Америкалық қаратэнің негізін қалаушы Роберт Триас

American karateka

Robert A. Trias (March 18, 1923 – July 11, 1989) was an American karate pioneer, founding the first karate school in the mainland United States and becoming one of the first known American black belts. He also developed Shuri ryū karate, an eclectic style with roots in Chinese kung fu, and indirectly some Okinawan karate.

Trias was employed by Southern Pacific Company as a boilermaker apprentice from 1937 to 1939 and a boilermaker from 1939 to 1942.

While serving in the United States Naval Reserve as a Metalsmith First Class (M1c) 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 Hsiang, a Chinese missionary of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Hsiang often watched Trias work out and imitated his boxing footwork, and he asked to practice with Trias. Trias refused because Hsiang was "just a tiny little guy," but Hsiang was persistent and at last Trias agreed to spar with him. Hsiang gave Trias "the biggest thrashing of his life" and Trias then asked Hsiang 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 public karate school operated by a Caucasian in the United States mainland in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1946. Trias served as an officer of the Arizona State Highway Patrol from 1946 to 1961 utilizing his self defense knowledge on duty and teaching his fellow officers. In 1948 he founded the United States Karate Association (USKA), the first karate organization on the American mainland. Jointly with John Keehan, Trias hosted the first national karate tournament in the United States, 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.

Trias authored Karate is my Life (1963), The Hand is my Sword (1974), The Pinnacle of Karate (1980), The Supreme Way (1983), and Render Yourself Empty (1984).

Trias was the recipient of the 1989 Black Belt Hall of Fame Honorary Award.

Trias formed the United States Karate Association in 1946, it continued after his passing until 1999. An arm of the USKA was the Trias International Society, which honored the outstanding competitors of the USKA in its heyday. The Trias International Society froze all new inductions after Master Trias' passing. Trias International members carried on the tradition by forming extended hall of fames such as USKK Bushido International Society, USKA (alliance) Hall of Fame, Hawkes International Society, Bowles International Society, Rabino Shuri Te Society, PKC Elite, and the International Warrior Society.

Trias died from a stent of reoccurring illnesses. Including a number of infections and stage 2 cancer complications exaggerated by an unspecified preexisting condition on July 11, 1989, leaving multiple branches of the Shuri ryu system. Most of the highest ranks and Chief Instructors followed Robert Bowles in the formation of the International Shuri ryu Association