Akshay Kumar in Kenpo

KENPO Kenpō is the name of several martial arts but is widely recognized as a martial art with roots in Hawaii. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo." As a result, the generic nature of the term combined with its widespread, cross-cultural adoption in the martial arts community has led to many divergent definitions. In Japanese martial arts, kenpō is used to designate Chinese martial arts, much as the way kung fu is used in English-speaking countries. 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. Dr. James Mitose, a Japanese-American, was largely responsible for spreading Kenpo throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Born in Hawaii, he was sent to Japan where he learned at a very young age his ancestral art of self-defense called “kosho-ryu,” said to be based directly on Shao-lin kung-fu. Mitose returned to Hawaii in 1936 and five years later he organized the Official Self-Defense Club in Honolulu. Mitose emphasized the attacking of vital areas by punching, striking, chopping, thrusting, and poking. Similar to Japanese styles that also utilized throws, locks, and takedowns, it differed technically and philosophically. Mitose' style employed linear and circular movements, using intermittent power. 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 his student William Kwai Sun Chow. Chow later instructed Ed Parker who became a leader and was dubbed the “Father of Kenpo Karate” in America. Their 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 (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.