Kajukenbo was synthesized in the Paloma settlements of Hawaii during the years of 1949-1952. Five practitioners of their respective martial arts developed Kajukenbo to compliment eachothers styles to allow effective fighting at all ranges and speeds. The man credited with the founding of Kajukenbo is Sijo Adriano D. Emperado, who practiced Kenpo and Escrima. It was decided that Kanpo would be the scaffolding around which Kajukenbo was built. The arts drawn upon to found Kajukenbo are Karate, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Kampo, and Chu'an Fa Gung Fu.
To Test the effectiveness of their original techniques the five founders would get into fights around the Palomas Settlements, which was the worst slum in Hawaii at the time. If the technique succeeded consistently in streetfighting it was kept as part of the system. From these field tests came Kajukenbo's Quins, AKA katas; Natural laws, AKA self-defense; Tricks, AKA close-quarters fighting; and grab arts, AKA escapes.
Kajukenbo stresses the importance of following-up techniques based on an opponents reactions and not stopping with just one hit. The reasoning is that while one should strive to end a fight with the fewest techniques necessary, it is important to know how an opponent will respond to attacks and how to take advantage of his reactions.
Training is physically intense and very demanding. Exercise is part of the class structure to ensure that practitioners will be physically capable of defending themselves outside of the dojo. The warm-up and callisthenics typically last 1/3 of the class period. Emphasis is placed on bag work as well as sparring and grappling. After a certain amount of time training students begin to throw real punches at each other and their partner is expected to react appropriately or face the consequences. Learning to absorb and soften the impact is also a major facet of trainings. Quins (kata) are performed to fine-tune a person's movements, while working with partners teaches a student how to manipulate an opponent and follow up on his reactions.
The five original founding members of Kajukenbo are:
Peter Choo - Karate
Frank Ordonez - Sekieno Ju-Jitsu
Joe Holke - Kodokan Judo
Adriano D. Emperado - Chinese Kempo and Escrima
Clarence Chang - Sil-lum Pai Kung-Fu