Kajukenbo was founded in 1947 at Palamas Settlement on Oahu, Hawaii. It developed out a group calling themselves the "Black Belt Society", which consisted of black belts from various martial arts backgrounds who met to train and learn with each other. This was the beginning of an evolutionary, adaptive style designed to combine the most useful aspects of the arts.
There are five men credited as founders of Kajukenbo, and it is from their respective arts that Kajukenbo draws it's name.
KAJUKENBO:
KA
JU
KEN
BO
Art: Karate
Judo
Jujitsu
Kenpo
Chinese Boxing
Style: Tang Soo Do
Se Keino Ryu
Kodenkan Danzan Ryu
Kosho Ryu
Chu'an Fa Kung-Fu
Contributing Founder: Peter Young Yil Choo
Frank Ordonez
Joe Holck
Adriano Emperado
Clarence Chang
Chinese Character:
Meaning: "Long life"
"Happiness"
"Fist"
"Style"
Philosophical Meaning of Kajukenbo: "Through this fist style one gains long life and happiness."
Kenpo emerged as the core around which this new art was built. Although uncreditted by name, other influences included American Boxing (Choo was Hawaiian Welterweight Champion) and Escrima (Emperado also studied Kali and Arnis Escrima).
In the late 1940's, Palamas Settlement was a violent area and fist-fights or stabbings were commonplace. From this environment, the founders of Kajukenbo wanted to develop an art that would be readily usefull on the street. As they trained and fought in and around Palamas Settlement, the founders of Kajukenbo quickly gained reputations as formidable street-fighters. In 1950, Adriano Emperado, along with brother Joe Emperado, began teaching the new art in an open class. They called the school Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute (K.S.D.I.).
The emphasis during training was on realism - so much so that students routinely broke bones, fainted from exhaustion, or were knocked unconcious. Nevertheless, the reputation of this tough new art drew more students and Emperado opened a second school at the nearby Kaimuki YMCA. Soon Emperado had 12 Kajukenbo schools in Hawaii, making it the second largest string of schools at the time. John Leoning, who earned a black belt from Emperado, brought Kajukenbo to the mainland in 1958. Since that time, Kajukenbo has continued to flourish and grow.
From it's beginnings, Kajukenbo was an ecclectic and adaptive art. As time has passed, Kajukenbo has continued to change and evolve. Currently, there are a few distinct, "recognized" branches of Kajukenbo: Kenpo ("Emperado Method" or "Traditional Hard Style"), Tum Pai, Chu'an Fa, Wun Hop Kuen Do, and Gaylord Method. In addition, there are numerous "unrecognized" branches, including CHA-3 and Kenkabo. While this may be confusing for an outsider, it is the essence of the art. Students are not required to mimic the teacher, but are encouraged to develop their own "expression" of the art.
Chronology
1946 Adriano Emperado began training in Kempo at the age of 20.
1947 By this time William Chow had taken over the teaching of all the classes at the Official Self Defense Club.
1947-1949 Adriano Emperado (in his early 20s), along with several other martial artists (the notorious "Black Belt Society,") first formulated the system of Kajukenbo. This system used Mitose's Kempo as the backbone of the system, but also included Korean Karate (from Peter Choo), Okazaki's Danzan Ryu Jujutsu (from Joe Holck), Sekeino Jujutsu (from Frank Ordonez), Sil-lum Pai Kung Fu (from Clarence Chang) and Escrima (from Emperado himself). The system was designed to be the ultimate in self defense. While they were creating the system members of the Black Belt Society would intentionally get into fights in the Paloma settlement of Hawaii where they lived in order to decide which techniques were good enough to include in the system. The system consisted of self defense techniques that were created from the Kempo, Judo, Jujutsu and Kung Fu systems, forms that were derived from Karate and others that were created by the Society and originally known as the "Paloma sets," and knife and stick fighting from Escrima.
While William Chow did most of the actual teaching by the time Emperado began training in Kempo, Chow was still teaching the Kempo of James Mitose. Chow would ultimately go on to formulate his own system, and make major changes and additions, but this did not take place until after the birth of Kajukenbo. Thus Emperado used the Kempo of James Mitose, not that of William Chow, as the backbone of the Kajukenbo system.
1948 John Leoning begins training in Kempo at the age of 21. He would go on to earn his Black Belt under William Chow.
1949 Chow opened his own club at the local YMCA and was no longer teaching for James Mitose. Emperado taught many of the actual classes for Chow, just as Chow had done for Mitose. Many of Mitose's former students left to train instead with Chow.
1950 Adriano Emperado and his brother opened the Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute. Many of Chow's students, including John Leoning, would leave Chow to train instead with Emperado in his new Kajukenbo style.
There are five men credited as founders of Kajukenbo, and it is from their respective arts that Kajukenbo draws it's name.
KAJUKENBO:
KA
JU
KEN
BO
Art: Karate
Judo
Jujitsu
Kenpo
Chinese Boxing
Style: Tang Soo Do
Se Keino Ryu
Kodenkan Danzan Ryu
Kosho Ryu
Chu'an Fa Kung-Fu
Contributing Founder: Peter Young Yil Choo
Frank Ordonez
Joe Holck
Adriano Emperado
Clarence Chang
Chinese Character:
Meaning: "Long life"
"Happiness"
"Fist"
"Style"
Philosophical Meaning of Kajukenbo: "Through this fist style one gains long life and happiness."
Kenpo emerged as the core around which this new art was built. Although uncreditted by name, other influences included American Boxing (Choo was Hawaiian Welterweight Champion) and Escrima (Emperado also studied Kali and Arnis Escrima).
In the late 1940's, Palamas Settlement was a violent area and fist-fights or stabbings were commonplace. From this environment, the founders of Kajukenbo wanted to develop an art that would be readily usefull on the street. As they trained and fought in and around Palamas Settlement, the founders of Kajukenbo quickly gained reputations as formidable street-fighters. In 1950, Adriano Emperado, along with brother Joe Emperado, began teaching the new art in an open class. They called the school Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute (K.S.D.I.).
The emphasis during training was on realism - so much so that students routinely broke bones, fainted from exhaustion, or were knocked unconcious. Nevertheless, the reputation of this tough new art drew more students and Emperado opened a second school at the nearby Kaimuki YMCA. Soon Emperado had 12 Kajukenbo schools in Hawaii, making it the second largest string of schools at the time. John Leoning, who earned a black belt from Emperado, brought Kajukenbo to the mainland in 1958. Since that time, Kajukenbo has continued to flourish and grow.
From it's beginnings, Kajukenbo was an ecclectic and adaptive art. As time has passed, Kajukenbo has continued to change and evolve. Currently, there are a few distinct, "recognized" branches of Kajukenbo: Kenpo ("Emperado Method" or "Traditional Hard Style"), Tum Pai, Chu'an Fa, Wun Hop Kuen Do, and Gaylord Method. In addition, there are numerous "unrecognized" branches, including CHA-3 and Kenkabo. While this may be confusing for an outsider, it is the essence of the art. Students are not required to mimic the teacher, but are encouraged to develop their own "expression" of the art.
Chronology
1946 Adriano Emperado began training in Kempo at the age of 20.
1947 By this time William Chow had taken over the teaching of all the classes at the Official Self Defense Club.
1947-1949 Adriano Emperado (in his early 20s), along with several other martial artists (the notorious "Black Belt Society,") first formulated the system of Kajukenbo. This system used Mitose's Kempo as the backbone of the system, but also included Korean Karate (from Peter Choo), Okazaki's Danzan Ryu Jujutsu (from Joe Holck), Sekeino Jujutsu (from Frank Ordonez), Sil-lum Pai Kung Fu (from Clarence Chang) and Escrima (from Emperado himself). The system was designed to be the ultimate in self defense. While they were creating the system members of the Black Belt Society would intentionally get into fights in the Paloma settlement of Hawaii where they lived in order to decide which techniques were good enough to include in the system. The system consisted of self defense techniques that were created from the Kempo, Judo, Jujutsu and Kung Fu systems, forms that were derived from Karate and others that were created by the Society and originally known as the "Paloma sets," and knife and stick fighting from Escrima.
While William Chow did most of the actual teaching by the time Emperado began training in Kempo, Chow was still teaching the Kempo of James Mitose. Chow would ultimately go on to formulate his own system, and make major changes and additions, but this did not take place until after the birth of Kajukenbo. Thus Emperado used the Kempo of James Mitose, not that of William Chow, as the backbone of the Kajukenbo system.
1948 John Leoning begins training in Kempo at the age of 21. He would go on to earn his Black Belt under William Chow.
1949 Chow opened his own club at the local YMCA and was no longer teaching for James Mitose. Emperado taught many of the actual classes for Chow, just as Chow had done for Mitose. Many of Mitose's former students left to train instead with Chow.
1950 Adriano Emperado and his brother opened the Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute. Many of Chow's students, including John Leoning, would leave Chow to train instead with Emperado in his new Kajukenbo style.
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