Shimon Mochizuki

Born in Denmark in 1975, Shimon Mochizuki was shaped by martial arts from the earliest years of his life. His father, a Japanese-born Judo black belt, instilled in him both a deep curiosity for combat sports and the discipline that accompanies serious training — setting Mochizuki on a lifelong path of exploration across the martial arts world.

His formal training began with Ju Jutsu as a young child, taught by a family friend, before he transitioned to Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. In 1988, at the age of 13, he took up Taekwondo and pursued it for three years. At 19, he turned his attention to Wing Tsun — then a popular martial art in Copenhagen — and committed to it with remarkable intensity. Over the course of a decade, he trained extensively in the Chinese trapping system and eventually established his own Wing Tsun academy, demonstrating an early aptitude for both technical mastery and teaching.

In 2002, Mochizuki's path took a decisive turn when a Wing Tsun training partner discovered a BJJ academy in Malmö, Sweden, run by Peter Blackwell of MMA Alliance. Despite the 30-minute cross-border train journey from Copenhagen, Mochizuki made the trip every Monday, attending both a beginners and an advanced class before returning home to drill techniques independently with his partner throughout the rest of the week. At this stage, BJJ remained secondary to his Wing Tsun practice.

The shift in priorities came through a seminar with Leo Vieira, known as Leozinho. Mochizuki recalled his initial skepticism upon seeing the young-looking Vieira: "In Wing Tsun the grand master was an old guy who never trained with his students, so when I saw Leo, who looked like a kid with his baby face, I thought that I'd wasted my money. But he rolled with everybody at the seminar, kicked everybody's ass and made it look easy. I tried my best to grab him and use my weight and strength against him, but it didn't work. From then I was hooked." That encounter proved transformative, convincing Mochizuki to redirect his focus fully toward Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Peter Blackwell awarded Mochizuki each of his belt promotions through brown belt. In 2008, Leozinho Vieira conferred his black belt at a ceremony attended by Blackwell, Chico Mendes, and the late Felippe Porto — making Mochizuki the first Dane to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The foundation of Arte Suave grew directly out of Mochizuki's relationship with Peter Blackwell. After helping Blackwell establish a presence in Copenhagen — eliminating the need for the weekly commute to Sweden — Mochizuki stepped in to take over the classes when Blackwell could no longer continue running the Copenhagen academy. That transition marked the formal beginning of Arte Suave as an independent institution.

Affiliated with Checkmat, Arte Suave grew steadily under Mochizuki's leadership. By 2014, the academy had reached 230 members and earned a reputation as one of the foremost grappling academies in Europe. The depth of its competitive output set it apart: the gym produced 16 homegrown black belts and consistent world medallists at every belt level. Among the high-level competitors to emerge from Arte Suave are Alexander Trans, Ida Hansson, Shanti Abelha, Janni Larsson, and Camila Hansen, each of whom has represented the academy at the highest levels of international competition.

Mochizuki's success as a coach — building Arte Suave from a small Copenhagen offshoot into an internationally recognized institution — has established him as one of Europe's most accomplished BJJ instructors.

Alongside his coaching work, Mochizuki built a consistent competitive record across multiple belt levels and age divisions throughout Europe. Competing at Meio Pesado (88kg/194lbs), he demonstrated sustained performance on the international circuit from purple belt through his black belt years.

At purple belt, he claimed the European Championship in 2006 in the Master division. The following year, he won the Scandinavian Open at brown belt in the absolute division. After receiving his black belt in 2008, Mochizuki continued to compete with distinction. In 2009, he earned bronze at the Scandinavian Open in the Master absolute division, and in 2011 added another bronze at the European Open in the Master absolute division.

His form carried into 2012, when he won the 2012 London International Open in the Senior 1 black belt division, took silver at the European Open No-Gi in the Senior 1 category, and claimed the Swedish Open title in the Senior 1 division — a title he defended in 2013 at the Master level. This sustained competitive output across more than a decade underscores Mochizuki's consistency at the top tier of European BJJ competition.