Kempo-Jitsu: Kajukenbo roots, Black Uniforms, and Hard-Core Martial Arts Training
April 16, 2008
There is a long running joke in the martial arts, that basically says when someone says X is the best style, what they really mean is “I study X”. Well I study and teach a style called Kempo-jitsu that is derived from another style called Kajukenbo and I’m going to tell you why I feel it’s the best style around.
The history of Kempo is convoluted at best. Romanticized stories of Shaolin warrior Monks and burning temples. While I’m sure most of it is true, our focus is going to be on the modern aspects and history of the art.
Sometime between 1947 and 1949, Adriano Emperado, along with several other martial artists (the notorious “Black Belt Society,”) first formulated the system of Kajukenbo. This system used a style of Kempo as the backbone of the system, but also included Shotokan Karate, Kodokan Judo, Sekeino Jujutsu, Sil-lum Pai Kung Fu and Escrima. 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 mantra became “Use the useful and discard the rest.”
In 1950, Victor “Sonny” Gascon began training in Kajukenbo. He did not train directly with Emperado but with some of his Black Belts. 10 years later George Pesare began training with Sonny Gascon in California. In 1961, due to “politics” (a common theme in Kempo history), Sonny Gascon left behind the name of Kajukenbo and called his system Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu. In 1966 a Pesare student named Nick Cerio earned his first Black Belt and opened his own school. A great martial artist named Ed Parker once was quoted as saying “You see that man over there? (Pointing to Prof. Cerio) That’s the most dangerous man I’ve ever met.”
And thus, Modern Kempo was born. The trend these days is to attempt to take Kempo back to its Kajukenbo roots, making it what might be the most all round martial art the world has ever seen. The best styles of the world have contributed with their specialties. Kicking techniques from borrowed from Karate. Clinching, takedowns and ground work from Judo and Ju-jitsu. Emphasis on multiple and fluid hand techniques came from Kempo, and superior striking power came from Boxing. Stand up fighting and ground fight is equally emphasized. There is always something new to learn as a result of the versatility. Since you can specialize on the training that suits you, it never becomes boring. Kempo Grand master Villari said it best; “Kempo fits itself to you, not the other way around.”
Okay, so now you know the whys and the who’s. Now for that all important step… going to your first class and what to expect. You’ll probably want to show up a couple minutes early to introduce yourself to your fellow students and check out the school (if you haven’t visited already). You’ll often need to sign a waiver.
Before class starts, you’ll have a chance to get dressed and stretch. Some teachers use a very light warm-up, whereas others start the class with a heavy-duty conditioning session. Most classes start with a group warm-up, such as running laps and doing push-ups, followed by solo drills like forward and backward break-falls and punching and kicking drills.
Don’t worry if you don’t get it right at first – no one does on their first day, and they take a little practice. Just give it your best try and the instructor or a higher belt will make sure you learn to do it right. After warm-ups, you’ll be partnered with someone and go to your own section of the mats to be taught your first lesson. At some schools you will practice a beginner curriculum, and at others you will simply do whatever techniques are being taught that day.
Some schools have private lessons to teach specific techniques and then use the group classes to practice the application of those techniques.
At most schools (at least the good ones) the class concludes with live sparring, or one day a week is set aside for sparring. Some schools start with timed rounds, some allow you to continue doing “free sparring” with no time limits, and others do a combination of both. Some schools require you to wait until you reach a higher rank to spar some let you start from day one.
One thing you will notice that seems to be universal in Kajukenbo and Kempo schools is a sense of family. Everyone is there to learn and to help others learn. Egos are left at the door. I remember attending a rather hard seminar that included Kajukenbo and Kempo practitioners from all over the world and feeling that if I made a mistake in a technique… I may have a hurtin’ put on me… but nobody was there to hurt me.
The equipment required for Kajukenbo is very basic. A gi (uniform, usually black), is all you need to start. For sparing the usual requirements are a helmet (similar to what boxers wear to train in), Mouth guard groin protection and foot pads or martial arts shoes.
I require my students to own 2 sets of gloves. First is a standard set of 14 – 16 ounce boxing gloves. We use these for our straight boxing / kickboxing training. We also use the traditional Kempo gloves made famous by Bruce Lee in “Enter the Dragon”. These allow us to safely train holds and submissions as well as strikes. Senior belts are allowed to use MMA gloves instead of the Kempo gloves.
As you progress through the system, you may also like to purchase (if it’s not required) a training knife, rubber gun, and 2 sets of Escrima sticks (one padded one not). Please note that these requirements vary from school to school, so check with any prospective instructors.
Cost of training varies. Some schools are very bare bones and charge just enough to keep the doors open. Others are huge corporate chains that charge top dollar. Some charge for ranking tests and others do not. Ultimately it’s up to you to decide what the school offers in terms of private and group lessons and what you are looking to spend.
Now for the most asked question: Why do you guys wear a black gi?
When Kempo Grandmaster James Mitose returned to Hawaii in 1937 from his Kempo training with his Grandfather, Sukuhei Yoshida in Japan, he knew that people would assume his “Art” was just another Japanese martial art.
He immediately wanted to send a message to all the other martial artists in Hawaii that this was not the case. He did this by wearing a Black Gi, which was contrary to the nature of the “Traditional” Japanese martial arts. James Mitose wanted all to know that while there were some similarities to other martial arts, Kempo had taken a different path of development and was a style of its own – not to be considered Japanese in nature or origin.
Much of the nature of the martial arts in Japan had its origin in the Shintoism (the original religion of Japan). Within Shintoism “White” was symbolic of “Purity”. “Black” by its very nature took on the opposite meaning: night- death- evil.
The message the “Black Gi” sent was that Kempo, and by lineage, Kajukenbo is a War Art; black was an indication of “Death and Bruising.” To this day Traditional Japanese and Okinawan tournaments will not allow the wearing of a black gi. For example, Ted Sumner is affiliated with a group of martial artists in Japan who send “exchange groups” to train and live with Ted in California. Those students refuse to step onto the mat to freestyle spar with anyone wearing a black gi. The wearing of a black gi also has a great psychological effect.
I remember reading a article by Chuck Norris when he related that as a brown belt what concern him most were those “Kempo fighters in black uniforms.” For over 30 years the “black uniform” gave Kempo its unique identity; Kempo and Kajukenbo were at one time the only styles wearing the black gi!
Today so many are wearing black uniforms you can’t tell if they are Kempo or Kajukenbo stylists, until you see them fight! (We are the ones disqualified for excessive contact). The black gi is part of our Kempo/Kajukenbo heritage and distinguishes us from all other martial arts. It states to the entire world: “We are a fighting art”!
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About the Author:
John Sexton is the principal instructor and director of Ronin Martial Arts in Denver, Colorado. He has been studying martial arts for over 20 years, first starting as a young teen with the study of tae kwon do, but his true beginning in martial arts came with the study of Jujitsu and Kempo, leading to his love of Kajukenbo. He began teaching Kempo professionally in 2000 with a large chain school but soon became disillusioned with the business aspect of the school and walked away. He continued to learn, teach and research the martial arts in general, as well as Shootfighting (a type of MMA style), CQC (Police and Military style self-defense) and his hybrid art of Kempo-jitsu in specific, and plans to do so till they pound the last nail shut to his coffin.
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3 Responses to “Kempo-Jitsu: Kajukenbo roots, Black Uniforms, and Hard-Core Martial Arts Training”
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I am looking for any information concerning the origin of Sekeino Ryu Jujitsu. It it almost impossible to find any direct information except when Grandmaster Frank Ordonez’s name is mentioned. Appreciate any info or guidance.
VR/ROBINSON
“Sekeino Ryu Jujitsu” is a work of fiction, as are some other parts of Kajukenbo history.
“Uncle” Frank was trained in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu.
You can ask him and he will tell you all about it.
He is very approachable.
Kajukenbo Forever!
Dave
I was wondering if there were any kajukenbo schools in northeast PA ,I did a search on the web ,but found no results.I am very intreasted in learning kajukenbo, and any info would be greatly appreciated