Bruce Kanegai is used to fighting his enemy face to face. But this time, the international karate master will run from the enemy — 1,500 pounds of muscle, bred to kill without remorse.

Kanegai is traveling to Spain to run with the bulls, the latest death-defying feat he can check off his diverse and ever-changing "to do" list.

"Everything I do is dangerous," he said.

His challenges take him around the world — from Bangkok to wrestle an alligator, to Panama for the TV show "Survivor: Exile Island," or to the local golf course, where he was bitten by a rattlesnake, and now to Pamplona.

On Sunday, Kanegai will confront a different kind of trained fighter, from a bloodline that stretches back 800 years.

Fifteen bulls, some weighing more than a ton, run in two waves.

As many as 3,500 people run each day on peak days. Kanegai said he expects to run alongside skilled bullfighters, drunken daredevils and tourists. The bulls often injure the runners, and some are gored by their thick horns.

It is called the Festival of San Fermín. Ernest Hemingway wrote several novels and stories about this festival, including "The Sun Also Rises" and "Death in the Afternoon."

A fifth-degree black belt specializing in Shotokan karate and an "extreme skier," the 60-year-old retired Simi Valley High School art teacher is laying the groundwork for two books he wants to publish.

Every year, Kanegai lists about 100 goals that aren't on everybody's yearly "to do" list — except for the one about cleaning out the garage, which he hasn't gotten to yet.

"I want to ski, golf and photograph the world," he said recently in his Simi Valley home, which is a visual presentation of his varied interests.

A genuine Samurai sword his father gave him sits on display near a rare collection of clay Japanese dolls. He also is a sports fan, and will watch any top athlete compete. He has autographs of his favorite players on a wall near the stairs. He loves the Los Angeles Lakers and plans to wear an all-white Lakers jersey while running with the bulls.

There are awards and certificates, written in Japanese, hanging on the wall, representing his high level of karate mastery. And his adventurous spirit prompted the governor of Kentucky to induct him into the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels; he carries a gold card that verifies his status.

"You have to face yourself, beyond what's expected of you," Kanegai said.

He reads at least four books a month and draws inspiration from many things, especially from his longtime sensei, Tsutomu Ohshima, the founder of Shotokan Karate of America. He also draws inspiration from the Bible, which sits prominently on his living room table.

The third-generation Japanese-American who grew up in Los Angeles has taught Shotokan-style karate to more than 7,000 students over the past 40 years.

Shotokan is among the more demanding forms of karate. The movements are more aggressive and linear than some of the softer, more circular movements of other martial arts. He's written a book on the history of Shotokan, commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the martial art in America.

Kanegai was awarded godan, the highest rank of black belt in Shotokan karate, in 2000. Most recently, Kanegai held a summer special training camp in Carpinteria with 150 karate students — mainly black belts.

"These students push themselves to the mental and physical limit, and I have so much respect for them," Kanegai said.

It was a four-day mental, physical and emotional boot camp, said Elaine Fasah, a student who has known Kanegai for 25 years.

"He has vast experience and is an incredible teacher. He is constantly pushing people, but he's also very encouraging to everyone," said Fasah, a brown belt.

His wife, Nancy, is not pleased with most of the extreme challenges he gives himself, especially his latest to run with the bulls.