, several martial arts masters and the media witnessed the occasion.
Notable Achievements
In 1964, Professor Wally Won the AJI Outstanding Coach Award
In 1968, a student of the Professor's - David Quinonez - won the National High School Judo Championship 120 Pound Crown
In 1969, the Professor was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame for his contributions to the art of judo
In 1970, another student of the Professor's - Bradford Burgo - won the National High School Judo Championship 120 Pound Crown
Jay suffered a stroke on May 24, 2011. He was later removed from life support according to his stated wishes and died on May 29, 2011, at the age of 93.
