History of Kenpo

There is much mystery surrounding the true origins of the art we call Kenpo. Jim Rathbone Soke, founder of the White Tiger Kenpo Jujits system has been in the martial arts for over thirty years. During these years, he has read and heard many wonderful stories about the origins of our art. Even though he is not certain which of these legends is the most accurate, the following seems to be the most logical origins from the evidence available today.

Centuries ago The Buddhists had many temples, or monasteries. The most famous of these is the Shoalin Temple, in the province of Hunan. Shoalin is pronounced “Sil Lum” in Cantonese and “Shorin” in Japanese. The Shoalin Monastery was made famous by the 1970s television series “Kung Fu” as well as the new series on the Fox Network. The Shoalin priests were Buddhists monks, known for their knowledge of medicine and the healing arts, as much as, or more than their martial arts skills. The priests were considered “Kung Fu” or one who is learned, similar to our term “Doctor”. The monks were politically active against the oppressive government of the Manchu Dynasty, which brought about the destruction of the temple by the Manchu army in about 1300.

All but five monks were killed. One surviving monk, Chih Shan Chan is believed to have to have escaped to the Shorin temple in southern Japan. He taught a system of the martial arts he called, “Hung Tai Kuan or Hun Chi Chuan”. Later versions of this art were known by practitioners as “Luk Ah Tsia”, from which Hung Gar or Tiger Crane kung Fu Originated. Tiger Crane Kung Fu is still a part of what we teach today almost 700 years later. The Tiger Crane form is still a requirement for 2nd Brown Belt today. Chinese, Japanese and Okinawa systems of martial arts, all have had an influence on the system of self-defense I teach in the White Tiger System.

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