KENPO KARATE

"War and killing are wrong, but so is it wrong not to be prepared to defend one's self. They have taken our weapons but we have our bodies. We have no knives, so make every fist unto a mace. Without spears every arm must be made unto a spear and every open hand a sword."

Daruma's Go-shinjutsu established the foundation for the development of the Chinese Karate, known a little later as Kenpo. Originally, the Okinawan form of Kenpo primarily utilized the fists. The Chinese Kenpo form used the open hand. During the T'ang period (618 - 906 C.E.), Chinese Kenpo was renamed Tode, and the Okinawan Kenpo (prior to the years 1901 and 1902), was called "te", meaning hands.

Kenpo means "fist law" or "law of the fist", while Karate, its related technique, means "empty hands". "Empty hands" refers to the fact that no weapons are used. Instead, the hands, elbows, fingers, feet, knees, and otehr parts of the body are developed and used as weapons. As the oriental emigrated to America around the 1940's, praticularily to the Hawaiian Islands just before World War II, they brought with them, among other styles, this same empty hand art. It was under Professor Chow, a leading modifier that Mr. Edmund Parker obtained his Black Belt.

The Father of American Kenpo

Ed Parker is one of America's foremost Karate Pioneers. His credits include many other firsts, such as the first:

• To conduct a Karate class on a university campus
• Faculty member to teach Karate on a university campus
• Authentic Karate technical advisor for television and movies in the United States
• To publish a Rule Booklet specifically for Karate free-style competition

In 1954, Ed Parker moved to Utah and opened the first commercial Karate Studio in the United States. This pioneering effort made him the undisputed "Father of American Kenpo Karate". He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and graduated from Kamehameha High School. He also graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology and Psychology. Upon graduating from BYU, he moved to California in September of 1956 to establish his second school. Within two years, he was teaching many well known entertainment personalities, such as Elvis Presley, Robert Wagner, Warren Beatty, and more, and was referred to by Time Magazine as the "High Priest and Prophet of the Hollywood Sect." His last movie involvement was with Paramount Pictures "The Perfect Weapon", where he designed and choreographed the fight scenes. As America's foremost Karate Pioneer, Ed Parker was never satisfied with patented answers. Believing that tradition could be helpful, he placed emphasis on logic over tradition. Consequently, in dissecting motion, he had discovered logic to be the key ingredient influencing consistent and organized methods of study. Ed Parker's interest in employing logic dates back to his very beginning in Honolulu. He approved of the new and exciting methods that he was learning as a neophyte in Kenpo, bu having been an experienced street fighter, he felt that innovations were definately needed. As a result of his research, he has generated innovative answers by comparing Kenpo with other fields of endeavour. Accordingly, his method of relating past experiences with functional aspects of Kenpo has revealed astounding breakthroughs. Exacting principles from physics, mathematics, geometry, equations [ both numeric and alphabetic], in addition to experiences of life itself, has caused new Kenpo disciplines to emerge. Consequently, his use of analogies, short stories and quotes as found in the books "Ed Parker's Encyclopedia of Kenpo", "Zen of Kenpo" and "Infinite Insights into Kenpo Volumes 1 - 5" has unique ability to communicate martial arts information that remains unparalled. Prior to the publication of the book "Ed Parker's Encyclopedia of Kenpo , Ed Parker passed away on December 15th, 1990 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Kenpo is a system that is designed to be taught to anybody, any size, any shape. It is adaptable to all body types and situations, which makes it different from almost all traditional martial arts.

Today Ed Parker's system is taught through affiliated schools throughout the USA, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Jersey, Sweden, South Africa, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Cayman Islands, Australia and New Zealand.