Before looking at the history of American Kenpo Karate, it is worth noting this style was founded by Edmund Kealoha Parker in Hawaii.
American Kenpo Karate was founded by the late Grandmaster Ed Parker (1931-1990). Having had four years of Martial Arts experience in the style of Judo as well as experience in boxing, Ed Parker began studying Chinese Kenpo in Hawaii, being taught by Frank Chow in 1947.Frank introduced and referred Ed to his more experienced brother, Master William Kwai Sun Chow. Professor William Chow (1914-1987) had a reputation as a top “fighter” and got the nickname “Thunderbolt” because of his speed and power when executing strikes.
Ed Parker qualified for his black belt in Chinese Kenpo six years later in 1953 his Black Belt in Chinese Kenpo from William Chow in 1953. His certificate was awarded in three styles: Kenpo, Jiu-Jitsu, and Kara-Te. William Chow did not teach forms as part of his curriculum, and Chow’s teacher, James Mitose, only taught one.
What set Ed Parker aside from the rest of William Chows students was his ability to see a need many of the historic and traditional techniques that existed within Kenpo.He assessed in detail advantages and disadvantages of every single technique he had learnt. In doing so he discarded all traditional methods of fighting that were not realistic for street fighting or real life attacks and situations and added his own applications, concepts and theories that were unique to his newly developing style.
American Kenpo History in depth
India to China (Bodhidharma)
When looking at the history of Kenpo, it appear to first originate in the sixth century with, Bodhidharma (Tamil: போதிதர்மன்), a Buddhist monk from southern India who lived during the early 5th century and is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Zen to China.
In the south Indian state of Kerala (the homeland of kalaripayat), Bodhidharma is remembered as both a kalari master and as the "father of Han-Chinese Shaolin Fist" - an Indian. He was born to a family of the Kshatriya warrior cast, he would have been trained in the fighting art known as Vajramushti, meaning ‘Diamond Fist’.
It was approximately 500AD and 600AD when he traveled from to China. He went with the intention of spreading his religion to the Chinese. For nine years he stayed within a Shaolin monastery, spending much of his time meditating. After this, he taught the local monks his method of meditation, known as Chan (pronounced Zen in Japanese). Unfortunately he he found the monks to be in a very poor state of health, and they lacked the required endurance required. In response, he developed a set of exercises derived from the Vajramushti known as Shih Pa Lo Han Sho, meaning the ‘The 18 Hands of the Enlightened Man’. The monastery often had to defend itself against looters during this period and so Bodhidharma taught the monks how to use these movements in combat. This new art was referred to using a combination of Dharma, meaning ‘truth of Buddhism’, and Mushti, meaning ‘fist’. In Chinese, Dharma is spoken as ‘Ho’ and Mushti as ‘Chuan’. Thus, the new martial art was called ‘Chuanfa’, the law of the fist, which is pronounced ‘kempo’ in Japanese.
China to Japan
Chinese Buddhists traveled throughout western Asia in the 6th, 12th and 17th centuries, spreading their religion and also spreading their form of kenpo as they went. They reached Korea, Japan and Okinawa, where Kenpo then became mixed with other local fighting arts. During the 6th and 12th centuries, the monks in Japan developed new distinctive forms of Kenpo and in the 16th century, the term ‘Jujutsu’ began to be used to describe all the different forms of combat in Japan. Despite this, a few of the variations kept the name Kenpo.
Japan to Hawaii (James Mitose)
James Mitose (1916–1981) was born on Hawaii, but was sent to Japan when he was five years old for educational reasons (his family thought the traditional education there would be better for him). It was this that introduced him to Martial Arts, as it was part of his schools syllabus. He returned to Hawaii 15 years later in 1937, the primary reason being due to the World War II. At this point he opened a Kosho Ryu Kempo Karate school on the island. As an important part of history, this was infact the first kempo karate school to be opened outside of east Asia. James Mitose had a student by the name of William Chow (1914–1987). Chow blended Mitose’s Kosho Ryu with Shaolinssu Chuanfa (Shorinji Kempo) to form his own style, which is known as Kara Ho Kempo Karate. Chow opened up his first school in 1944, and his most prominent student was Edmund Kealoha Parker. This was to be the most influential point in the history of modern American Kenpo.
Hawaii to America (Ed Parker)
Senior Grand Master Edmund Kealoha Parker (1931–1990) is the only person who will carry the title of Senior Grand Master in this style. He was known as the Father of American Karate, having a huge influential impact on Karate all across the western world.
After studying under William Chow on his native island of Hawaii, Parker decided to move to USA in 1951, where he enrolled with Brigham Young University. After graduating, he moved to Pasadena, Los Angeles, where he opened the Pasadena Kenpo Karate School, now extremely famous in regards to American Kenpo History, with even Bruce Lee occasionally attending.
Within his teachings at this school, he modified the techniques and moves which he had learnt from William Chow extensively creating a unique style which was first named ‘Ed Parker’s American Kenpo’. Within the modern American Kenpo history, many of Edmunds students later set up their own schools at various locations across USA.