Dave Lowry is an American writer best known for his articles, manuals and novels based on Japanese martial arts. A student of

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

since 1968, when he began studying

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who a ...

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of ...

under Ryokichi Kotaro of the

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...

of Japan, he has also studied

Shintō Musō-ryū , most commonly known by its practice of ''jōdō'', is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of the Japanese martial art of '' jōjutsu'', or the art of wielding the short staff ('' jō''). The technical purpose of the art is to learn how to defeat ...

, as well as

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

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 ...

, and

Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ( ...

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 ...

. He has a degree in English, and has written about a variety of topics related to

budō is a Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. Literally translated it means the "Martial Way", and may be thought of as the "Way of War" or the "Way of Martial Arts". Etymology Budō is a compound of the root ''bu'' ( 武:ぶ), m ...

, the Japanese concept of the "martial way." He has written training manuals on use of weapons such as the

bokken A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' ...

and jo, a few novels centered on the lifestyle of the budōka (one who follows the martial way), and many articles on martial practices"Book Review Keiko Shokon: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Volume 3"
''Fighting Arts'', Ken Mondschein and traditional Japanese philosophy. He has been a regular columnist for ''Black Belt'' magazine since 1986, where he writes on the traditional arts. He has written almost 20 books, primarily on the martial arts. He has also held positions as a published restaurant critic.

Published works

* ''The Connoisseurs Guide to Sushi'' * ''Clouds in the West: Lessons from the Martial Arts of Japan'' * ''Moving Toward Stillness: Lessons in Daily Life from the Martial Ways of Japan'' * ''Traditions: Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways'' * ''Autumn Lightning: The Education of an American Samurai'' * ''Persimmon Wind: A Martial Artist's Journey in Japan'' * ''Jo: The Art Of The Japanese Short Staff'' * ''Sword and Brush: The Spirit of the Martial Arts'' * ''Bokken - Art of the Japanese Sword'' * ''In the Dojo: A Guide to the Rituals and Etiquette of the Japanese Martial Arts'' * ''The Karate Way: Discovering the Spirit of Practice'' * ''The Essence of Budo: A Practitioner's Guide to Understanding the Japanese Martial Ways'' * ''Chinese cooking for diamond thieves'' (novel)

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American martial arts writers American restaurant critics American male non-fiction writers {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub