__NOTOC__ Edward 'Bobby' Lowe (August 23, 1929 – September 14, 2011) was a prominent

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Kyokushin karate is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...

.Canadian Kyokushinkai-kan Karate Organization: Board of Directors
Retrieved on 22 December 2009.
Retrieved on 22 December 2009.Calgary Kyokushin Karate: About Kyokushin Karate
Retrieved on 1 February 2010. He was the first ''uchi deshi'' (live-in student) of

Masutatsu Oyama , more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese ci ...

, founder of Kyokushin karate, and established the first Kyokushin school outside Japan.Sosai Masutatsu Oyama: Sosai's history
Retrieved on 22 December 2009. Lowe held the title of "Shihan" and was the Senior Instructor and an International Committee Chairman of the

International Karate Organization ,Habersetzer, G., & Habersetzer, R. (2004): ''Encyclopédie technique, historique, biographique et culturelle des arts martiaux de l'Extrême-Orient'' (p. 455). Paris: Amphora. ()

founded by Oyama.

Early life

Lowe was born on August 23, 1929. His father was a teacher of sil lum pai

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

, and taught this art to his son. The young Lowe also studied

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and

jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

under

Seishiro Okazaki Seishiro "Henry" Okazaki ; January 28, 1890 – July 12, 1951) was a Japanese healer, martial artist, and founder of Danzan Ryu jujitsu. Biography Born in Kakeda, Date County in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, he immigrated to Hawaii in 1906. ...

before studying kempo karate under

James Mitose James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

.Tracy, W. (1997/1999)
The origin of Kenpo Karate
Retrieved on 12 January 2010. At 23 years of age, he was ranked 4th ''dan'' in judo, 2nd ''dan'' in Kosho-ryu kempo, and 1st ''dan'' in Yoshinkai

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

Kyokushin karate

Lowe first met Oyama at a demonstration the latter gave in 1952 in Hawaii. From late 1952 to early 1954, Lowe trained daily under Oyama. Oyama promoted him to the rank of 1st ''dan'' in 1953. In 1957 in Hawaii, Lowe opened the first Kyokushin ''dojo'' (training hall) outside Japan.Yussof, S. (2005)
Sosai Mas Oyama 1923–1994
Retrieved on 1 February 2010.
Retrieved on 1 February 2010. Oyama promoted him to 4th ''dan'' in or before 1957, 5th ''dan'' in 1965, 7th ''dan'' in December 1976, and 8th ''dan'' in October 1984. Lowe wrote three books on his martial art:Kyokushin Karate Self-Defense Techniques
Retrieved on 22 December 2009. * ''Mas Oyama's karate as practiced in Japan'' (1954) * ''The 'Young Lions' of Mas Oyama's Kyokushin karate headquarters'' (1985) * ''Kyokushin karate: Self-defense techniques'' (1999)

Later life

On September 17, 2005, Lowe was recognized for his contributions to karate by the

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (JCCH, ja, ハワイ日本文化センター, ''Hawai Nihon Bunka Sentā'') is a cultural center and history museum in Moiliili, Hawaii that focuses on the Japanese-American experience in Hawaii, especially ...

, at the Celebration of Lifetime Achievement dinner for 2005.Lee, V. (2005)
A collector offers a public display of his artifacts documenting the martial art's (''sic'') history in Hawaii before World War II
''Honolulu Star–Bulletin'' (June 24, 2005). Retrieved on 23 December 2009. Lowe was ranked 8th ''dan'', and was the International Committee Chairman for North America and the South Pacific in the

led by

Shokei Matsui ,Habersetzer, G., & Habersetzer, R. (2004): ''Encyclopédie technique, historique, biographique et culturelle des arts martiaux de l'Extrême-Orient'' (p. 455). Paris: Amphora. ()

.IKO Kyokushinkaikan: Kancho & Committee Members
Retrieved on 21 December 2009. On September 14, 2011, Lowe died peacefully in hospital in Honolulu.Goodin, C. S. (2011)

(September 15, 2011). Retrieved on September 16, 2011. Wiklund, R. (2011)
R.I.P. Shihan Bobby Lowe
(September 15, 2011). Retrieved on September 16, 2011. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and son.Australian Kyokushin Karate Association: Events and News
(September 14, 2011). Retrieved on November 24, 2011. Lowe was posthumously awarded 10th ''dan'' ranking by Matsui on November 6, 2011, during a memorial service at the 10th World Tournament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Bobby 1929 births 2011 deaths American aikidoka American male judoka American male karateka American wushu practitioners Karate coaches Sportspeople from Honolulu Kyokushin kaikan practitioners