Kenpo Kai

[Shaolin_Samurai]

- Oh, so you also like martial arts. I do Kenpo kai.
- Ken… what? What the hell is that?

For those which do not know Kenpo Kai there is an article in the Karate Bushido magazine, Nº345 of May 2006 in pages 76 and 77.
You can also find some information if you check the Wikipedia: Kenpo Kai

And for the rest, I'll be introducing this art here in this forum.


FAST FACTS

• Traditional Japanese MA.

• IKKO (International Kenpo Kai Organization) chaired by Kaicho Ohashi

• EKKO (European Kenpo Kai Organization) chaired by Shihan Vidal

• Two flavours: Traditional Kenpo Kai and Combat Kenpo Kai

• About 65000 practitioners all over the world (where do they hide?)
  

• Developed within the Ishizaka family

• Third most practised Kenpo style in Japan

• Learning of traditional weapons

• A way of personal development

• Reserved for a few people in the past

• Open to the whole world nowadays

• Based on the Ken No Ri and the Bushido code

• The art of the Shaolin Samurai

PS: Apologies for my English if there's any mistake :asian:

 

[Gentle Fist]

Thanks for the info. What other influences does Kenpo Kai have? Most of the Kenpo practiced in America comes from the Mitose line and has kung fu, juijitsu, karate and even tkd influences.

 

[Shaolin_Samurai]

Thanks for your interest. The only strong influences that Kenpo Kai has are the Kashima Shinto Ryu (school gathering the Samurai's fighting arts) as the origin, the Chian Chuan (boxing of the Chian family, that comes from the Shaolin Kung Fu) and the development of the art itself inside the Ishizaka family in Japan.

These pictures show the first Kenpo Kai kimonos (of Chinese influence) and shield.

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Note the Nawa (rope), which is one of the most important weapons of the art, tied on the chest of the fighters in the first photo. :asian:
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[Shaolin_Samurai]

ORIGINS (Part 1)

As with most of the martial arts, Kenpo Kai's origins go back to the famous Shaolin Temple. A Shaolin monk named Chiang, taugh his brother the art of his temple, the Shaolin Kung Fu, so that he and his family could defend themselves agains the constant burglaries they were suffering. This art was later handed down inside the Chian family for years and named Chian Chuan (boxing of the Chian family).

 

[Shaolin_Samurai]

The learning of Kenpo Kai is usually divided into 8 different stages. On this section, I'll explain them one by one. The 8 learning stages of Kenpo Kai are:

Beginner, Disciple, Little Brother, Old Brother, Expert, Instructor, Master and Grand Master.

BTW, I got the Instructor stage last August. :ultracool



1st Stage: BEGINNER

This first stage is the one in which the learning begins. All the Kenshi (Kenpo Kai practitioner) has to do in this stage is look, imitate and work hard to gain the confidence and affection of his master. The time in this stage is usually about a year, until you get the orange belt.

 

[Shaolin_Samurai]

Being this art rather unknown, it's difficult to find Kenpo Kai videos on the Internet, you won't find any in YouTube and similar websites. Here are some links to a few videos that can be found in the EKKO new website:

One nice show from the last Kenpo Kai meeting in Anglet (France):
http://www.kenpokaihonbu.com/videos/CAMPEON.wmv

Another one:
http://www.kenpokaihonbu.com/videos/SUBCAMPEON.wmv

Performance of a simple breaking:
http://www.kenpokaihonbu.com/videos/rommpimiento.AVI

Grand Master Shihan Vidal performing part of the Saru Ken (monkey form) in 1983:
http://www.kenpokaihonbu.com/videos/sarukendaisho.WMV

Some techniques of the Juho system:
http://www.kenpokaihonbu.com/videos/JUHO.WMV

Basic movements of Jo against Katana:
http://www.kenpokaihonbu.com/videos/JOKATANA.wmv

 

[Shaolin_Samurai]

ORIGINS (Part 2)

During the Tokugawa period, the Chian family puts up a Japanese traveller named Tawada Ishizaka, who was an expert in Kashima Shinto Ryu (the art gathering the Samurai's fighting arts), and he ends up working for the family and living with them. After some time, they treat him as another family member and he is taugh the Chian Quan. After 20 long years Tawada returns to Japan and he codifies his knowledge creating the art that would be handed down in the Ishizaka family, the "Ishizaka Ha Kenpo" (boxing of the Ishizaka family).

 

[Shaolin_Samurai]

30th JAPANESE KENPO KAI CHAMPIONSHIP

On 6 of August 2006, the 30th Japananese Kenpo Kai Championship took place. Next chance to see the finalists fighting on the World Kenpo Kai Championship in August 2007.

Females:

1st : Yukari Tenma (Hotsukaido)
2nd : Mitsue Furuichi (Hamamatsu)
3rd : Nami Momida (Kumamoto)

Males:

1st : Masayasu Ohashi (Hamamatsu)
2nd : Tadayuki Ohashi (Fukui)
3rd : Yasuhiro Kojima (Hamamatsu)