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HISTORY
Due
to the scarcity of authentic written records, the exact origin of the Martial Arts is obscure. Most historians agree some
form of Martial Arts was practiced in China as early as 1000 B.C. In dealing with Ancient Martial
Art history we must rely partially on legend, keeping in mind that legends, however exaggerated, have some basis in fact.
Our most reliable information comes to us from Buddhist inspired Martial Arts such as those practiced at the Shaolin Temples. Records indicate that Bodhidharma, an Indian priest, traveled
from India to China
sometime around 525 A.D. His purpose was to transmit the discipline of Zen to China
and integrate those ideas with the existing Buddhist Doctrines.
Bodhidharma, the 28th descendant of the original Buddha,
became Abbot of the Shaolin Temple in Honan
province shortly after his arrival in China.
Legend tells us that when he arrived at the Temple he found
the monks to be in a state of physical decay and unable to withstand the prolonged periods of meditation which were essential
to the practice of Zen Buddhism. In an attempt to improve the physical condition of the monks, bodhidharma instituted a series
of 18 exercises similar in nature to Hatha Yoga. The exact nature of the "18 Hands of the Lo Han," as the exercises were called,
is unknown. We do know, however, that they consisted of breathing, stretching, bending and reaching. These exercises apparently
were the catalyst for the creation of other physical disciplines used to further the spiritual development of the Zen Buddhists.
Prior to Bodhidharma's arrival, meditation was practiced as a purely mental discipline. Afterwards, it became much more successful
as a combination of physical and mental disciplines, keeping with the doctrine of Yin and Yang.
Bodhidharma probably
never intended his exercises to take on a martial attitude, and they did not until several hundred years after his death.
The reason for this new attitude was probably attributable to political unrest, together with increased lawlessness. In any
event, the next appreciable contribution occurred in the 18th century, when a Shaolin monk called Ch'ueh Vuen expanded the
original 18 exercises to 72 and began practicing them as a self-defense art. Later he left the temple and traveled extensively
throughout China in search of other Martial
Arts masters to confer with. Ch'ueh Vuen probably obtained techniques and ideas from many different sources. We know that
he met two masters, one named Fong and an old man named Li Shao. Together, the three men returned to the Shoalin Temple and expanded the 72 movements
into 170 and categorized them into five distinct styles: Tiger, Dragon, Crane, Serpent and Leopard (see Animal Influences in Kenpo). The three men also advanced a set of moral and ethical principles to govern their practice. These five styles formed the
basis of the art of Shaolin Chu'an Fa, also known as the "Five Forms Fist." Later, other styles were added.
Many stories
relate to the training procedures at the temple, which were apparently quite severe. In order to attain Priesthood, one had
to undergo a series of deadly tests ending with the moving of a heavy metal urn filled with red hot coals. Carved into two
sides of the urn were reproductions of a tiger and a dragon. In order to move the urn the disciple was required to hug the
hot urn with his forearms, lift it and move it, leaving his arms branded with the tiger and the dragon, the marks of the Shaolin
priest.
For many years the Shaolin fighting arts were practiced in utmost secrecy. Masters were afraid that the techniques
would fall into hands that would use the potentially deadly art for purposes other than what was originally intended. Many
factors contributed to the eventual spread of the Martial Arts. Buddhist missionaries to Japan,
Korea and Indonesia
took their arts with them. Students sometimes left the temple prematurely and passed on what knowledge they had. But the main
factor was the ruthless domination of the Manchu Emperor. Secret societies were formed for the purpose of restoring the Ming
Dynasty to power and overthrowing the Barbarian Manchus. Most Chan Buddhists were anti-Manchu and many temples were training
grounds for pro-Ming revolutionaries. On several occasions the Manchus destroyed temples in an effort to stomp out resistance.
Fleeing monks undoubtedly carried many secrets with them, which were eventually spread all over China.
Modern Martial Arts History is much easier to follow. During the
18th century China and Japan
were engaged in trade both material and cultural. At that time a senior member of the Mitose Clan of Japan
traveled to China to study the Martial Arts at the Shoalin Temple where he remained for many years.
Upon his return to Japan he introduced
the Art of Chu'an Fa which he called Kenpo (Japanese for "Way of the Fist").
The art was practiced and passed down
in the Mitose line until James Mitose, who lived in Hawaii
in 1940, began teaching publicly. One of his students, William Chow, who also studied Martial Arts from his own family, took
over teaching the classes. Chow In turn taught a young New Englander named Nick Cerio, who eventually developed Kenpo into
the art we know and practice today.
Professor Cerio, had many brilliant students. One of them Mark Sheeley, founded
Kensho-Ryu International in 1998. Kensho-Ryu International is one of the largest Martial Arts Organizations in the east coast
of the United States.
SCHOOL LINEAGE
This outline is merely an introduction to the history
and development of the art. Serious students should seek to further their knowledge of the subject through individual research.
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James Mitose (1916-1981)
James Masayoshi Mitose was born in Hawaii in 1916. At the age of five, Mitose was sent to
Japan to study his ancestors' art of self-defense,
Kosho-Ryu Kempo, a direct descendent of the original Chuan Fa. He studied this art for 15 years under his uncle, a Kosho-Ryu
master, and returned to Hawaii in 1935 to open the "Official Self-Defense" club in Honolulu, where he eventually promoted six students to black belt. When
the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, Mitose had to come to terms with the fact that
he was Japanese by birth but American by citizenship, and he began training fellow servicemen and civilians, expounding upon
the merits of his Japanese Kosho-Ryu Kenpo. Much of what is now Kenpo came from Mitose's Kosho-Ryu. James Mitose passed away
in California in 1981.
William Chow (1914-1987)
William Kwai Sun Chow cultivated the seeds of American Kenpo. Primarily a student of his Chinese father, Chow learned
the Chinese ancestral art of Five Animal Kung Fu passed down from Bodhidharma. Mr. Chow later studied Kosho-Ryu under James
Mitose, and seeing merit in both systems, Chow began to modify Kenpo. He left James Mitose in 1949 to open his own school,
and it was Chow who coined the term "Kenpo Karate" to distinguish his system from Mitose's. Mr. Chow's Kenpo was a quick,
vicious style developed as a response to the violence that was commonplace in the pre-statehood Hawaii. Chow was a street fighter, and while he learned many circular
and flowing movements from his father, he incorporated some of the linear movements and take-downs he learned from Mitose.
Some twenty years later, William Chow renamed his system "Chinese Kempo of Kara-Ho Karate." Mr. Chow died in Honolulu in 1987.
Edmund Parker (1931-1990)
Great Grandmaster
Edmund K. Parker, 10th degree black belt, is the undisputed Father of American Kenpo Karate. A native of Honolulu,
Parker was already a black belt in Judo at age 16, when he began studying Kenpo with Frank Chow in Hawaii. Parker quickly
learned everything Frank could teach him, and Frank soon arranged for his brother, William Chow, to help Parker reach a higher
level. After only two years of training, Parker earned his brown belt. Like Mr. Chow, Parker was a street fighter and adapted
what he learned to fit with the type of fighting he encountered on the streets, and Chow imparted in Parker the necessity
for change in the Kenpo system to meet the modern needs of the American people. Parker organized every technique and movement
into a format that could be broken down into levels for all students and renamed it "American Kenpo Karate." When Mr. Parker
moved to Provo, Utah
to attend Brigham
Young University, he opened his first studio. After graduating in 1956 with
a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology, Parker moved to California, opened his second school and founded the International
Kenpo Karate Association. By 1964, when he held his first tournament, Parker had become a household name in Hollywood, teaching his art
to the likes of Elvis Presley and Steve McQueen. Mr. Parker passed away in 1990, at the age of 59, in Honolulu.
Nick Cerio (1936-1998)
A legend
of the martial arts, Professor Cerio did more than just continue the lineage—he truly made an indelible mark on it.
Throughout his illustrious career he brought the lines of Kenpo back together from potential splits that could have damaged
the system.
It all began
in the early 1960’s when Professor Cerio, began training under George Pesare. By the mid-1960’s he had opened
his first studio and studied Kenpo under Master Ed Parker. A short time later he began studying under Professor William
K.S. Chow, and in 1971 received his 5th Degree black belt from Professor Chow. By the early 1980’s
Ed Parker awarded Professor Cerio his 9th Degree Black Belt in American Kenpo Karate and the title of Shihan (Master).
In 1989, Shihan Cerio, was named a Professor by Professor Thomas Burdine and awarded the “above Ranking Status”
by the World Counsel of Sokes (founders). This elevated him to 10th Degree Black Belt. Professor Cerio
passed away on October 7, 1998. His passing marked the end of a monumental life.
Mark Sheeley
Kyoshi Mark
Sheeley began his martial arts training in Tae Kwon Do earning his Black Belt at the age of twelve under Master Paul T. Cho.
In the early 1980s Kyoshi Sheeley, started training in American Kenpo under T. and S. Sullivan. And in 1987, he began studying
exclusively with Professor Nick Cerio. By the mid 1990s Kyoshi Sheeley had trained hundreds of Black Belts and served as Master
Instructor to several Kenpo Jiujitsu Karate schools in New England. During this time Kyoshi Sheeley, won numerous
competitions in both open hand and weapons forms. He was nationally rated in competition for three years in a row and was
the first Kenpo stylist to go #1 in ranking. He has been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame 9 times, and 10 National
Champions have trained under him. Kyoshi Sheeley is the founder of Kensho Ryu International, and is currently the director
of 15 schools. Kyoshi Sheeley is an 8th Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Jiujitsu Karate with a 7th Degree
Black Belt in Komushin Ryu Jujitsu.
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Kensho-Ryu Kenpo Karate 108 Mechanic Street Bellingham, MA 02019 (508) 883 - 8929
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