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Laine Nakachi
07-25-2001, 06:25 AM
Around 1200 A.D., Genghis Khan began his conquest of China and in the process attacked a region containing one of the Shaolin temples.A high priest of the temple escaped to Japan where he met a Shinto priest whse name was Kosho .Kosho
had already mastered a variety of fighting arts including:Kendo ( Sword Fighting ) ,
Naginanta ( Lance Fighting ),Kyudo
( Archery ),fighting on horses and swim fighting. The high priest taught the
Ch'aun Fa ( Fist Law ) system to Kosho.
After becoming a master of all these systems combined,he changed his name to Mitose and began teaching his martial arts ( Kosho-Ryu Kempo ).

Nearly 80 years later,a buddhist descendent of Mitose (Kosho) founded the Kosho-Shorei (Old Pine Tree) temple.
In order to teach his philosophy of true self-defense (self-defense without body contact).Kosho-Shorei contained a complete system of wartime self defense (Kosho Ryu)
as well as a system of teaching religion,arts,and humanities (Kosho-Shorei). The wartime art of Kosho-Ryu Kempo,was taught only to family members (insiders).Kosho-Ryu was passed on from generations in order for the family members to be familiar with it and to be able to defend against it.[Golub,Reference]
Though these Japanese generations,the ancient Chinese art was extensively modified from its original circular movements to the more strict linear format
preferred by the Japanese.The linear movements and takedowns incorporated into the modern American Kenpo can be traced directly to Kosho-Ryu.

Dr. James Mitose (1915-1981) Mitose is a great grand master of Hawaiian/U.S. Kempo ,and we can trace part of our lineage to him.At age 5.Mitose was sent to Japan to study the Mitose family tradition of Ch'uan Fa ( or " Kempo " in Japanese) at the Mt.Akenkai Kosho-Shorei temple.As stated previously,the ch'uan Fa tradition had already been modified by successive Mitose masters until it became known as Kosho-Shorei Kempo (Old Pine Tree Style).
After fifteen years of training in his family's temple in Japan,Mitose returned to Hawaii.Following World War ll,he opened the Official Self-Defense Club to begin teaching his family's wartime art of Kosho-Ryu Kempo to the general public.During the next fifteen years of teaching.Grand Master Mitose awarded black belts to only six of his students:
Giro Nakamura,Thomas Young,Paul Yamaguchi
,Arthur Keawe,Edward Lowe and Wiliam K.S. Chow [Corcoran,1984]

Best Regards,


Fe luk

Ironpig
07-26-2001, 08:24 PM
from the homepage of Kosho Shorei Kempo:

James Mitose moved from Japan to Hawaii in 1936. He felt great respect and love for the United States and its people, who had treated him very well. On December 8th, 1941, the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the U. S. entered World War II, Mitose was the first person in line to donate his blood for the cause. He also promptly joined the Hawaii Territorial Guard, an outfit which was formed to aid in the defense of the islands against what then seemed to be an imminent invasion by the Japanese. He also began teaching basic martial arts in early 1942. The one who convinced Mitose Sensei to teach in Hawaii was Robert Trias. Trias Sensei was later the first man to open a karate school on the mainland U. S. Although Trias was not a student of Mitose Sensei, he often spoke with him and the two became friends.

Thomas S. H. Young, who provided the information concerning Trias to Juchnik Hanshi, was Mitose Sensei's first real student. Mitose only taught in Hawaii for four years, from 1942 to 1946. Yudansha (Black Belt) certifications granted to students of Mitose's Official Self-Defense Club were awarded chronologically to Thomas Young (whose promotion by Mitose made him the first person ever to earn a Black Belt in Kempo west of asia), Jiro Nakamura (promoted by James Mitose), Arthur Keawe (promoted by James Mitose), Paul Yamaguchi (promoted by James Mitose), William Chow (promoted by Thomas Young), and Bobby Lowe (promoted by William Chow). This information was provided by Thomas Young, and later confirmed by other pioneers of Kempo present at the time.

Go to the web page and read the history, there are interviews available thorugh them with some of the pioneers, including Thomas Young.

just a few pennies from a pig.....

IronPig

Laine Nakachi
07-28-2001, 02:18 AM
Iron Pig,

I came across the web page leading to your post.which is good too.

But my post and your post are just as important in the kenpo world.I also did my own research too,that's why.

Take Care ,


Fe luk

Ironpig
07-30-2001, 06:25 PM
I spent a good number of years trying to figure it out until I decided to just move into another art altogether.

I had started in TKD, tried perker/tracy Kenpo and then American shaolin Kempo Karate.

Then I moved on to practice Kosho Ryu Kempo,
Kyokushinkai Karate and Northern shaolin.

Your post was good, the only thing that was material to it for me was the lineage. The Intereview with Thomas S.H. Young is very revealing about when and whythings happened in the Kempo world.

I am trying to stay out of it altogether, too many bad memories, political arguments that lead to less training and more mouth noise.

You have real knowlege of what you speak about.

Thanks for the post.

just a few pennies from a pig.....
-"bigger is BIGGER"

IronPig

Laine Nakachi
08-20-2001, 12:58 PM
Iron Pig ,

I don't blame you too.

I ran into some conflicts myself too.

Too much arguments and disagreements,not to forget controversies .

I agree with you though.

Take Care ,


Fe luk