Kajukenbo
Professor Adriano D. and Emperado was the founder of the Kajukenbo Self-Defense Institute. He was a Master in Escrima, Jujitsu, and various Kempo forms. He also studied Okinawan Karate, Chinese Kung Fu, Hawaiian Lua, American Boxing and Wrestling, as well as various Weapons Arts.
In 1947, with the aid of several other martial artists, professor Emperado formed the Black Belt Society, which stressed instruction in Kenpo Karate and methods of self-defense against weapons. As the emphasis changed from teaching a small select group of top Kenpo artists, to training of the general public, the name was changed to the Kajukenbo Self-Defense Institute. During this time, between 1947-1949, Professor Emperado is credited with founding the Kajukenbo Self Defense System. This was accomplished with the aid of five Masters of various Martial Arts. They include:
KA Instructor P.Y.Y Choo – Master of Korean Karate, Tang-So-Do style
JU Instructor Frank Ordonez – Black Belt in Ju-Jitsu
Instructor Jay Holck – Black Belt in Kodokan Judo
KEN Professor Adriano D. Emperado – Master of Kenpo Karate
BO Professor C. Chang – Master of Kung-Fu (Chinese Boxing)
These Instructors labored together and developed the first working origins of what is now the present day Kajukenbo style. Its primary objective was, and is, to form the ultimate in self-defense, but with an emphasis on Kenpo.
The most major change in the system occurred in 1959, when Professor Emperado incorporated Ch’uan Fa Kung-Fu into Kajukenbo. This Art, a soft style, places more emphasis on the KEN-BO segment of Kajukenbo, and its basis was the combining of both the Northern and Southern styles of Chinese Martial Arts, the hard and the soft. The Northern styles, characterized by their long-range techniques, and the Southern styles, characterized by their close-in fighting techniques, were combined to form an all-around fighting art with an emphasis on practicality in self-defense.
The Chinese characters for Ka-Ju-Ken-Bo also carry a secondary meaning. They translate into Long life, Happiness, Fist, and Style or Way. Thus, the philosophical meaning of Kajukenbo is, “Through this for style, one gains long life and happiness.”