Some time ago in an earlier post I mentioned that in all the years I knew Ed Parker he had never once mentioned Mitose. I ment no disrespect, it was simply a statement of fact. I also mentioned a concern with the many distortions of Kenpo history that have crept into its growing legend.
Within the past week I had the opportunity to talk with Ed Parker Jr. I asked about the wealth of documents his father had left in his care. He kindly granted permission for me to share some of this information from time to time.
Some, but not all, of these treasures have been published elsewhere. For those of you who have already read this information please forgive the repetition. For those reading it for the first time, here are the FACTS about Ed Parkers contact with Mitose IN ED PARKERS OWN WORDS:
MY EXPERIENCES WITH JAMES MITOSE
BY
ED PARKER
Contrary to some of the claims that have been made in
publications, I was never a student of James M. Mitose. I observed his
class in Honolulu in the mid forties, but I was not convinced about
the effectiveness of many of the methods that he taught.
I did not see Mitose again until he visited me at my home and
Kenpo School in Pasadena, California during the early 1970's. His
visits extended over a five month period. Each time I saw him, he was
dressed as an ordained minister. Many of our conversations lasted
hours on end, touching upon an array of topics as well as his proposed
money raising projects.
He asked to meet a number of my celebrity students and friends.
This included friends of the movie industry as well as those in
politics. It was his desire to raise funds for a number of his
projects and he felt that photos taken with these celebrities would
give him greater recognition and prestige. He felt that donations
would be easier to raise if he could show proof of his affiliation
with these celebrities. He also felt that being dressed as an ordained
minister was another effective means of raising funds. "People are
more inclined to donate money to men of the ministry.", he said. He
mentioned that he planned to go to Japan to display these pictures. He
was convinced that he could raise one or two dollars from every family
he visited. His goal was to raise 10 to 15 million dollars.
One of Mitose's projects was to use part of the funds to build a
Kenpo Temple. The estimated cost was several million dollars. It was
Mitose's desire to operate the temple as a monastery where disciples
would be drafted from various parts of the country and become resident
trainees. He was intent and serious about his plans and asked me if I
would be the head of his temple when it was completed. I told Mitose
that I was definitely not interested for two reasons, (1) I already
had my own schools in operation, and (2) I did not teach his methods
of Kenpo. I told him that my innovative methods were modified and
geared for the American environment. That was what I believed in and
that was what I was sticking to. At this point of our conversation he
got extremely angry and threatened my future in Kenpo. While what he
said to me is not important, I abhor threats and like a true
polynesian gave him a piece of my mind and then some. Needless to say,
our conversation ended and I asked him to leave.
During the earlier months of our 1970 relationship, I found
Mitose to be knowledgeable about the evolution of Kenpo, as he
revealed many interesting historical facts. On occasion, he would take
off his shoes, walk on the mat area (of my Pasadena School),
demonstrate self-defense techniques and discuss Kenpo principles with
some of my Black Belt students; namely Tom Kelly, Richard "Huk"
Planas, Bob Perry, and Mike Pick. I noticed, after Mitose demonstrated
techniques, that my students would look at me hoping to detect from my
facial expressions some reaction confirming or disagreeing with
Mitose's performance. As I gazed into their faces, I could detect
telltale expressions of bewilderment and disappointment. Many of
Mitose's moves still leaned heavily toward impractical methods of
application. They still seemed to lack continuity and forethought and
left him dangerously exposed. My disappointment was heightened when I
witnessed a void of circular movements and strikes which Chow had so
emphatically stressed in his teachings.
During the months that followed, many other unanswered questions
surfaced. Why had the Mitose (Kosho) Clan so drastically deviated from
the original teachings of Tamo (Daruma) and his Chinese disciples in
the frequent use of circular movements? Circular moves had certainly
been a vital part of the original system that added to the totality of
movement. I could not understand why the Kosho Clan, who had so
proudly traced their roots to Tamo (Daruma) were willing to discard
and abort circular disciplines as well as other rudiments of motion. I
support the Mitose (Kosho) Clan's desire to change the art to suit the
needs of the Japanese people during that period of history, but why
did the Clan employ moves that were predominantly linear in context?
Circular moves, used within the framework of reason (logic)
undisputedly balances the blend of motion which, when given time,
inevitably leads to useful and practical movements. Lacking this
ingredient would be comparable to replacing round tires on an
automobile for square ones. Thanks to William Chow and his father, the
crucial link has been restored as well as preserved. They have been
responsible for circular movements again finding their rightful place
in the Kenpo system.
As I conclude this article, I am in no way saying that all
aspects of Mitose's teaching were impractical. He did employ methods
that once modified, could work with convincing results. Mitose's
Kenpo, as it was first perpetuated in Hawaii, did stress attacking
vital areas by punching, striking, chopping, thrusting and poking, as
well as throws, locks and take downs. But, although similar to Judo's
methods of Atemi Waza, his methods and philosophy were different. I
give him credit for placing importance in the order that fundamentals
were to be taught. He felt that punching, striking, and kicking were
not only faster than throwing, but were better methods of
self-defense. He felt that when a person was attacked, he should
preserve his physical resources and use strength and energy
economically. No one should risk exhausting himself by attempting to
grab and throw his opponent. Throwing, Mitose warned, exposed your
vital points, which multiplied, when you were faced with more than one
opponent.
Another positive aspect of his teaching was how to maneuver and
have your opponent unknowingly place himself in a precarious and
vulnerable position. Although he did not encourage Kenpo as a sport,
Mitose did feel that if it was made into a sport greater effort should
be taken to properly protect the vital areas on the body. Kenpo, he
said, is purely an art of self-defense and although similar to boxing,
there is a difference in fundamentals and philosophy. "Boxing, in the
Japanese language, is Ken-to, Ken means fist and to means fight. Kento
means fist fight. In Kenpo, Ken means fist and po means law. Thus
Kenpo means fist law." Knowing the similarities between American
boxing and Kenpo, it was Mitose's desire that Kenpo would one day
become Americanized. Kenpo has without question become Americanized
and although it was William K.S. Chow who really started to cultivate
the seed of American Kenpo, Mitose will always remain a part of our
Kenpo history.
*Used with the permission of Ed Parker Jr.*
This explains to my satisfaction why throughout my training there was great respect paid to William K. S Chow and others from the islands; but Ed Parker neglected to mention (to me, at least) Mitose.
Respectfully,
Mills Crenshaw
This message has been edited by MillsCrenshaw from IP address 72.25.160.238 on Apr 23, 2008 4:07 PM