What is Kenpo and how does it differ to Karate?

Kenpo is a traditional martial art that originates from Japan and also has roots in China whilst being closely related to Karate. These days, the most common form of Kenpo is referred to as ‘American Kenpo‘ as it is often taught in the US, and is stylistically similar to many forms of Karate. However, it should also be added that the original form of Japanese Kenpo is also still taught and is slightly different and less aggressive compared to its US counterpart.

It should also be noted that although Kenpo was its original pronunciation, since heading to the western world it is often mispronounced as ‘Kempo’ which many people commonly call it. Similarly, it should not be confused with ‘Kendo’ which is a completely different martial art that is based around fighting with sticks and long objects. The term Kenpo roughly translates to ‘using the fist’ which is fitting as it involves a variety of strikes by using the fist.

Below we shall talk in further detail about what Kenpo is and how it works, as well as more details on the different styles of Kenpo and its similarities with modern Karate. To cut a long story short for the time being however, Kenpo can be briefly described as a striking martial art that emphasizes punches and kicks.

American Kenpo and Japanese Kenpo (Okinawan)

Obviously, the USA is a much newer country compared to Japan so it also has less history as a result. On the contrary, Japan was responsible for many martial arts including the original form of Kenpo. This was made with three objectives in mind. The first was as a self-defense tool, the second was to improve your inner mental state and spirituality and the third objective was to improve your health. In short, these aims can often be found at the core of many martial arts that are based around physical and mental improvements through the discipline of said art.

Not only this, but Japanese Kenpo has similarities with Shaolin Kung fu as well as Karate. The reason for the spiritual emphasis comes from the financial and mental struggles facing the Japanese people after world war two. Kenpo was offered as a way to improve your mind and become a happier person as a result.

Whilst American Kenpo may adopt these ideals, it differs significantly as it’s tailored towards a more modern, aggressive style based on Karate. As a result, it can often be referred to as ‘American Kenpo Karate’ because of this. Typically, this style is based more on the fighting and self-defense aspects when compared to Japanese Kenpo. Although themes such as honor and respect are taught, it’s not as influential and generally, most practitioners will be there for the self-defense and physical health benefits that it brings.

For instance, in American Kenpo you may partake in kumite whereas this isn’t as common in the Japanese version. Not only this but even during sparring in the Japanese version it is generally done at a slower, less excessive pace and is more akin to dancing rather than fighting.

American Kenpo was created by Ed Parker who had trained in Judo. He felt that Japanese Kenpo was good but needed to be effective in a fighting scenario so this is why it isn’t as passive. Looking at the historic origins of Japanese Kenpo, this was based on a mentality and lifestyle, whereas the US version was born from a different place when thinking about its philosophy. In brief, American Kenpo is very close to Karate and in some cases is mostly different by name and technicalities. It should also be added that sometimes, American Kenpo can also include knife and weapon training which isn’t used in Okinawan Kenpo which is exclusively hand-to-hand combat instead.

How does Kenpo differ from Karate then?

As has been established, there’s not really much difference between American Kenpo compared to Karate. Of course, this is dependent on your teacher’s style and what they prioritize when teaching. For example, some dojos will take the term ‘Kenpo’ very literally and focus mostly on striking with the fist, whilst keeping foot strikes less involved.

Another difference is that Kenpo will offer a different grading system when compared to Karate. For instance, belt colors and time to achieve new promotions will differ. Again, this may also differ from school to school dependent on each teacher and their grading criteria. Not only this, but Kenpo may have different colored gi’s and gi length when compared to the clothing found in Karate.

Put another way, the main difference is probably Kenpo’s original spiritual values. These days, modern society has forgotten the core values that most traditional martial arts were based upon. This has been mentioned earlier, but basically, martial arts were based around a moral code as much as being about fighting. It may be hard to understand this concept whilst living in a modern world, but things were different hundreds of years ago.

Whilst Karate is still focused around a moral code, it’s probably not as widely talked about in most modern Karate dojos and isn’t as relevant as sports Karate where the objective is to win. Because of this, it could be argued that other than small, specific differences – the main difference between Kenpo and Karate is that Kenpo still emphasizes philosophy whereas Karate is based on physical improvements more than mental ones. To make things more complex, remember, American Kenpo is probably more similar to modern Karate in terms of its values, whereas Okinawan Kenpo is more traditional in line with its thinking.

To further confuse you, some participants of American Kenpo often call it ‘American Kenpo Karate’ which isn’t wrong either. As the core origins of Kenpo are rooted in Shaolin Kung fu and Karate, this is just an honorable nod toward the beginnings of the art. With this said, Kenpo is very similar to Karate, but is slightly different, depending on who you talk to.

Summary

Overall, it’s probably easiest to categorize Kenpo into two forms. The first is Okinawan Kenpo which is more traditional. This is often more of a gentle martial art that has roots in Karate and focuses on spiritual improvement as much as self-defense and physical training. In more modern times, the birth of American Kenpo grew in North America which isn’t as philosophical and is more practical in terms of offering a self-defense combat situation.

For those looking at learning Karate or Kenpo, the honest truth is that there’s not much in it. On the one hand, you could opt for Japanese Kenpo which is less aggressive, but then again this could be found with a softer Karate style. Similarly, if you wanted to train American Kenpo then you could opt for Kyokushin which offers an equally tough workout. With this said, there’s not really much in it and really it’s more of a technicality where Kenpo and Karate differ in name only.

Want to learn more about Kenpo? Get this book from the man himself, Ed Parker.