Robert Trias

Robert Trias 1923 – 1989

“First Man to Teach Karate in America 1946”

Robert A. Trias was a U.S. karate pioneer, founding the first karate school in the mainland United States. He also developed Shuri-ryū karate, an eclectic style with roots in the OkinawanShuri-te tradition.

While serving in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II, Robert Trias was stationed on or around Tulagi in the Solomon Islands from June 1944 to November 1945, and was a Navy champion middleweight boxer. There he met Tung Gee Hsing, a Chinese missionary of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Hsing often watched Trias work out and imitated his boxing footwork, and he asked to practice with Trias. Trias refused because Hsing was "just a tiny little guy," but Hsing was persistent and at last Trias agreed to spar with him. Hsing gave Trias "the biggest thrashing of his life" and Trias then asked Hsing to instruct him in the martial arts.

In late 1945, shortly before Trias left the Navy in January of the following year, he began teaching martial arts in his backyard. He later opened the first karate school in the United States mainland in Phoenix, Arizona in 1946.

In 1948 he founded the United States Karate Association (USKA), the first karate organization on the US mainland.Through his pioneering efforts in Karate, he became the United States' liaison with Korea, Japan, China, and Okinawa for many years. Jointly with John Keehan, Trias hosted the first national karate tournament, called the 1st World Karate Tournament, at the University of Chicago Fieldhouse in 1963 in Chicago, IL. This event was retitled the USKA Nationals in 1966 and the USKA Grand Nationals in 1968. His rules for tournament competition are still used today with only slight variation.

Trias' style was known as Shorei-Goju ryu. 

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