Kenpo History and Lineage

Within any given generation, many of the martial artists pictured above cross-trained with one another and with others not shown, and each martial artist above had multiple teachers, thus making it too cumbersome to depict all lineages on one page.  I have chosen here to feature some Okinawan history as that is where I find much inspiration.

In Japan, the term kenpo means fist law and has a long history, being used generically in reference to unarmed fighting methods, be it Chinese boxing (ch'uan fa ["chwen-fah"]) or Japanese jujutsu. Masayoshi "James" Mitose (James Mitose - Wikipedia) was said to have learned the Japanese art called Kosho Shorei-ryu passed down to him from his mother's family. There is no historical record beyond Mitose's recollection, but this family art (whether it was named specifically as jujutsu or kenpo, or described generically as kenpo) was structurally similar to Takenouchi-ryu jujutsu (i.e., absorbing, redirecting, and exploiting the opponent’s momentum, with minor strikes used tactically to set up throws, joint locks, pins, and chokes). 

Earlier in Okinawa, Choki Motobu developed a curriculum of short, powerful tactile exchanges –  a striking art resembling Matsumura's shuri-te and southern Chinese boxing, and distinct from the emerging karate styles of the time which emphasized many long, formal kata (Motobu Chōki - Wikipedia, Motobu Choki Kumite Drills, Motobu history).  To highlight this distinction, Motobu referred to his striking system as Motobu-ryu Kenpo, rather than Motobu-ryu Karate. 

Years later, William K.S. Chow was introduced to southern Chinese boxing by his father at an early age before studying Kosho Shorei‑ryu under James Mitose.  Chow blended these influences into his own early system of kenpo, creating a hybrid art that departed sharply from Japanese jujutsu.  Chow's early system, like Parker's, demonstrated short, explosive techniques — most with just 2–3 beats — that closely resembled Motobu’s close‑range fighting method. These types of exchanges became the foundation of Parker’s colored-belt base techniques.  Later, both Chow's (www.karaho.com) and Parker's systems evolved to have longer, multi‑step self‑defense techniques with numerous forms and sets. Some of the material — especially in public demonstrations — took on a theatrical, performance‑oriented character  (Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo Karate, William K.S. Chow, Ed Parker Demo).  This trend continued in the systems of Adriano Emperado, Ralph Castro, and the Tracy brothers.

Based on the practical elements of Ed Parker's American Kenpo, and inspired by the kenpo developed in Okinawa by Motobu and the shuri-te that came before it, the aim of my system is to return to a brief curriculum of short, modern, immediately applicable self-defense techniques utilizing powerful strikes.

At times, Chow, Parker, Castro, Tracy, and even Motobu each respectively referred to their systems as versions of "Kenpo/Kempo Karate," not simply "Kenpo," presumably for marketing purposes since the word karate was much more widely known. (Admittedly, I have included the word "karate" in the url of my webpages for this same reason.)  However, "Kenpo Karate" is akin to "Ch'uan Fa Kung Fu" or "Kung fu Wushu."  Chow and Parker did eventually drop the word "Karate" from the official names of their systems.

Some of the connections in the lineage above may be indirect, that is, there may be missing branches or descendants.  For instance, there may be additional connections between Mitose and Motobu.  If you are aware of any missing branches, or of inaccuracies in the practitioner names or their arts, please let me know!

References
Kosho Ryu Timeline - Sei Kosho Shorei Kai International
本部流 ー本部御殿手・本部拳法ー - 本部流 - Motobu-ryu.org
Motobu-ryū - Wikipedia
Ankō Itosu - Wikipedia
James Mitose - Wikipedia
Okinawan martial arts - Wikipedia
Sakugawa Kanga - Wikipedia
Sōkon Matsumura - Wikipedia

Copyright 2020 Geoff Johnson.  Any unauthorized reproduction or duplication of this website or its material, including pictures and logos, is strictly prohibited without permission.   Contact Geoff Johnson's American Kenpo at KenpoGeoff@hotmail.com