Kenpo or Kempo (拳法 Kenpō; lit. fist law) is written with the characters 拳 and 法. Kempo itself is a common Japanese term for martial arts in general that is the translation of the Chinese quánfǎ (or ch'üan2 fa3), meaning "fist principles", "fist law", or "law of the fist form." It is a term used to refer to a wide variety of martial arts, and is sometimes used as a blanket terms for martial arts in general, especially in East Asia.


Kempo or Kenpo
The Kanji (拳法) can be transliterated into English as either "Kempo" or "Kenpo". The first character "Ken" means "fist", while the second one "ho" means "law". However, the current standard for translating Japanese into English is the Hepburn romanization method for creating Romaji, where the "Ken" would become "Kem" when it preceeds an "h" sound, and the "h" takes on a "p" sound. Thus, "Kenho" becomes "Kempo". The common reference to "Kenpo" comes from the book that James Mitose produced in 1953 entitled What is Self-Defense? Kenpo JiuJitsu as a textbook on martial arts. The term "Kenpo" was a minor typo, however the high cost of a reprint was something neither Mitose nor the publishing company were willing to undertake for a minor technical error. The terms stayed with his students, and when William Chow and Edmund Parker went to create their own Kempo schools, they took the "Kenpo" name with them.

Both "Kempo" and "Kenpo" are acceptable forms of transliterating the Japanese name however, and the meaning is not changed by the slight change in pronunciation. Technically "Kempo" may be more linguistically correct, although the term "Kenpo" has entered widespread use.

The use of “m” instead of “n” in the word Kenpo/Kempo may be attributed to the fact that in Japanese the sound is that of a soft “n”, while in many Western countries, especially in many parts of the United States, the “n” sound tends to be much more nasal, therefore, to the Japanese ear, “m” is closer to correct when dealing with western languages.


Kempo in the West
In the West, Kenpo is mostly known as a mixed style that combines a heritage in Chinese martial arts, especially Shaolin, with Karate (and sometimes called 'Kenpo Karate'), often mixed with elements of other Japanese arts like Jujutsu and Aikijujutsu. In Japan, Kenpo can refer to a large number of different (and mostly unrelated) systems of martial arts, mostly stemming from families in the feudal period - the term Kenpo being used as an abbreviation, since the names are long.

Western Kenpo styles (often known by their use of a black karategi), can trace their lineage partly to the controversial James Mitose, a Hawaiian born Japanese who taught Kempo in Hawaii from between 1942 and 1953. This version of Kenpo falls into the category of mixed martial arts that have a basis in Karate, and incorporate Shaolin Quan and/or Kickboxing. Today, most practitioners of Kenpo in America have been trained in one version or another of the system taught by Mitose, often through the Ed Parker and William Chow lineages.

Some practitioners follow that Kenpo uses much of the same path as Chinese martial arts, but in order to shorten the amount of time to train a person, methods from Karate were used as the basis to quickly allow a person to learn the basics, and techniques. As it often takes 10 to 20 years of continuous effort to master one form of kung fu, Kenpo practitioners often can be black belted in around 3 to 5 years, depending on the instructor and system. Today the "style" of kempo/kenpo has become diverse. It has evolved into hybrid versions of jujitsu (kempo / kenpo Jujitsu)

The movie titled Perfect Weapon which was supposedly a Kenpo movie actually contained no Kenpo. All the fight scenes were added in later via computer effects.


Partial List of Styles and Systems:
Mitose and Chow Lineage: 
International Kenpo Karate Society 
Kosho Shorei Kenpo also known as Kosho Ryu Kenpo 
Chi Lin Kempo 
Chinese Kenpo 
Kempo Jutsu (Ferreira) 
AKKA (American Kenpo Karate Academy) 
Wu Shen Pai Kenpo 
Karaho Kenpo 
AKKI (American Kenpo Karate International) 
American Kenpo 
SubLevel Four Kenpo 
Shaolin Kenpo (Castro) 
Professor Nick Cerio's Kenpo 
Christopher N. Geary's Shaolin Kempo Karate 
Getsu Yama Ryu Kenpo (Chamberlain) 
Shaolin Kempo Karate (Villari) 
Kanzen Kenpo 
Kajukenbo 
[1] Tracy's Kenpo 
Kiyojute Ryu Kempo 
Karazenpo Go-Shinjutsu 
CHA3 
Worldwide Kenpo Karate Association 
Zen Bu Kan Kempo Karate (popular in Australia & Hungary) 
Other 
Shorinji Kempo 
Ryukyu Kempo (Okinawan) 
Okinawan Kenpo 
Shorinji Tetsu Kempo Kamishin Ryu 
American Tetsu Shin Ryu Kempo 
Shorinji Toraken Ryu Sogo Kempo Jutsu 
Shaolin Chuan Fa 
Shaolin Kempo Karate 
British Kempo Society 
Kenpo Kai 
European Kenpo Kai Organization 
International Kenpo Kai Organization