Chuan Fa Kenpo

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Chuan Fa Kenpo/Kajukenpo
Kajukenbo uses hard, fast strikes to vital points throughout the body, take-downs
involving high impact throws and many joint and limb destruction techniques, usually as follow-ups to take-downs. There are also blocks from attacks such as punches and
defenses and disarmament of offensive weapons. The name works in two ways: "ka"
("long life"), "ju" ("happiness"), "ken" ("fist"), "bo" ("style") or "ka" ("karate"), "ju"
("judo"/"jujutsu"), "ken" ("kenpo"), "bo" (Boxing and/or Chinese Boxing Kung Fu),
leading to the art's philosophical meaning: "Through this fist style, one gains long life and
happiness."

Kenpo emerged as the core around which this new art was built. Although un-credited by
name, other influences included American Boxing (Choo was US Army Welterweight
Champion) and Escrima (Emperado also studied Kali and Arnis Escrima). From its
beginnings, Kajukenbo was an eclectic 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.

Ch'uan-Fa is one of the four branch styles of the Kajukenbo system. The word Chu'an-Fa
itself means fist way or fist style. In the early 60's in Hawaii, Sijo Adriano Emperado
along with students Al Dacascos and Al Dela Cruz, incorporated innovations of the style
Tum Pai and other martial arts into their Kajukenbo training. Later it became obvious that
they were no longer doing Tum Pai and in the future it would have to be named
something else. In the mid 60's Sifu Al Dacascos moved to Northern California and
continued training in the Northern and Southern styles of Sil-lum Kung Fu, to enhance
his Kajukenbo training. It was during this time, in 1965, that the name Ch'uan-Fa was
introduced.

Ch'uan-Fa was approved as a branch style of Kajukenbo by Sijo Emperado, who then
directed Sifu Dacascos to introduce this style to other instructors in Kajukenbo. The style
Ch'uan-Fa can be specifically identified by the presence of 82 written drills and
techniques in addition to the Kajukenbo techniques. Thus, Ch'uan-Fa is an organized
style of martial art that has distinct techniques and requirements. In Japanese martial arts,
kenpō is used to designate Chinese martial arts, (much as the term kung fu is used in
English-speaking countries), some koryu jujutsu styles as well as several gendai budo
such as Shorinji Kempo and Nippon Kempo. The "m" Romanization is often preferred
when describing such arts in a Japanese context to avoid confusion with terms romanized
as "kenpō" in the government of Japan and some forms of kenjutsu, such as that practiced
within the Bujinkan. The various arts that are called "kenpō" or "kempo" in Japan do not
necessarily share any lineage, theory or technical corpus.
Hawaiian and American Kenpō

Kenpō has also been appropriated as a modern term: a name for multiple martial arts that
developed in Hawaii due to cross-cultural exchange between practitioners of Ryukyuan
martial arts, Chinese martial arts, Japanese martial arts and multiple additional influences.
In the United States, kenpo is often referred to as Kenpo Karate. The most widespread
styles have their origin in the teachings of James Mitose and William Kwai Sun Chow.
Mitose was nominally Chow's senior, but the true nature and extent of their relationship
is controversial. This lineage also includes Kajukenbo, an art that does not use the kenpō
name itself, but which possesses recognized offshoots that do. These arts have spread
around the world through multiple lineages, not all of which agree on a common
historical narrative. Notable systems such as Kajukenbo employed harder direct
movements and Kenpo Karate employ more of the Chinese circular movements with a
signature "rapid fire" combination of blows to vital areas of the body.

email chuanfa@healyourselfholistic.com