Dave Lowry (martial arts)
Dave Lowry is an American writer best known for his articles, manuals and novels based on Japanese martial arts. A student of Japanese martial arts since 1968, when he began studying Yagyū Shinkage-ryū kenjutsu under Ryokichi Kotaro of the Nara Prefecture of Japan, he has also studied Shintō Musō-ryū, as well as karate, aikido, and Kodokan judo. He has a degree in English, and has written about a variety of topics related to budō, the Japanese concept of the "martial way." He has written training manuals on use of weapons such as the bokken  and jo, a few novels centered on the lifestyle of the budōka (one who follows the martial way), and many articles on martial practices and traditional Japanese philosophy. He has been a regular columnist for "Black Belt" magazine since 1986, where he writes on the traditional arts. He has written almost 20 books, primarily on the martial arts. He has also held positions as a published restaurant critic.