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

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

Kyokushin karate is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a Full contact karate, full-contact style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organizat ...

.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 Zainichi Korean karate master who founded Kyokushin kaikan, Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. Early life Mas Oyama was born as Choi Yeong-eui () ...

, 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 is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor". The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process o ...

and was the Senior Instructor and an International Committee Chairman of the International Karate Organization founded by Oyama.

Early life

Lowe was born on August 23, 1929 in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, to Sidney See Hing Lowe and Ivy Leong . His family is

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

, and emigrated to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, before emigrating to

in 1928. His father was a teacher of sil lum pai

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

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

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...

and

jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

under Seishiro Okazaki before studying kempo karate under

James Mitose James Masayoshi Mitose (born ''Masayoshi Mitose'', December 30, 1916 – March 26, 1981) was a Japanese American martial artist who brought the art of Kenpo to the United States starting in 1936. Many Kenpo teachers trace their lineage to h ...

.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 gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which 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 practic ...

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, , ''Hawai Nihon Bunka Sentā'') is a cultural center and history museum in Moiliili, Hawaii that focuses on the Japanese-American experience in Hawaii, especially internment. History Plans to buil ...

, 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 International Karate Organization led by Shokei Matsui.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 Martial artists from Honolulu Kyokushin kaikan practitioners 20th-century American sportsmen