Adriano Directo Emperado
Encyclopedia
Adriano Directo Emperado (June 15, 1926 – April 4, 2009) was one of five martial artists who developed the kajukenbo
self-defense system.
-Hawaii
an parents in the poverty stricken Palama/Kalihi section of Honolulu. Like many poor areas, the Palama/Kalihi district settlement was a violent place to live. Confrontations and fights were a daily occurrence. Because of this Emperado started his self defense training at the age of 8. His father and uncle were professional boxers and at the age of 11 he learned the 12 basic strikes of escrima. Then at the age of 14 he came back to his old familiar neighborhood in Palama. There he trained in Judo under Sensei Taneo at the Palama Settlement gym. Then at the age of 20 Emperado undertook serious study of Kenpo at the Catholic youth organization in Honolulu. These classes were taught by the legendary Professor William K.S. Chow
. Emperado trained daily with Professor Chow and soon attained his first black belt. He would later be promoted to 5th degree black belt by Professor Chow.
and Escrima), Peter Young Yil Choo (Korean Karate or Tang Soo Do
and Boxing
), Joseph Holck ( Danzan-ryū Jujutsu), Frank F. Ordonez (Se KeinoRyu Judo
), and George "Clarence" Chuen Yoke Chang (Chinese Boxing or Chu'an Fa Kung-Fu), came together and called themselves the Black Belt Society. They began training together and exploring and developing the weaknesses of each martial art to create a fighting style that did not suit the ancient warrior but the American citizen to help him or her in their fight against the common criminal.
Emperado died on April 4, 2009.
Kajukenbo
Kajukenbo is a hybrid martial art that combines Western Boxing, Judo, Jujutsu, Kenpo Karate, Eskrima, Tang Soo Do, and Kung Fu. It was founded in 1947 in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Palama Settlement. The original purpose of the art was to deal with local crime and to help the people defend themselves...
self-defense system.
Childhood and Young Adulthood
Emperado had a very difficult childhood living in Honolulu. He was born to FilipinoFilipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
-Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an parents in the poverty stricken Palama/Kalihi section of Honolulu. Like many poor areas, the Palama/Kalihi district settlement was a violent place to live. Confrontations and fights were a daily occurrence. Because of this Emperado started his self defense training at the age of 8. His father and uncle were professional boxers and at the age of 11 he learned the 12 basic strikes of escrima. Then at the age of 14 he came back to his old familiar neighborhood in Palama. There he trained in Judo under Sensei Taneo at the Palama Settlement gym. Then at the age of 20 Emperado undertook serious study of Kenpo at the Catholic youth organization in Honolulu. These classes were taught by the legendary Professor William K.S. Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow
William Kwai Sun Chow was instrumental in the development of the martial arts in the United States, specifically the family of styles referred to as kenpo/kempo....
. Emperado trained daily with Professor Chow and soon attained his first black belt. He would later be promoted to 5th degree black belt by Professor Chow.
Later life
Then in 1947 Sijo Adriano Emperado (KenpōKenpo
is the name of several Japanese martial arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel...
and Escrima), Peter Young Yil Choo (Korean Karate or Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art promoted by Hwang Kee that has roots in various martial arts, including taekkyeon and Subak.-Etymology:...
and Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
), Joseph Holck ( Danzan-ryū Jujutsu), Frank F. Ordonez (Se KeinoRyu Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
), and George "Clarence" Chuen Yoke Chang (Chinese Boxing or Chu'an Fa Kung-Fu), came together and called themselves the Black Belt Society. They began training together and exploring and developing the weaknesses of each martial art to create a fighting style that did not suit the ancient warrior but the American citizen to help him or her in their fight against the common criminal.
Emperado died on April 4, 2009.