My Kempo/Kenpo Lineage

[MacHudde]

To start off, I will say that this post is going to mention some controversial people and topics and I am not here to stir the pot or be derogatory in any way shape or form. What I am stating in this post has been well documented by others.

I studied Kung Fu many years ago and I am trying to figure out the origin and of course like most martial arts there are varying stories. We were basically shown two styles. One was a form a Kempo/Kenpo that I will get into and the other was Tai Liu Chuan Fa.

The Tai Liu that my instructor Ky Fiedler was taught by Chujen Saul Tallbear in the 70s. This was our more advanced system that we learned after learning the fundamental system which was a variation of Kempo/Kenpo. This is what I am trying to figure out what variation it was. The lineage of Tai Liu is straightforward and well documented.

To give some backstory on the Kempo/Kenpo we learned we have to go back to what our instructor was taught. Our instructor was taught at Simon's Karate/Kung Fu/Temple (whatever it else it got called) in Edmonton in the 1970s. From what I have read Olaf Simon basically gave himself a blackbelt and had no real formal training. He states or others have stated that he used to go down to California and study with GM Ed Parker along with Margitte Hilbig. According to a court disposition, Olaf stated it was more Margitte that went down to learn from GM Parker and would come back and show Simon what she had learned.

When I look into the lineage of American Kenpo, GM Parker, learned from GM Chow and he in turn learned from James Mitose, however here were things get murky. It is said that the style Chow developed Kara-Ho Kenpo which was derived from Kosho Shorei-Ryū Kenpo that Jame Mitose claimed he learned in Japan. However there is controversy to this with some stating that what he actually learned was from Okinawawa and not mainland Japan and that he might not have been formally taught either and learned from books instead.

I know Kempo/Kenpo is an umbrella term just like Karate and Kung Fu. Within each there are various styles.

So from my understanding, it is all wrapped in a fractured mystery and controversy. I am not sure if the Kempo/Kenpo I learned can be traced back Kosho Shorei-Ryū?

If anyone is able to shed any light on this I would like to know and would greatly appreciate. Some would say to go ask my instructor but we had a falling out many years ago, to be honest I don't think he even truly knows what style of Kempo/Kenpo it was that was he taught.

Thank you.

 

[geezer]

If anyone is able to shed any light on this I would like to know and would greatly appreciate. Some would say to go ask my instructor but we had a falling out many years ago, to be honest I don't think he even truly knows what style of Kempo/Kenpo it was that was he taught. -Thank you.

I can't answer your question directly, but I may be able to add a bit of perspective. My first experience in Asian martial arts during my college years, back in the mid-70's, was somewhat similar.

My "Shifu" claimed to teach a "family system" of northern five animal kung-fu called Pai Lum Pai. He had learned this style from a Chinese-Hawaiian-American man named Daniel K Pai. My "Shifu" taught a simplified "lower level" curriculum that like your instructor, he also called "Kempo". It was a mix of the Chinese material and Karate-like movements. After we reached an advanced-intermediate level in this "Chinese Karate" we would segue into the more fluid, circular, and definitely fancier Chinese Pai Lum material. Sounds a lot like what you experienced.

Looking back, I recognize that the entire system was was largely a fabrication, inspired by the "kung-fu craze" of the late 60s and 70s, and the Western fascination what was then seen as the "exotic" and almost magical martial arts of Asia. This was during the height of the wuxia fad fueled by the TV series "Kung-fu" and a whole slew of B movies made in the West and in Hong Kong. Fortunes were made marketing these fantasies, but almost none of it was an authentic transmission of traditional martial arts. The same goes for the ninja craze that followed in the 80s.

Some of the "Grandmasters" of these Kenpo/Kempo and Kung-fu systems, were tough guys and legitimate martial artists. Some did piece together solid, functional systems, taught with well organized curriculums, and put together large organizations with chains of schools, promoted tournaments, got a lot of attention, and made a lot of money. But most of these "grandmasters" were self-made and self promoted". They were not inheritors of an ancient, secret tradition. They were businessmen.

I would put many of the best known "Grandmasters" in this category, including Ed Parker, the Tracy Brothers, etc. and I imagine your lineage is much the same. As my first actual Chinese sifu (a direct student if GM Yip Man) told me when he first came to America, "I am sorry to tell you that what you learned is not real Chinese martial arts. It is just made up!"

On the other hand, this famous authentic, Chinese sifu (quoted above) was also a business man who took on the title of grandmaster, made up his own curriculum, and some of what he taught was IMO ...well, less than optimally functional.

Ironically, the most functional things I ever learned were from coaches that made no claim to ancient knowledge and didn't care about lineage, such as my wrestling coach as a kid and much later my Escrima instructor who said, "It's not who you studied under, it's what you can do that matters."

 

[MacHudde]

That is very similar to my story and probably to a lot of people. It's interesting: my instructor lived with a man who was from Hong Kong whose last name was Chow. Chow moved to Canada and was also a martial artist. He knew various styles. Here is a quote from my instructor's website in regard to some of the history of what we were taught.

We use Kempo for the foundation, which is the best foundation taught to Master Fiedler. In fact, that is why GM Chow told Sifu Fiedler to stay with Hung Kuen as long as he could; this way, GM Chow did not have to teach him basics and could concentrate on teaching Sifu Fiedler advanced techniques. GM Chow told Sifu Fiedler that the Hung Kuen or Kempo that he was being taught was a mixture of Tam Tiu and Hung Kuen. There were only three forms of Tam Tiu, all very basic, but the point was they were being taught correctly, had they not been, Grand Master Chow would have pulled Sifu Fiedler out of the class. Almost every Okinawa Combat Karate System comes from a true Kempo system, and they all have excellent foundations. But you cannot leave your art without walls, and that is where the next arts come in.

Master Fiedler was taught a series of arts that all fit together and were used on the streets of Hong Kong. These arts are street-proven martial arts and were developed for that purpose. These arts are Wing Chun, Choy Lay Fut, White Eyebrow, Tam Tiu, and Northern Long Fist. Grand Master Chow taught Sifu Fiedler these because they gave Sifu Fiedler an excellent understanding of completely different arts.

I take this all with a grain of salt because I have learned over the years that not everything you are told in martial arts is the truth.

As you stated, most of these men were businessmen. And I guess, over the years, it's all become a hodgepodge of different styles mixed together. There is nothing wrong with that. You take what works and throw away what doesn't. This was the premise of JKD.