He was a student of Gichin Funakoshi, who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate.

Egami was born on December 7, 1912, in Ōmuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

[3] He was elected a Member of the Evaluation Committee by Gichin Funakoshi, the youngest instructor to receive that honor.

[3] In 1973, Egami visited Los Angeles to teach, and in 1976 he toured Taiwan and five European countries on a similar mission.

[3] A cerebral embolia saw him go three months without eating solid food, which tested his strength, and he eventually weighed only 37 kg.