Ed Parker's First Shodan

by
Will Tracy

There are some who say that Charles Beeder was Ed Parker's first black belt. There is no doubt that Charles B
was Ed's first brown belt, and that Ed may have owed his very existence as a martial arts master in no small p
the support that Charles Beeder gave him. Beeder was one of Ed's first students when Ed began teaching at B
Young University in 1951. Ed, however, was a Shodan at the time, and despite what others may claim, a Shod
no authority to promote another Shodan. Additionally, there has never been a certificate come to light that sho
Ed promoted Beeder to anything other than Ikkyu (first degree brown belt) while he was at BYU. To claim
otherwise would be to state that Ed Parker was dishonest. He was not. I began training with Ed Parker in 1957
knew him to be a completely honorable man at the time - and I don't believe he was anything but honorable b
met him. Nor do I believe he would have betrayed the honor of his belt rank by promoting someone he had no
authority to promote.

Ed was promoted to Sandan (third degree black belt) after he opened his studio in Pasadena in 1956, a
about the same time, he formed the Kenpo Karate Association of America. During this period, Ed alw
referred to Charles Beeder and the others at BYU as his Utah brown belts.

When James Ibrao was promoted to black belt, Ed made it clear that this was his first black belt.

The best information available is that Ed Parker officially promoted Charles Beeder and some of his o
former BYU students to black belt after the IKKA was formed in 1963 - and presented them with thei
certificates when they were printed in 1964. It can rightfully be said that Charles Beeder was the first
trained for black belt, but the honor of Ed's first black belt goes to James Ibrao.

WAS JAMES IBRAO ED PARKER'S FIRST PASADENA BLACK BELT?

This site has tried to avoid the dissention that has racked American Kenpo. I have tried to remain out o
controversy that has sprung up around my brother, Al Tracy. I have no association with him, and do n
talk to him. I certainly am not one of his supporters. I am, however, a firm supporter of Sifu Ibrao; and
late some of Ed Parker's later black belts (those promoted after those listed on this site) have claimed t
Rich Montgomery, and not James Ibrao, was Ed's first black belt in Pasadena. One has gone so far as
that both James Ibrao and Rich Montgomery were only white belts when he began training in Februar
And his supporters even go so far as to present a group photograph taken in 1960 (a portion of which
below) which shows Rich Montgomery and James Ibrao seated; and because their black belts are not v
they present this as proof they were only white belts at the time.
The reader can judge whether this proves anything; the dark area on the left of Rich Montgomery's gi
a belt would be, and the two dark areas on either side of Sifu Ibrao's waist only show that the area is d
There is no way of telling if this is even a belt, let alone a black, brown, or white belt. The person kne
between Sifu Ibrao and Rich Montgomery was a brown belt at the time, but his belt does not show eith
The person seated to the far right (facing the photo) is my brother, Jim Tracy, and while only three bro
tips are showing on his belt, he actually had four tips at the time. (Ed Parker did not introduce the 4 br
tips in his belt system until June 1960.) Both Rich Montgomery and Sifu Ibrao were Jim Tracy's instru
That leads to the logical conclusion, that if Rich and Sifu were only white belts when this picture was
then Jim Tracy outranked his own instructors.

This, of course, is absurd. The following pictures were taken in 1957 at Ed Parker's original studio. Th
studio was a store front on Walnut Street with a garage entrance on the side street. The studio was clo
1958 when Ed Parker the studio across across the street and down a few block near where he would w
building his new studio which he opened not long after that. The new studio had entirely different ligh
fixtures, walls, etc.
This photograph was taken in early 1957, when James Ibrao was a b
belt.
Now it should be obvious to any reasonable person that if the old studio was closed in 1958, any photographs
there had to have been taken prior to its closing. (This may seem oversimplified, but it is beyond the compreh
of those who claim Sifu Ibrao was a white belt in 1960.) And it is also obvious that a photograph taken prior t
1958, is older than one taken in 1960; and it should also be obvious that if Sifu Ibrao was a brown belt in the
studio, then he was certainly not a white belt in 1960.
This group photograph, taken in 1957 shows James Ibrao (Ed Parker's right side) and Ben Otake (Ed Parker's
side) as brown belts. (Ben Otake left Ed Parker to train with Oshima before Ed opened his new school.) Rich
Montgomery is kneeling on the left (Ed Parker's right) and is wearing a white belt. And for the record, Sifu Ib
was promoted to black belt not long after this photo was taken.