Kenpō

Also known as	Kempo, Ryukyu Kempo, Quan fa
Focus	Empty handed/open-handed striking and stand up grappling
Country of origin	Japan (Ryukyu), China
Famous practitioners	James Mitose, Shigeru Nakamura, William Kwai Sun Chow, Ed Parker

Kenpō (拳法^?) is the name of several martial arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization,^[1] but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel. The generic nature of the term combined with its widespread, cross-cultural adoption in the martial arts community has led to many divergent definitions.

[edit] Japanese usage

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.

[edit] 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} Mitose was nominally Chow's senior, but the true nature and extent of their relationship is controversial.^{[citation needed]} This lineage also includes Kajukenbo, an art that does not use the kenpō name itself, but which possesses recognized offshoots that do.^{[citation needed]} 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 (developed by Ed Parker), employ more of the Chinese circular movements with a signature "rapid fire" combination of blows to vital areas of the body.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Okinawan and Ryukyuan usage

Some Okinawan martial arts groups use the term kenpō as an alternate name for their karate system or for a distinct but related art within their association.^{[citation needed]} Both the "n" and "m" romanizations are used by various groups.

[edit] References

• History of Kenpo Karate