William Chow (1914-1987)
William Kwai Sun Chow cultivated the seeds of American Kenpo. Primarily a student of his Chinese father, Chow learned the Chinese ancestral art of Five Animal Kung Fu passed down from Bodhidharma. Mr. Chow later studied Kosho-Ryu under James Mitose, and seeing merit in both systems, Chow began to modify Kenpo.
He left James Mitose in 1949 to open his own school, and it was Chow who coined the term "Kenpo Karate" to distinguish his system from Mitose's. Mr. Chow's Kenpo was a quick, vicious style developed as a response to the violence that was commonplace in the pre-statehood Hawaii.
Chow was a street fighter, and while he learned many circular and flowing movements from his father, he incorporated some of the linear movements and take-downs he learned from Mitose. Some twenty years later, William Chow renamed his system "Chinese Kempo of Kara-Ho Karate." Mr. Chow died in Honolulu in 1987.
Great Grandmaster Edmund K. Parker, 10th degree black belt, is the undisputed Father of American Kenpo Karate. A native of Honolulu, Parker was already a black belt in Judo at age 16, when he began studying Kenpo with Frank Chow in Hawaii.
Parker quickly learned everything Frank could teach him, and Frank soon arranged for his brother, William Chow, to help Parker reach a higher level. After only two years of training, Parker earned his brown belt. Like Mr. Chow, Parker was a street fighter and adapted what he learned to fit the type of fighting he encountered on the streets.
Chow imparted in Parker the necessity for change in the Kenpo system to meet the modern needs of the American people. Parker organized every technique and movement into a format that could be broken down into levels for all students and renamed it "American Kenpo Karate."
When Mr. Parker moved to Provo, Utah to attend Brigham Young University, he opened his first studio. After graduating in 1956 with a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology, Parker moved to California, opened his second school and founded the International Kenpo Karate Association. By 1964, when he held his first tournament, Parker had become a household name in Hollywood, teaching his art to the likes of Elvis Presley and Steve McQueen. Mr. Parker passed away in 1990, at the age of 59, in Honolulu.
A legend in the martial arts, Professor Cerio did more than just continue the lineage; he truly made an indelible mark on it. Throughout his illustrious career he brought the lines of Kenpo back together from potential splits that could have damaged the system.
It all began in the early 1960’s when Professor Cerio began training under George Pesare. By the mid-1960’s, he had opened his first studio and studied Kenpo under Master Ed Parker.
A short time later, he began studying under Professor William K.S. Chow, and in 1971 Cerio received his 5th Degree black belt from Professor Chow.
By the early 1980’s Ed Parker awarded Professor Cerio his 9th Degree Black Belt in American Kenpo Karate and the title of Shihan (Master).
In 1989, Shihan Cerio, was named a Professor by Professor Thomas Burdine, and was awarded the “above Ranking Status” by the World Counsel of Sokes (founders). This elevated him to 10th Degree Black Belt.
Professor Nick Cerio passed away on October 7, 1998. His passing marked the end of a monumental life.
Kyoshi Mark Sheeley, began his martial arts training in Tae Kwon Do earning his Black Belt at the age of twelve under Master Paul T. Cho. In the early 1980s Kyoshi Sheeley, started training in American Kenpo Karate. By 1987, he began studying exclusively with Professor Nick Cerio. He trained his own students in the art of Nick Cerio's Kenpo.
By the mid 1990s, Kyoshi Sheeley, had trained hundreds of Black Belts and served as Master Instructor to several Kenpo Jiujitsu Karate schools in New England.
During this time Kyoshi Sheeley, won numerous competitions in both open hand and weapons forms. He was nationally rated in competition for three years in a row and was the first Kenpo stylist to go #1 in ranking. He has been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame twelve times. Thirteen National Champions have trained under him.
Kyoshi Mark Sheeley founded Kensho-Ryu International in 1999 after the passing of Professor Cerio, and is currently the director of 17 schools. Kyoshi Sheeley holds an 8th Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Jiujitsu Karate, a 7th Degree Black Belt in Komushin Ryu Jujitsu, and a 6th Degree Black Belt in Nick Cerio's Kenpo Jiujitsu Karate.
Kyoshi Sheeley continues the training of the Kensho-Ryu school owners, as well as many Black Belts at the Hombu location. He conducts seminars at each school in the system, and personally oversees the testing of every Black Belt candidate.
