Lowry, Dave

PERSONAL:

Education: Earned a college degree; formally trained in Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, karate-do, Shindo Muso-ryū, aikido, and in other martial arts. Hobbies and other interests: Japanese culture, includ- ing food, games, calligraphy, ceremonies, philosophy, and other arts.

CAREER:

Freelance writer. Organizer and member of executive committee, St. Louis Japanese Festival; president, St. Louis-Suwa Sister City Committee.

WRITINGS:

Autumn Lightning: The Education of an American Samurai, foreword by Daniel Furuya, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1985.

Bokken: Art of the Japanese Sword, edited by Mike Lee, Ohara Publications (Burbank, CA), 1986.

Sword and Brush: The Spirit of the Martial Arts, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1995.

Persimmon Wind (sequel to Autumn Lightning), Tuttle (Boston, MA), 1998, new and corrected edition, Koryu Books (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2005.

Moving toward Stillness: Lessons in Daily Life from the Martial Ways of Japan, Tuttle (Boston, MA), 2000.

Traditions: Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways, Tuttle (Boston, MA), 2002.

Clouds in the West: Lessons from the Martial Arts of Japan, Lyon's Press (Guilford, CT), 2004.

The Best of Dave Lowry: Karate Way Columns, 1995-2005, compiled by Jon Thibault, Black Belt Books, 2005.

The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi: Everything You Need to Know about Sushi Varieties and Accompaniments, Etiquette and Dining Tips, and More, Harvard Common Press (Boston, MA), 2005.

In the Dojo: The Rituals and Etiquette of the Japanese Martial Arts, Weatherhill (Boston, MA), 2006.

Columnist for martial arts magazines; restaurant critic, St. Louis Magazine.

SIDELIGHTS:

Although born and raised in America, Dave Lowry has had a lifelong love of Japanese culture. Since his boyhood, he has studied Japanese ways, including ceremonies, visual arts, and cooking. He has studied Japanese martial arts since 1968, including karate and Shindo Muso-ryū, the latter a form of combat using a long staff. When not immersed in his studies and practices of Japanese ways, Lowry is a freelance writer and a regular columnist for St. Louis Magazine, for which he is a food critic. He has published several books about Japanese martial arts and cooking. One of the latter is The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi: Everything You Need to Know about Sushi Varieties and Accompaniments, Etiquette and Dining Tips, and More, which covers everything from the types of fish and rice used and ways they are prepared, depending on the region from which they originated, to traditional side dishes and even relevant dining ceremonies. Library Journal reviewer Andrea Dietz warned that Lowry's book is not intended for people who want to learn to prepare sushi, "but those seeking to maximize their sushi dining experiences will be delighted." A Publishers Weekly writer expressed frustration that the author's "easygoing style" leads him into long digressions, but added that for those who are nervous about exploring sushi restaurants the work "will serve them well as a friendly lifeline."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Autumn Lightning: The Education of an American Samurai, foreword by Daniel Furuya, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1985.

Persimmon Wind, Tuttle (Boston, MA), 1998, new and corrected edition, Koryu Books (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2005.

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, October 1, 2005, Andrea Dietz, review of The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi: Everything You Need to Know about Sushi Varieties and Accompaniments, Etiquette and Dining Tips, and More, p. 103.

Publishers Weekly, August 8, 2005, review of The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi, p. 230.

ONLINE

Michi Online: Journal of Japanese Cultural Arts,http://www.michionline.org/ (November 30, 2006), brief biography on Dave Lowry.