Martial Art Style: Kajukenbo

Kajukenbo began in 1947 in the Palamas settlement on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The Palamas settlement was a violent place in the 1940s where fights and stabbings were common.

Out of this enviroment Kajukenbo was founded by a group that called themselves the "Black Belt Society."

This group was made up of Black Belts from various styles of Martial Arts who met to train and learn from one another. These "Black Belts" gained a reputation as tough Street Fighters and the training was tough and realistic, with broken bones and Knock Outs just a part of a normal workout.

In 1950, Adriano Emperado along with his brother Joe, began teaching this new art. They called the school the Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute.

Kajukenbo is a Martial Art that combines Boxing, Judo, Jujutsu, Kenpo, Tang Soo Do and Kung-Fu.

The purpose of Kajukenbo was to be a Martial Art that would be effective in Street Defense or in a Street Fight.

Kenpo became the core Martial Art from which the majority of techniques were taken.

Kajukenbo uses hard, fast Strikes to Vital Points throughout the body, as well as Take-downs, Throws and Joint Dislocation. There are also Blocks, and weapon disarmament techniques.

In the development of Kajukenbo, it was a Martial Art that was constantly evolving and accepting anything that worked. Kajukenbo didn't have any "Dirty Fighting" techniques. If a technique worked whether it was an Eye Gouge or a Punch to the Throat, it wasn't "Dirty," it was effective.

There are four distinct styles of Kajukenbo and they all share a base of common techniques. But after these base techniques there is a lot of variation in the styles.

The four main styles of Kajukenbo:

• Kenpo "Emperado Method" or "Traditional Hard Style"
• Tum Pai
• Chu'an Fa
• Wun Hop Kuen Do

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