Okinawan Kempo?

[pathfinder4x4]

Can anyone explain the style of Okinawan Kempo? Is it Motobu-ryu? All the I have found is that the term Okinawan Kempo refers to all Okinawan Karate styles. If this is the case, how can an instructor claim to be a 7th degree in Okinawan Kempo without a specific style? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Dirty Dog]

It might help if people knew specifically who/what you're talking about...
Personally, when I think of Okinawan Kempo Karate, I think of Ryukyu Kempo, as taught by the late Seiyu Oyata.

 

[pathfinder4x4]

It might help if people knew specifically who/what you're talking about...
Personally, when I think of Okinawan Kempo Karate, I think of Ryukyu Kempo, as taught by the late Seiyu Oyata.

But, what is the background of Ryukyu Kempo? From Wikipedia, Ryūkyū Kempo (琉球拳法) is a generic term often used to describe all forms of karate from the Ryūkyū Islands"

 

[Dirty Dog]

What is Ryukyu Kempo

Ryukyu Kempo: A Classic Okinawan Karate

History of the Art

Ryukyu Kempo | The Ryukyu Dojo, 9th Dan, Will Higginbotham

ryukyu-kempo

Lots of info there...

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I am no expert, but I do not believe any form of karate with the name 'kempo' is a native Okinawan style. The Rengokai lists these styles:

Styles and schools

Karate

1. Shurite system: Shorin-ryu (Kobayashi-ryu), Shorin-ryu (Sukunai-hayashi-ryu), Shorinji-ryu
2. Nahate system: Goju-ryu
3. Tomarite system: Matsubayashi-ryu
4. Uechi-ryu
5. Ryuei-ryu
6. Motobu-ryu (Motobu Udundi)
7. Shorin-ryu Matsumura Seito
8. Isshin-ryu

 

[Dirty Dog]

@Bill Mattocks - My exposure to Ryukyu Kempo is limited to a couple of seminars with Oyata Sensei, but it's my understanding that his early training included several of the ryu listed. Memory says Motobu-ryu and Tomarite, but I'm old and I have been kicked in the head too many times to assume my memory is faultless.

 

[Noah_Legel]

It's a general term for Okinawan martial arts, but as for specific styles, you will often find students of Nakamura Shigeru calling their methods "Okinawa Kenpo" or "Ryukyu Kenpo," with various spellings. Oyata Seiyu Sensei was certainly one of these, but others call their arts by this name, as well. Notably, Odo Seikichi Sensei called his system Okinawa Kenpo. These are probably the two most well known branches.

 

[Touch Of Death]

The sooner you realize that all martial arts are kenpo, the easier it will be for you to accept the term, when you see it.

 

[JR 137]

Seiyu Oyata stopped using Ryukyu Kempo as a name for his art after a lot of people who had no affiliation with him started using it. George Dillman's use of it may have been the straw that broke the camel's back, but that's just me guessing. He officially named his organization RyuTe RenMei and trademarked it.

I've heard Ryukyu Kempo is a generic term and non-specific term, interchangeable with Okinawan karate. Okinawa and Ryukyu are/were pretty much interchangeable, as are/were at one point karate and kempo.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Seiyu Oyata stopped using Ryukyu Kempo as a name for his art after a lot of people who had no affiliation with him started using it. George Dillman's use of it may have been the straw that broke the camel's back, but that's just me guessing. He officially named his organization RyuTe RenMei and trademarked it.

Oyata sensei was still using the name ryukyu when I first met him, and that is still what I think of when I hear the term. I know Dillman uses it now.
But in my mind, the name ryukyu is brought up, I think or Oyata sensei. When the name Dillman is brought up, I think of various versions of #facepalm.

 

[punisher73]

It is both a specific style now and also was a generic term for ALL of the okinawan styles of karate.

Here is the info on the specific style called Okinawan Kenpo
http://www.ikkf.org/history.html

Ken=Fist
Po=Method

An early karate book of Mabuni referred to the art as "kenpo". It was a book about Self-Defense