Mestre Sucuri is a Capoeira Mestre, cultural educator, and artist based in Tokyo, Japan, with over 37 years of continuous Capoeira practice and nearly three decades of international teaching experience. Born and raised in Southern California, he began Capoeira at age 17 and dedicated his life to studying Afro-Brazilian history, music, movement, and philosophy. What began as a teenage passion evolved into a lifelong mission to share the depth, beauty, and discipline of Capoeira with communities around the world.

In 1999 he moved to Tokyo to teach and perform professionally, quickly becoming one of the leading voices of Afro-Brazilian cultural arts in Asia. In 2003 he founded Capoeira Zoador Academy, Japan’s first full-time Brazilian cultural arts school, which has since grown into a multicultural hub serving hundreds of students each year. From his base in Tokyo, he developed an international network of Capoeira Zoador instructors active in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States.

A respected performer and creative director, Mestre Sucuri has appeared in hundreds of cultural shows across Asia, collaborating with Brazilian artists, Japanese institutions, and community organizations. He is also one of the first non-Brazilians to produce original Capoeira music, releasing multiple albums—including Depoimento, Quando a Chuva Cai, Ilê Mojubá, Vamo que Vamo, Mestre Vibes Vol. 1, and Mestre Vibes Vol. 2 — all available on major streaming platforms. His artistic work extends into choreography, Orixá movement, cultural storytelling, and independent fashion production. Since 2000 he has printed more than 10,000 garments through his Boa Fashion projects, blending Afro-Brazilian symbolism with Japanese street style.
Alongside his artistic career, he has pursued deep academic study. He earned his M.A. in International Relations from Waseda University with research focused on race, identity, and the globalization of Afro-Brazilian culture in Japan. He also completed the graduate program in Latin American Studies at San Diego State University, specializing in Afro-Latino identity and cultural transmission. His research has been presented at major academic conferences, including the Asian Studies Conference Japan and Anthropology of Japan in Japan.

As a writer, Mestre Sucuri is the author of three books — The Path of Capoeira (2014), Capoeira Fire (2022), and Vivência: The Lived Wisdom of a Capoeira Mestre (2025) — which explore teaching methods, philosophy, identity, and the lived experience of a Capoeira Mestre. His recent project, Mestre Vibes, is an expanding mentorship platform offering more than 120 podcast episodes and over 50 written modules on leadership, emotional intelligence, and personal development through the lens of the non-tangible arts.

Today, Mestre Sucuri continues to travel across Europe, Asia, and the United States to teach workshops, lead rodas, and share his evolving understanding of Capoeira. His approach remains rooted in humility, discipline, and a lifelong commitment to cultural preservation. With every class, project, and student, he renews the same intention he had at seventeen years old — to honor Afro-Brazilian culture, uplift communities, and help people grow through the art that shaped his life.