History
With its punching, striking and kicking techniques, Kempo features easy to learn ways of escape, from all common holds. Kempo can apply in almost any self-defence situation. With judo at the height of its popularity and public acceptance and with karate rapidly closing the gap, the ancient art of Kempo is experiencing a sudden and accelerated growth of interest among people who are seeking another form of self-defence.
The Japanese style of karate, as practised today, appears to have descended from the Chinese art of Chuan-Fa. While Kempo or the "first way", owes its development to some of the ju-jitsu schools, that flourished in the days of the Japanese samurai. According to kokumin hyakka jiten, the Japanese encyclopaedia published in 1966, by the heibonsha firm, Kempo's origin is rooted within the old ju-jitsu ryus or schools, such as the seteguchi, shibukawa, kito, jikishin and the tenshin-shinyo. Some schools taught the special weapons techniques of yawara, for self-defence. Others preferred tai-jitsu, with its grappling and throwing forms, or Kempo which stresses punching, striking and kicking techniques.
In the year 1659, a Chinese named Cheng tsu u, arrived in the province of edo. While staying at the kokuseyi temple, Cheng tsu u, impressed the observant samurai with demonstrations of his art, which resembled pugilism. During the later part of the 16th century, the Kempo aspect of ju-jitsu had become formalised into a distinct system of self-defence, employing both hand and weapons techniques. Between the 17th and early 19th centuries, additional ryus, teaching various self-defence techniques, came into existence. In this period all self-defence forms were referred to as ju-jitsu.
Today Kempo like its sister arts, is a sport, a physical exercise and a means of self-defence. One of the styles alluded to, known as the Kempo, which may be roughly described as a method of killing people, possessed many points of resemblance to ju-jitsu, but was totally different in practice, being a system of self defence against sudden attack, with intent to kill and replying thereto in kind. It was certainly more closely related to ju-jitsu than are boxing, even under the prise ring rules, or Le savate, to wrestling. It might perhaps be best compared to that very strenuous old Greek physical contest, which was known as the pancration.
The derivation of the old English phrase "kempery man" and the Anglo Saxon "cempa", signifying "a warrior", from the Japanese Kempo.
This is a point which should not be without interest to etymologists and particularly to those who follow the late Professor Max Miller, in his theory of the Indo-Germanic origin of the Anglo-Saxon race.
Kempo, of course, was a system of attack and defence, which branched off from ju-jitsu, into the paths of strenuous endeavour, but apart from the fact that it was less scientific than ju-jitsu, it was declared illegal practice when the sanctity of human life was recognised under the regime.
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