Robert Trias

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Robert A. Trias (1923 - 1989), known by some as "the Father of Karate in America," founded the first commercial karate school in the United States^{[citation needed]}. He also developed Shuri-ryu karate, an eclectic style with roots in the Okinawan Shuri-te tradition.

While serving in the United States Navy during World War II, Robert Trias was stationed in the Solomon Islands. There he met Tong Gee Hsing, a Chinese missionary of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, who offered to teach Trias some martial arts in exchange for lessons in American boxing. Trias, who was the Navy's middleweight boxing champion at the time, decided to fight Tong Gee Hsing but he was unable to land a single punch. Hsing taught Trias some Hsing-I as well as some Okinawan Shuri-Te karate, which Hsing had learned from Choki Motobu on Okinawa.

Later Trias studied with Hoy Yuan Ping whose lineage was from the Teshin Shinjo School of Kempo Ju-jitsu in Japan. Trias also held a 6th dan black belt in Kodokan Judo^{[citation needed]} and studied under Yju Yamada. Trias was a student of Yasuhiro Konishi and Makoto Gima and was promoted to his highest ranks by them.

When Robert Trias left the Navy, he began teaching martial arts in his backyard in Phoenix, Arizona. Later he opened his first karate school in Phoenix. Robert Trias served as an officer of the Arizona State Highway Patrol for a number of years utilizing his self-defense knowledge. He founded the United States Karate Association (USKA). Through his pioneering efforts in Karate, he became the United States' liaison with Korea, Japan, China, and Okinawa for many years. He was instrumental in promoting the first world karate tournament in 1963 in Chicago, IL. His rules for tournament competition are still used today with slight variation.

Robert Trias' style was known as Shorei Goju Ryu, Shorei-ryu and Shuri-ryu. Many organizations claim to trace their roots to him and the USKA.

Grandmaster Trias died in 1989 of cancer leaving the Shuri-ryu system to his daughter Dr. Roberta Trias-Kelley, inheritor of Shuri-Ryu and Menkyo Kaiden.

Robert A. Trias is the author of "Karate is my Life""The Hand is my Sword", "The Pinnacle of Karate", "The Supreme Way", and "Render Yourself Empty".