Kenpo Magazine
- Thread starter phlaw
- Start date
Doc,
I never heard about Emperado awarding Mr. Parker any rank, but there is a lot that I don't know about him either.
I do know that James Metosie promoted him to 10th in Pasadena, but because he had never been a student of Metosie, Mr. Parker never claimed the 10th awarded him by Metosie.
When he finally put his name to the system, that system was and is his. He evolved and refined the art enough that it was clearly his system that he taught. Did anyone that you know of ever question his rank? The man was a genius. I wonder where he could have taken his art had the good Lord not taken him so soon?
Have a safe and happy New Year,
Your in Kenpo,
Teej
4th degree
I never heard about Emperado awarding Mr. Parker any rank, but there is a lot that I don't know about him either.
I do know that James Metosie promoted him to 10th in Pasadena, but because he had never been a student of Metosie, Mr. Parker never claimed the 10th awarded him by Metosie.
When he finally put his name to the system, that system was and is his. He evolved and refined the art enough that it was clearly his system that he taught. Did anyone that you know of ever question his rank? The man was a genius. I wonder where he could have taken his art had the good Lord not taken him so soon?
Have a safe and happy New Year,
Your in Kenpo,
Teej
4th degree
Doc
Senior Master
Well actually sir that is not correct. Mitose never offered Mr. Parker any rank. Parker had always let Mitose know how he felt about him and Parker did not consider him in his lineage. Emperado he respected greatly, and he was his senior under Chow. That is why he accepted the rank from Emperado when he separated himself from his "yudashakai" as his teaching moved toward the Chinese, and away from Japanese influnece and terminology.
Many of his original students stayed and cite that original yudanshakai as their promotional authority as Parker moved on to other ideas. When you look at the older diplomas it states "...by the authority of the yudanshakai..." and students promoted to black were "shodans." Parker left and began promoting his students to "1st degree." Parker was never stagnant and always progressive in his approach and was moving toward a homogenized American distillation of the Chinese Sciences he was learning .
Rank was never an issue for Parker once he came to the mainland as a brown belt and began teaching in college. When he began studying with Chinese Grandmasters, there was no "rank structure" like the Okinawan/Japanese influence in the islands. In fact Parker never wore stripes on his belt until 7th and was actually embarassed by all the stripes and didn't like it. It was the great Sigung Tom Kelly who suggested the 5 stripe bar to Parker to ease his discomfort with all the stripes. He also didn't like being called "master" or "grandmaster" and always introduced himself as "mister" Parker.
But once he began to proliferate a commercial product and promote school owners in the early seventies, rank became an issue for students and everyone wanted to display theirs, and of course that meant he had to wear it as well. It was business. No one ever questioned or cared about Parker's rank. Parker stood alone and his skill and knowledge was never an issue at any stage of his evolution. If you were in Kenpo you knew who "the man" was, and it meant nothing in the Chinese community he was lerning in. They respected the man, not the rank.
What Mitose did do was show up in Pasadena wearing a priests collar and wanted Parker to be a "priest" in a business deal where he would establish a religion and a "church." Parker refused any connection with Mitose and instead watched as Mitose embarassed himself showing "secret" techniques to some of the black belts in the school in a sly "recruiting" effort.
Many organizations over the years acknowledged Parker as a 10th and or grandmaster and issued appropriate documents. Most he honorably and respectfully accepted and placed in a file in his office. However he never relied on any credentials other than the ones he worked and created for himself for his credibility. If you didn't think something would "work," he could show you that it did.
Now on that you are 100% correct. But most don't know just how much. They think what they are familiar with is the sum of Parker. Not even close. We were trying to climb trees while Parker was in outer space trying to catch some of the Chinese who were on other planets.
I know, but that question is relative. It is possible that if you seek, you may find the answer relative to what you have seen and know.
I guess people have different interpretations on what transpired that day in Pasadena concerning Mitose's visit.
I am confused about what Emperado promoted Mr. Parker to. Did Emperado promote Mr. Parker to 10th degree? Or, as Mr. Parker came to the mainland as a brown belt, was Emperado the one to award Mr. Parker his Black Belt?
Thank you, Teej
I am confused about what Emperado promoted Mr. Parker to. Did Emperado promote Mr. Parker to 10th degree? Or, as Mr. Parker came to the mainland as a brown belt, was Emperado the one to award Mr. Parker his Black Belt?
Thank you, Teej
The next issue of Classical Fighting Arts will have a story on "The Kempo of James Mitose"; see:
http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Cfa/Pages/cfahome.htm
http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Cfa/Pages/cfahome.htm
The Tracy lineage people, and Chinese Kenpo organizations still have Mitose and Chow in their lineage. I heard from Edmund Jr., and from Mr. Parker the same thing that Doc is relating.
Just some additional perspective. By the time I moved from Chinese Kenpo to American Kenpo, My lineage changed from Ed Parker, to my teacher, to me. This did not discount Mr. Chow, however by the time I started, Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate, (not "American Kenpo") was only about 10% of what it was in the 50's, and 90% Mr. Parker's innovations and revisions, with the additional input he received, part of his genius was in synthesis, and abstract revision into what it is today. A live, growing art.
There is lots of information re: James Mitose and the Tracy's have some extensive articles on their side of the story on their websites. Just search MartialTalk for "Mitose" and you will get an eyeful.
Respectfully,
-Michael
Just some additional perspective. By the time I moved from Chinese Kenpo to American Kenpo, My lineage changed from Ed Parker, to my teacher, to me. This did not discount Mr. Chow, however by the time I started, Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate, (not "American Kenpo") was only about 10% of what it was in the 50's, and 90% Mr. Parker's innovations and revisions, with the additional input he received, part of his genius was in synthesis, and abstract revision into what it is today. A live, growing art.
There is lots of information re: James Mitose and the Tracy's have some extensive articles on their side of the story on their websites. Just search MartialTalk for "Mitose" and you will get an eyeful.
Respectfully,
-Michael
R
RCastillo
Guest
A subscriber for Martial Talk Magazine. There better be some quality writing on there, or else, I'm gonna take it out on some people here.................
satans.barber
Master Black Belt
Very informative post Doc (as usual!), thankyou.
:asian:
Ian.
:asian:
Ian.
From Mr. Parker himself.
You know who writes histories? The winners (or survivors.)
In this case, I am choosing to believe what I heard from Mr. Parker himself.
-Michael
You know who writes histories? The winners (or survivors.)
In this case, I am choosing to believe what I heard from Mr. Parker himself.
-Michael
Doc
Senior Master
Same here sir. Mr. Parker was always very candid about the incident and even mentioned it publicly in interviews with magazines. Mitose's character is well documented, and it is clear from Mr. Parker own words, he is not in the Ed Parker American Kenpo Lineage. Mitose's impact on other kenpo is a debatable issue for some but of no consequence for me. Personally although I have experience in various arts, My Kenpo Lineage begins and ends with Edmund Kealoha Parker. Although I too was there, I don't recall anyone involved in the conversation other than the two principles in the office. So "being there" does not validate what was said. Only Parker and Mitose actually know. They are both dead, but Parker made sure he documented his understanding in public. What was said after they left the office was about how Mitose was going to show all of us "secret techniques." After soliciting someone to throw a step through thrusting punch, Mitose ducked his head and dropped to one knee and punched downward on the punchers forward foot. Everyone looked at Parker, and he just schrugged his shoulders and went back into the office.
Brother John
Senior Master
THAT is down-right poetic Doc!!!!
Well said.
Your Brother
John
C
Clothahump
Guest
=======kenpo_cory said:
Does anyone know where to find the Impax system? I can't locate them on the web anywhere.
Thanks!
