Bernard Edwards was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He began his martial arts training in 1962, studying both karate and judo for the first three years. In addition to karate and judo, Edwards Sensei also studied Aikido and Iiado. He served in the US Air Force, and it was during his station in Japan, that he came to study karate under Chief Master Instructor Katasushi Iwabuchi and his student Takami Maseda. One year after he started his training with Iwabuchi Shihan, he earned his 1st degree Black belt in 1967. During the three years he was stationed in Japan, he frequently trained with the All Japan, the All Saitama and the All Tokyo Karate Teams. Currently, he is studying kobudo under the direction of Chief Master Instructor Fumio Demura.
As a 3rd kyu Brown belt, he won the Itabashi-ku Open Championship over 326 competitors; at a time when there were no weight divisions and only the three levels of white, brown and black belts existed. As a 1st degree black belt, he was appointed to the Hakua Kai A Team and holds the distinct honor of being the first foreigner to be allowed to compete in the All Saitama Open Karate Championship. He won this distinguished championship in 1968.
The first person to be certified to teach Hakua Kai Karate-Do outside of Japan, Edwards Sensei has been sharing his love and knowledge of the Karate-Do art through his teaching since 1970. In addition to teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area, Edwards Sensei also conducts seminars and clinics throughout the United States and abroad. He currently holds a 7th degree Black Belt.
Edwards Sensei, Demura Sensei, and Iwabuchi Sensei
