I first met Shihan Robert Edwards as a child. My sensei brought me to his school, and what I remember from that brief introduction is how amazing his physique was. Even as a child, I could tell that he was a man of incredible presence, and undoubtedly, extraordinary skill. Over my years of training I continued to hear accounts of his ability and stories of his incredible success as a competitor.
Unfortunately for me, I did not interact with him again until many years later (shortly after I became a Shodan in Isshinryu Karate) at a George Shin kata tournament. As I was leaving the building, Shihan Edwards asked who my sensei was and casually invited me to his school.
I did not visit his school until a couple years later, and I now wish I had gone there sooner. Eventually, I began attending his class regularly and he visited my school on several occasions. During that time, I can’t say that I learned or practiced anything “advanced” or even really new, but I began to understand karate in a way that I had never imagined possible.
It was astounding to me how much material he could extrapolate from something as “easy” as an outside arm block. I was amazed at the intricate thought processes and martial arts strategy that he developed and deduced from less than 10 simple movements. I realized very quickly that I had a lot less knowledge of Isshinryu than I had previously thought.
Shihan Edwards showed me that the only wisdom in martial arts is the wisdom that comes from humility. I was watching one the most accomplished Isshinryu men on the planet tear down and rebuild an entire martial arts system in just his white belt curriculum! How could this be happening? I had spent so much time trying to become more “advanced” as a black belt that I had assumed away all the most important elements of Isshinryu. Being part of Shihan’s class opened my eyes to the real value of Isshinryu karate as a martial art.
Beyond the precision of his technique, Shihan Edwards was the first Isshinryu Sensei to treat me as man first and a student second. He was also the first Isshinryu man to recognize my training in other martial arts as an asset to my Isshinryu karate, rather than as a distraction from it. I continue to look to Shihan for his guidance as I strive to develop my understanding of Isshinryu karate, and I believe that he understands the spirit of karate better than anyone else I have ever known.
