History of our unique branch of Kajukenbo and Chinese Kempo Karate
No disrespect is intended by the omission of titles as many of the people mentioned below are given different titles by different organizations. Also, names are either placed in a chronological order or alphabetically. My goal is to keep things simple and readable, remain subjective, and avoid politics.
We teach an eclectic martial art called Kajukenbo. To us, an eclectic martial art is one designed to fit the student. Thus the art fits YOU. Kempo is like a bank: the more that you put into it, the more that you get out of it (with interest of course). The purpose of this version of history is not to present irrefutable facts to the world, but rather to provide our students some roots. No matter what happened version of history one subscribes to, we all owe a lot to the early pioneers.
Early History
China's Shaolin Temple has had the greatest influence on Kempo and a lot of other martial arts. Sometime between 520 and 535 A.D. the famous monk Bodhidharma aka Tamo or Da Mo, a prince and warrior of southern India, traveled from India to the Shaolin Temple to spread Ch'an Buddhism. He was upset with the physical shape and laziness of the monks and developed exercises to promote physical and spiritual health for them so that they will stay awake during meditation. The resulting exercises were not originally meant as fighting skills, but they hardened the monks and improved their physical capabilities. Fighting arts eventually developed, however it must be understood that some sort of martial art had previously existed in China.
Over the next few centuries, monks from the Shaolin Temple spread out to various Eastern countries such as Okinawa, the Ryukyu Kingdoms, and Japan. It was between the Sui and Ming Dynasty that the martial art known as Chuan Fa aka Kempo or "way of the fist" started spreading. Now this is a part of history where things get interesting and different versions appear....
During the invasion of Genghis Khan around 1300, the head monk of the Shaolin Temple fled China and found refuge at the Shinto temple of the Yoshida family, a prominent warrior family in Japan. The monk eventually became known as Kosho Bosatsu or old pine tree enlightened one because he regularly meditated under an old pine tree. In appreciation for the kindness, he helped the Yoshida family add Kempo to the Jujitsu they had been practicing for generations. (Jujitsu is a system of unarmed combat using joint locks, throws and submission holds that had developed in Japan independent of other Asian fighting systems. It was widely practiced in Japan by the Middle Ages.) Kosho Bosatsu married into the family and the family art of Kosho Ryu Kempo was passed down through the generations. In 1916, one of Kosho Bosatsu's descendants, a five-year-old Hawaiian-born James Mitose left Hawaii for Japan to study Kempo from his maternal grandfather, Sukuhei Yoshida, and became the 21st descendant of Kempo Karate. It is also said that he learned some Okinawan Karate techniques and katas from his maternal uncle, famous Okinawan karateka Choki Motobu.
James Mitose returned to Hawaii in 1936 and opened the "Official Self Defense Club" in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mitose retired from teaching because his students were too involved in the violence of the art and not enough in the religious aspects. He left his Kempo school in the hands of Thomas Young. (Later in 1953, Mitose would move to California and became ordained as a Christian minister. He earned doctorates in theology and philosophy.)
Mitose also promoted William Chow to blackbelt and had Young sign Chow's blackbelt certificate (cultural politics at work). Chow had grown up studying Five Animal Shaolin Kung Fu from his father the Buddhist monk Hoon Chow. After years of studying with Mitose and Young, Chow went on to combine both his knowledge of Kung Fu and Kosho Ryu Kempo to form his own Kenpo Karate. Chow formed his own club at the Nuuana YMCA where he trained prominent martial artists like Ed Parker (the founder of American Kenpo Karate) and Adriano Emperado (the driving force behind the founding of Kajukenbo). Throughout the rest of his life, Chow continued to add even more Chinese influences in his own system called Kara-Ho Kempo.)
Mitose Myth?
The above version is one that has been taught to thousands of students for decades and some students are still being taught this. Many documents and/or lack of proof tend to discredit it. If Mitose did not learn from his family and if Choki Motobu was not his uncle, where did Mitose get his material? One version says that he picked up material from a seminar that Choki Motobu taught in Hawaii. Another says that he picked up material from American karate pioneer Robert Trias.</p> <p align="justify">Some claim that Mitose was a con man while others, including highly renown martial artist Al Tracy, say he was actually a spy for US Naval Intelligence and "was limited as to how much he could actually tell us about himself and his family," and thus his background is hard to trace. Was he a spy? Pictures exist in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library where Mitose is pictured with the late president. Mitose even dicusses his relationship with Eisenhower in his book "True and Pure Karate and Kenpo." But then again, maybe Mistose conned his way into a photo op and try to conjure up a relationship to impress people. Who knows what version is true.
In 1953, James Mitose ceased teaching Kempo regularly and only privately taught a few students. In 1974, things got really bad for James Mitose. (The rest of this paragraph is based on Thomas Mitose's side of the story as accounted in Black Belt Magazine, November 1992. Hokkien Martial Arts believes this to be a fairly accurate account). His son Thomas Mitose said, "My father lent a Los Angeles strawberry farmer $10,000. In traditional Japanese culture, if you prospered, you paid the loan back tenfold. If you didn't prosper, you owed nothing. The farmer prospered and paid my father back $60,000. The farmer's daughter was at that time dating an assistant Los Angeles district attorney. When she told her boyfriend about the $60,000 repayment, he said it was extortion." The strawberry farmer then told James Mitose he does not owe him any more money. At that time, James Mitose had a private student Nimr Hassan (formerly known as Terry Lee) that volunteered to act as a mediator to settle the dispute. However, things got tense when the student confronted the farmer. A fight occurred, and the student ended up killing the farmer. The student was arrested by the police, and entered a plea bargain for a second-degree murder charge that required him to testify that James Mitose ordered him to kill the farmer. It was a strange trial that ended up with Mitose being convicted on murder and extortion charges. According to trial transcripts, James Mitose denied inciting Hassan to commit murder but took responsibility as his martial arts instructor. According to his son Thomas Mitose, "My father's English was never very good. Also, his logic tended toward traditional Japanese ways." A request by the defense attorney to have a Japanese interpreter to help James Mitose explain his side of the story and the cultural aspects were turned down by the court. Thomas Mitose notes, "During the trial, he told the court that he alone was responsible for his student's actions. This was Mitose, the teacher, taking responsibility for his student's behavior - not Mitose, the killer, admitting to conspiracy." It seems like he was the victim of a culturally insensitive society.
Even if one is not a fan of Mitose and believes he was a con man, one fact is irrefutable - No Mitose, No Kempo. He was the person who got the ball rolling. Unlike some instructors who regard pioneers like Mitose in a saintlike manner, Hokkien Martial Arts tells its students that some of our pioneers were a little on the shady side. They, of course, look at me shocked but I ask them if they would rather learn how to survive on the streets from thugs who would take them out in seconds for a few dollars or church choir boys. The answer is obvious (social hour at church is over).
Kempo is good stuff! It works well and was street tested. While many of its uses were not honorable, they were often effective. It is also important to realize that some of the pioneers turned their life around and made positive contributions to society.
Birth of Kajukenbo
In 1947, the Palamas Settlement of Hawaii was a violent area where fistfights and stabbings were common. From this environment, the five founders of Kajukenbo wanted to develop an art that would make them invincible in the toughest streets of Hawaii. Emperado's Kenpo learned from Chow (but prior to all of Chow's modifications) was used as the backbone of the system. To test the effectiveness of their original techniques they got into fights. If the technique succeeded consistently in streetfighting it was kept as part of the system. This organization became known as the notorious Black Belt Society.
The word Kajukenbo is derived from the letter of the styles that contributed to the creation of the art. Together they make up the Kajukenbo motto: Through this fist art one gains long life and happiness.
KA (long life) - comes from the word Korean Karate, an art form that places the emphasis on hard and powerful techniques. The karate influence was from Tang Soo Do brought by Peter Yinn Yul (PYY) Choo.
JU (happiness) - comes from Judo and Jujitsu, art forms that emphasize throwing, locks and sweeps. The judo and jujitsu influence was from Kodenkan Danzan Ryu brought by Joe Holck and Se Keino Ryu brought by Frank Ordonez.
KEN (fist) - comes from Kenpo, a form of karate that not only stresses the hard and powerful movements, but also emphasizes multiple and fluid hand techniques. The Kenpo influence was from Emperado.
BO (style) - comes from Chinese boxing. Chinese boxing aka Kung Fu puts emphasis on flexibility and agility, parrying and evasive movements that flow together. The Chinese boxing influence was from Northern and Southern Kung Fu styles brought by Clarence Chang.
Interesting facts! Although uncredited by name, other influences included American Boxing (Choo was Hawaiian Welterweight Champion) and Escrima (Emperado was taught by his Filipino relatives). Co-founder Frank Ordonez wrote the Kajukenbo prayer. The Kajukenbo symbol picked by Adriano Emperado is a three-leaf clover. It is said to symbolize the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is also said by someone else that it was a club from a deck of cards because Emperado loved to gamble.
Legacy of Godin
Only a few top martial artists including Walter Godin (also trained by Chow) were taught this new art form in the beginning. Then in 1950, Adriano Emperado and his younger brother Joe began teaching the new art in an open class in 1950 and called their school the Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute (KSDI). Godin said, "There are no words to describe the training sessions at Palama Settlement during the early days, unless you've experienced it, only then will you understand." Joe Emperado and Godin became best friends. Joe would often take him to secluded parks and practice self-defense that nobody else saw. Then he would "tell me to remember the techniques."
Joe was responsible for most of the training in the KSDI school until the Memorial Day weekend of 1958. One night after class several Kajukenbo students were hanging out at the Pink Elephant, a bar where Joe worked part-time as a bouncer. Joe stayed late waiting for his girlfriend who was working there. When the rest of the Kajukenbo students left, Joe asked his favorite student Godin to stay. Joe must have sensed something was wrong because at closing time, three men who stayed behind wanted to start some trouble and started messing around with Godin. Godin suggested that they take it outside. Right before it started coming down to blows, Joe went outside and shoved Godin inside hoping to close the door on the three troublemakers.
While Joe's back was turned, George Shimabukuro stabbed him from behind. At that time, Joe did not even know he was stabbed and thought he was hit by a very hard punch. The next attack thrown was a strong hammerblow from Joe that knocked his attacker into parked cars. The fight continued with Joe Emperado squaring off with an armed George Shimabukuro while Godin took on the other two guys.
Imagine as a martial artist what it would be like to be in a fight back-to-back with your instructor on your side. Unfortunately, Godin and Joe Emperado lost that fight. When the police came, everyone ran. Joe lost so much blood from multiple stab wounds that he died the next day. He was able to tell his brother Adriano what happened and from that day forward the tradition of escorts was in effect. It is a matter of looking out for one another. The escorts would accompany a higher rank whenever s/he went out in public. Their job was to go everywhere with the higher ranking, including the restroom, to take care of anything behind him because he can take care what is in front of him. This tradition is still practiced today. After all, Joe would not have died that weekend if he had more escorts.
Unfortunately, Shimabukuro avoided jail time in Joe Emperado's death. The claim of self-defense was allowed since Joe was well known as a dangerous martial artist (plus it was probably hard to determine from the multiple stab wounds examined during the autopsy when the first stab occurred). Some people even considered Godin to be a coward. Could this be true? Godin went on to become one of Kajukenbo's top students and chief instructors. He was also Emperado's bodyguard. If Emperado thought Godin was a coward, neither of these things would have happened!
In the late 1950's, Godin and his brother-in-law, Victor "Sonny" Gascon, redesigned a lot of moves and techniques and founded Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu in Pasadena, CA. Karazenpo grew and now has schools worldwide. While in California, Godin frequently sparred Elvis Presley at Ed Parker's school, which was within a couple of blocks from the Karazenpo school. Godin was so fast that he had to slow down and go easy with the King of Rock and Roll. (Although Parker had a lot of respect for Godin, it is said that he asked Godin not to attend his tournaments for fear that Godin's tough sparring techniques would create too rough of an environment and things would get out of hand.)
Godin left California and started Godin's School of Self Defense in Kaimuki, Hawaii. He began teaching when he called Chinese Kempo Karate in 1961. Around this time, Godin also went back to training with Chow, who was now teaching Kara-Ho Kempo, and studied Hawaiian Lua with Brother Abe Kamahoahoa. On December 16, 1973, Chow promoted Godin to the rank of Professor. Godin trained lots of martial artists including Martin Buell, John Hackleman, Eugene Sedeño, Delilah Godin, Bill Takeuchi and David Tavares. Godin continued to teach and operate the only standing school in the Palamas Settlement until his recent passing on August 7, 2001.</p> <p align="justify">Buell along with many of his students left Godin's School of Self Defense and created the Universal Kempo Karate Schools Association (UKKSA) in 1981. UKKSA teaches Chinese Kempo Karate, is headquartered in Aiea, HI and has several branches throughout the United State. Buell's top students in Colorado include Garland Johnson and Jesse Manegdeg. Blackbelts who trained under them include Andrew Evans and Sheryl Baber (Hokkien Martial Arts, Topeka, KS), Kurt Frankenberg (Freedom Martial Arts, Colorado Springs, CO), David Fullen (Fullen's School of Self Defense, Dallas, TX), and Joe Gardino (UKKSA, Colorado Springs, CO), James S. Jowers, Jr. and Tommy C. Lam (Kempo Unlimited, Hawaii).
Hackleman is one of the greatest Kickboxers to ever step into the ring and still holds titles in many Kickboxing associations. Hackleman, Delilah Godin and Bill Takeuchi were officially promoted to the rank of Professor and 10th Degree by Walter Godin on July 15, 2000. Hackleman is now head of Godin's Ohana, an organization that recognizes the impact and contributions by Godin to the art of Kempo, and operates the Pit out of Arroyo Grande, CA. One of Hackleman's well-known students is Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, ranked as one of the best mixed martial arts fighters in the world.
Eugene Sedeño currently teaches at Sedeño's School of Self Defense in Victorville, CA. He has won the Chinese Martial Arts Association's and the International Kung Fu Association's Competitor of the Year Awards and has been recognized in Who's Who in American Martial Arts and Who's Who in Karate. He was also the last person promoted by Mitose to the rank of master.
Professor Godin had lots of mentors during his time. One of them was Kajukenbo Co-founder Frank Ordonez. Hokkien Martial Arts officially went back into the Kajukenbo family when its instructors received rank from distinguished high-ranking Kajukenbo leaders like (now) Grandmaster Gerry Scott and Grandmaster Edmund Louis in 2004. That same year, Sigung Andrew Evans visited and performed martial arts in Boston to help reestablish ties with the Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu community there. Professor/Shihan Joe Shuras promoted him to 5th degree in Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu.
In May of 2008, Sigung Andrew Evans was promoted to 6th degree and Sifu Sheryl Baber was promoted to 4th degree by Kajukenbo Co-founder Frank Ordonez.
Due to politics, many schools recognize only a few founders of their art or minimize the contributions made by certain persons. Yes, immature and sad people do exist. Hokkien Martial Arts is proud to acknowledge the greatness and contributions made by the various martial artists mentioned above.
Last updated 5/26/2015.
Copyright 2015 Hokkien Martial Arts. All rights reserved.
No disrespect is intended by the omission of titles as many of the people mentioned below are given different titles by different organizations. Also, names are either placed in a chronological order or alphabetically. My goal is to keep things simple and readable, remain subjective, and avoid politics.
We teach an eclectic martial art called Kajukenbo. To us, an eclectic martial art is one designed to fit the student. Thus the art fits YOU. Kempo is like a bank: the more that you put into it, the more that you get out of it (with interest of course). The purpose of this version of history is not to present irrefutable facts to the world, but rather to provide our students some roots. No matter what happened version of history one subscribes to, we all owe a lot to the early pioneers.
Early History
China's Shaolin Temple has had the greatest influence on Kempo and a lot of other martial arts. Sometime between 520 and 535 A.D. the famous monk Bodhidharma aka Tamo or Da Mo, a prince and warrior of southern India, traveled from India to the Shaolin Temple to spread Ch'an Buddhism. He was upset with the physical shape and laziness of the monks and developed exercises to promote physical and spiritual health for them so that they will stay awake during meditation. The resulting exercises were not originally meant as fighting skills, but they hardened the monks and improved their physical capabilities. Fighting arts eventually developed, however it must be understood that some sort of martial art had previously existed in China.
Over the next few centuries, monks from the Shaolin Temple spread out to various Eastern countries such as Okinawa, the Ryukyu Kingdoms, and Japan. It was between the Sui and Ming Dynasty that the martial art known as Chuan Fa aka Kempo or "way of the fist" started spreading. Now this is a part of history where things get interesting and different versions appear....
During the invasion of Genghis Khan around 1300, the head monk of the Shaolin Temple fled China and found refuge at the Shinto temple of the Yoshida family, a prominent warrior family in Japan. The monk eventually became known as Kosho Bosatsu or old pine tree enlightened one because he regularly meditated under an old pine tree. In appreciation for the kindness, he helped the Yoshida family add Kempo to the Jujitsu they had been practicing for generations. (Jujitsu is a system of unarmed combat using joint locks, throws and submission holds that had developed in Japan independent of other Asian fighting systems. It was widely practiced in Japan by the Middle Ages.) Kosho Bosatsu married into the family and the family art of Kosho Ryu Kempo was passed down through the generations. In 1916, one of Kosho Bosatsu's descendants, a five-year-old Hawaiian-born James Mitose left Hawaii for Japan to study Kempo from his maternal grandfather, Sukuhei Yoshida, and became the 21st descendant of Kempo Karate. It is also said that he learned some Okinawan Karate techniques and katas from his maternal uncle, famous Okinawan karateka Choki Motobu.
James Mitose returned to Hawaii in 1936 and opened the "Official Self Defense Club" in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mitose retired from teaching because his students were too involved in the violence of the art and not enough in the religious aspects. He left his Kempo school in the hands of Thomas Young. (Later in 1953, Mitose would move to California and became ordained as a Christian minister. He earned doctorates in theology and philosophy.)
Mitose also promoted William Chow to blackbelt and had Young sign Chow's blackbelt certificate (cultural politics at work). Chow had grown up studying Five Animal Shaolin Kung Fu from his father the Buddhist monk Hoon Chow. After years of studying with Mitose and Young, Chow went on to combine both his knowledge of Kung Fu and Kosho Ryu Kempo to form his own Kenpo Karate. Chow formed his own club at the Nuuana YMCA where he trained prominent martial artists like Ed Parker (the founder of American Kenpo Karate) and Adriano Emperado (the driving force behind the founding of Kajukenbo). Throughout the rest of his life, Chow continued to add even more Chinese influences in his own system called Kara-Ho Kempo.)
Mitose Myth?
The above version is one that has been taught to thousands of students for decades and some students are still being taught this. Many documents and/or lack of proof tend to discredit it. If Mitose did not learn from his family and if Choki Motobu was not his uncle, where did Mitose get his material? One version says that he picked up material from a seminar that Choki Motobu taught in Hawaii. Another says that he picked up material from American karate pioneer Robert Trias.</p> <p align="justify">Some claim that Mitose was a con man while others, including highly renown martial artist Al Tracy, say he was actually a spy for US Naval Intelligence and "was limited as to how much he could actually tell us about himself and his family," and thus his background is hard to trace. Was he a spy? Pictures exist in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library where Mitose is pictured with the late president. Mitose even dicusses his relationship with Eisenhower in his book "True and Pure Karate and Kenpo." But then again, maybe Mistose conned his way into a photo op and try to conjure up a relationship to impress people. Who knows what version is true.
In 1953, James Mitose ceased teaching Kempo regularly and only privately taught a few students. In 1974, things got really bad for James Mitose. (The rest of this paragraph is based on Thomas Mitose's side of the story as accounted in Black Belt Magazine, November 1992. Hokkien Martial Arts believes this to be a fairly accurate account). His son Thomas Mitose said, "My father lent a Los Angeles strawberry farmer $10,000. In traditional Japanese culture, if you prospered, you paid the loan back tenfold. If you didn't prosper, you owed nothing. The farmer prospered and paid my father back $60,000. The farmer's daughter was at that time dating an assistant Los Angeles district attorney. When she told her boyfriend about the $60,000 repayment, he said it was extortion." The strawberry farmer then told James Mitose he does not owe him any more money. At that time, James Mitose had a private student Nimr Hassan (formerly known as Terry Lee) that volunteered to act as a mediator to settle the dispute. However, things got tense when the student confronted the farmer. A fight occurred, and the student ended up killing the farmer. The student was arrested by the police, and entered a plea bargain for a second-degree murder charge that required him to testify that James Mitose ordered him to kill the farmer. It was a strange trial that ended up with Mitose being convicted on murder and extortion charges. According to trial transcripts, James Mitose denied inciting Hassan to commit murder but took responsibility as his martial arts instructor. According to his son Thomas Mitose, "My father's English was never very good. Also, his logic tended toward traditional Japanese ways." A request by the defense attorney to have a Japanese interpreter to help James Mitose explain his side of the story and the cultural aspects were turned down by the court. Thomas Mitose notes, "During the trial, he told the court that he alone was responsible for his student's actions. This was Mitose, the teacher, taking responsibility for his student's behavior - not Mitose, the killer, admitting to conspiracy." It seems like he was the victim of a culturally insensitive society.
Even if one is not a fan of Mitose and believes he was a con man, one fact is irrefutable - No Mitose, No Kempo. He was the person who got the ball rolling. Unlike some instructors who regard pioneers like Mitose in a saintlike manner, Hokkien Martial Arts tells its students that some of our pioneers were a little on the shady side. They, of course, look at me shocked but I ask them if they would rather learn how to survive on the streets from thugs who would take them out in seconds for a few dollars or church choir boys. The answer is obvious (social hour at church is over).
Kempo is good stuff! It works well and was street tested. While many of its uses were not honorable, they were often effective. It is also important to realize that some of the pioneers turned their life around and made positive contributions to society.
Birth of Kajukenbo
In 1947, the Palamas Settlement of Hawaii was a violent area where fistfights and stabbings were common. From this environment, the five founders of Kajukenbo wanted to develop an art that would make them invincible in the toughest streets of Hawaii. Emperado's Kenpo learned from Chow (but prior to all of Chow's modifications) was used as the backbone of the system. To test the effectiveness of their original techniques they got into fights. If the technique succeeded consistently in streetfighting it was kept as part of the system. This organization became known as the notorious Black Belt Society.
The word Kajukenbo is derived from the letter of the styles that contributed to the creation of the art. Together they make up the Kajukenbo motto: Through this fist art one gains long life and happiness.
KA (long life) - comes from the word Korean Karate, an art form that places the emphasis on hard and powerful techniques. The karate influence was from Tang Soo Do brought by Peter Yinn Yul (PYY) Choo.
JU (happiness) - comes from Judo and Jujitsu, art forms that emphasize throwing, locks and sweeps. The judo and jujitsu influence was from Kodenkan Danzan Ryu brought by Joe Holck and Se Keino Ryu brought by Frank Ordonez.
KEN (fist) - comes from Kenpo, a form of karate that not only stresses the hard and powerful movements, but also emphasizes multiple and fluid hand techniques. The Kenpo influence was from Emperado.
BO (style) - comes from Chinese boxing. Chinese boxing aka Kung Fu puts emphasis on flexibility and agility, parrying and evasive movements that flow together. The Chinese boxing influence was from Northern and Southern Kung Fu styles brought by Clarence Chang.
Interesting facts! Although uncredited by name, other influences included American Boxing (Choo was Hawaiian Welterweight Champion) and Escrima (Emperado was taught by his Filipino relatives). Co-founder Frank Ordonez wrote the Kajukenbo prayer. The Kajukenbo symbol picked by Adriano Emperado is a three-leaf clover. It is said to symbolize the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is also said by someone else that it was a club from a deck of cards because Emperado loved to gamble.
Legacy of Godin
Only a few top martial artists including Walter Godin (also trained by Chow) were taught this new art form in the beginning. Then in 1950, Adriano Emperado and his younger brother Joe began teaching the new art in an open class in 1950 and called their school the Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute (KSDI). Godin said, "There are no words to describe the training sessions at Palama Settlement during the early days, unless you've experienced it, only then will you understand." Joe Emperado and Godin became best friends. Joe would often take him to secluded parks and practice self-defense that nobody else saw. Then he would "tell me to remember the techniques."
Joe was responsible for most of the training in the KSDI school until the Memorial Day weekend of 1958. One night after class several Kajukenbo students were hanging out at the Pink Elephant, a bar where Joe worked part-time as a bouncer. Joe stayed late waiting for his girlfriend who was working there. When the rest of the Kajukenbo students left, Joe asked his favorite student Godin to stay. Joe must have sensed something was wrong because at closing time, three men who stayed behind wanted to start some trouble and started messing around with Godin. Godin suggested that they take it outside. Right before it started coming down to blows, Joe went outside and shoved Godin inside hoping to close the door on the three troublemakers.
While Joe's back was turned, George Shimabukuro stabbed him from behind. At that time, Joe did not even know he was stabbed and thought he was hit by a very hard punch. The next attack thrown was a strong hammerblow from Joe that knocked his attacker into parked cars. The fight continued with Joe Emperado squaring off with an armed George Shimabukuro while Godin took on the other two guys.
Imagine as a martial artist what it would be like to be in a fight back-to-back with your instructor on your side. Unfortunately, Godin and Joe Emperado lost that fight. When the police came, everyone ran. Joe lost so much blood from multiple stab wounds that he died the next day. He was able to tell his brother Adriano what happened and from that day forward the tradition of escorts was in effect. It is a matter of looking out for one another. The escorts would accompany a higher rank whenever s/he went out in public. Their job was to go everywhere with the higher ranking, including the restroom, to take care of anything behind him because he can take care what is in front of him. This tradition is still practiced today. After all, Joe would not have died that weekend if he had more escorts.
Unfortunately, Shimabukuro avoided jail time in Joe Emperado's death. The claim of self-defense was allowed since Joe was well known as a dangerous martial artist (plus it was probably hard to determine from the multiple stab wounds examined during the autopsy when the first stab occurred). Some people even considered Godin to be a coward. Could this be true? Godin went on to become one of Kajukenbo's top students and chief instructors. He was also Emperado's bodyguard. If Emperado thought Godin was a coward, neither of these things would have happened!
In the late 1950's, Godin and his brother-in-law, Victor "Sonny" Gascon, redesigned a lot of moves and techniques and founded Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu in Pasadena, CA. Karazenpo grew and now has schools worldwide. While in California, Godin frequently sparred Elvis Presley at Ed Parker's school, which was within a couple of blocks from the Karazenpo school. Godin was so fast that he had to slow down and go easy with the King of Rock and Roll. (Although Parker had a lot of respect for Godin, it is said that he asked Godin not to attend his tournaments for fear that Godin's tough sparring techniques would create too rough of an environment and things would get out of hand.)
Godin left California and started Godin's School of Self Defense in Kaimuki, Hawaii. He began teaching when he called Chinese Kempo Karate in 1961. Around this time, Godin also went back to training with Chow, who was now teaching Kara-Ho Kempo, and studied Hawaiian Lua with Brother Abe Kamahoahoa. On December 16, 1973, Chow promoted Godin to the rank of Professor. Godin trained lots of martial artists including Martin Buell, John Hackleman, Eugene Sedeño, Delilah Godin, Bill Takeuchi and David Tavares. Godin continued to teach and operate the only standing school in the Palamas Settlement until his recent passing on August 7, 2001.</p> <p align="justify">Buell along with many of his students left Godin's School of Self Defense and created the Universal Kempo Karate Schools Association (UKKSA) in 1981. UKKSA teaches Chinese Kempo Karate, is headquartered in Aiea, HI and has several branches throughout the United State. Buell's top students in Colorado include Garland Johnson and Jesse Manegdeg. Blackbelts who trained under them include Andrew Evans and Sheryl Baber (Hokkien Martial Arts, Topeka, KS), Kurt Frankenberg (Freedom Martial Arts, Colorado Springs, CO), David Fullen (Fullen's School of Self Defense, Dallas, TX), and Joe Gardino (UKKSA, Colorado Springs, CO), James S. Jowers, Jr. and Tommy C. Lam (Kempo Unlimited, Hawaii).
Hackleman is one of the greatest Kickboxers to ever step into the ring and still holds titles in many Kickboxing associations. Hackleman, Delilah Godin and Bill Takeuchi were officially promoted to the rank of Professor and 10th Degree by Walter Godin on July 15, 2000. Hackleman is now head of Godin's Ohana, an organization that recognizes the impact and contributions by Godin to the art of Kempo, and operates the Pit out of Arroyo Grande, CA. One of Hackleman's well-known students is Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, ranked as one of the best mixed martial arts fighters in the world.
Eugene Sedeño currently teaches at Sedeño's School of Self Defense in Victorville, CA. He has won the Chinese Martial Arts Association's and the International Kung Fu Association's Competitor of the Year Awards and has been recognized in Who's Who in American Martial Arts and Who's Who in Karate. He was also the last person promoted by Mitose to the rank of master.
Professor Godin had lots of mentors during his time. One of them was Kajukenbo Co-founder Frank Ordonez. Hokkien Martial Arts officially went back into the Kajukenbo family when its instructors received rank from distinguished high-ranking Kajukenbo leaders like (now) Grandmaster Gerry Scott and Grandmaster Edmund Louis in 2004. That same year, Sigung Andrew Evans visited and performed martial arts in Boston to help reestablish ties with the Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu community there. Professor/Shihan Joe Shuras promoted him to 5th degree in Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu.
In May of 2008, Sigung Andrew Evans was promoted to 6th degree and Sifu Sheryl Baber was promoted to 4th degree by Kajukenbo Co-founder Frank Ordonez.
Due to politics, many schools recognize only a few founders of their art or minimize the contributions made by certain persons. Yes, immature and sad people do exist. Hokkien Martial Arts is proud to acknowledge the greatness and contributions made by the various martial artists mentioned above.
Last updated 5/26/2015.
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