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Deciding on a
Martial Arts school is an important decision and a personal
commitment. You may be concerned about long-term contracts,
personality of the school, class schedule to meet your needs and
if you or your children will fit in.
Many schools require you to sign a 1-2 year contract with a large
financial commitment. At Lenexa Karate, there are no contracts or
hidden costs.
Kids thrive in the Karate environment. The self image, self
confidence, self discipline and self control your child develops
today will determine the level of happiness and success he or she
will experience as an adult. Science has proven that authentic
Karate can aid your child in developing the above qualities and
more, leading to a healthier, happier and more successful life.
True Karate training also gives children and teenagers something
gravely needed in today's world - the strength to say "no" to
negative and potentially harm peer pressure, and to replace the
negatives with positives in thought, word and deed. Our young
students become the leaders of their peer groups, not complacent
followers who do "whatever" just to fit in. Karate offers your
child benefits which are critically needed in today's world. |
Authentic
Karate is an exciting, unique and multifaceted art. A blend of
physical, mental and spiritual elements, it offers life changing
benefits not found in any other activity.
It is fun yet challenging, capable of honing you gradually into
the best shape of your life. You will lose weight, gain greater
energy and stamina, develop a strong, toned, healthy body and
fight premature aging resulting in a longer more exciting life.
Karate is the perfect lifelong activity. It can be practiced at
any age, does not require exceptional flexibility or natural
talent and does not require special equipment, facilities, or
other people to practice with. Plus, Karate gives you the ultimate
in self defense.
As for the physical side of Karate, its awesome legendary fighting
skills and total body mastery is only the beginning. It offers a
wide range of mental and spiritual qualities as well. These
include self control and discipline to achieve success, mental
calmness in emergencies, stress management, confidence to enjoy
life more and leadership skills.
Lenexa Karate’s Dojo is a good place to meet wholesome new
friends. At Lenexa Karate we are an extended family and those
people who want a positive, healthy lifestyle for themselves and
their families can find it.
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At Lenexa
Karate we believe that developing and maintaining a sound body and
mind are critical to getting the most of our life. In our adult
and family programs you will experience a unique approach to self
defense and exercise that benefits the body and the mind.
To strengthen your body, you will begin with isometric and dynamic
tension exercises. Flexibility will be enhanced through a gradual
building process of safe easy stretching techniques. You will find
that the breathing and concentration exercises sharpen your senses
and reflexes while allowing you to relax from the stress of daily
life. This unique combination of using the power of the body and
of the mind is the key to increased energy, self discipline, and
fitness for a longer happier life. These qualities are essential
in recognizing and handling self defense situations, as well as
mental stress.
Lenexa Karate has programs for men, women, kids, teens and tots.
The family classes where parents and children can take classes
together promote convenience and quality time within families. The
kids love ending the classes with an action-packed, skill building
game that leaves them excited for their next class session. |
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Hanshi (Master Instructor) Dan Kennedy provides the leadership and
sets the example of quality for the Lenexa Karate Academy
management team. Hanshi Kennedy has over 35 years experience in
teaching Kenpo Karate and promoting education through the martial
arts. A 9th degree black belt, Dan has won many tournaments and
was ranked as the top amateur competitor in the Mid-Central United
States in the early 1980’s. He has served the martial arts
community as director of the National Karate Circuit and founded
the United States Kenpo Kobujitsu (USKK) in 1988. As president of
the USKK, Hanshi Kennedy is responsible for the development of
curriculum in three martial arts systems: Okinawan Kenpo, Okinawan
Kobujitsu, and Okinawan Jujitsu. |
The person most often credited with originating the way of Kenpo
was a prince and warrior of southern India named Bodhidharma.
According to the records of the Lo-Yang temple, Bodhidharma was a
Buddhist monk under the tutelage of Prajnatara and it is said that
upon his deathbed, Prajnatara requested that Bodhidharma travel to
China where he felt the principles of Buddhism where in decline
and that the knowledge of dhyana (Zen koans) should be known.
It's estimated that it was around 520 BC, during the Southern
dynasties, that Bodhidharma entered China and traveled northward
to the kingdom of Wei where the fabled meeting with emperor Wu of
the Liang dynasty occurred. This meeting is recorded do to the
intense conversation and discussion of Buddhism and dhyana which
took place. The meeting was to no avail, Bodhidharma's words to
the worldly emperor meant nothing, and thus, discouraged by his
attempts, Bodhidharma left the palace of the emperor and traveled
to the Honan province where we entered the Shaolin temple where he
would begin a martial history.
Bodhidharma's depression grew once he reached the famed Shaolin
temple and found Prajnatra's fears were true. The monks were in a
ragged condition physically and were mentally diminished due to
the extensive amount of time they spent in meditation, doing
little else. Many of the monks would fall asleep in meditation
while others needed assistance in the basic necessities of life -
so feeble was their condition.
For an unknown period of time Bodhidharma meditated in a cave at
the outskirts of the temple seeking for a way to renew the feat of
Buddha's light, as well as helping the monks to regain control
over their lives. Upon his return Bodhidharma gathered the monks
in the courtyard, from the strong to the feeblest, and began to
explain and work with them in the art of Shih Pa Lo Han Sho, or
the 18 hands of Lo Han. These techniques which are the foundation
for almost all martial arts today were never originally intended
to be utilized as methods of fighting but were a manner in which
the monks could attain enlightenment while improving their body’s
health.
During the Sui period, approximately forty years or so after the
death of Bodhidharma it is told that brigands assaulted the
Shaolin monastery; one of many attacks that would occur until the
early twentieth century. During this first invasion, the monks’
attempts at defending their temple where futile, their skills
where not attuned to fighting techniques and it looked as if the
temple would fall. One monk of the temple, with reference only as
the "begging monk", during the last siege of the temple by the
brigands attacked several of the outlaws with an array of
aggressive hand and foot techniques, killing some and driving the
remaining attackers away. The other monks where so inspired by the
display of this single priest that they requested tutelage in this
martial style as a means of protection. In later scripts this
fighting art was recorded as Chuan Fa or Fist Method.
As Chuan-fa grew in popularity throughout China and began to
spread to other countries, one major influence was that of
Okinawa. Okinawa had begun to develop a very effective method of
hand to hand combat called simply Te (tay), meaning hand. Over
time, this name was changed to Okinawa-Te meaning Okinawa-Hand. At
that time three major styles were developed according to the
location of the main villages of Okinawa; Shuri, Tomari, and Naha.
Each village developed its own particular martial art. When the
Japanese conquered the island, the Okinawans and Chinese became
allies and began to share their martial arts techniques with each
other. In Japanese, the Shaolin Kenpo was called Kara, meaning
China. When combined with Okinawan-Te, we have the new word Kara-te
or Karate. The blending of these two systems probably created the
most effective form of empty hand combat in the world.
Okinawan Kenpo is generally credited with the origins of kata as
taught by most styles of Karate. In learning the different kata,
the student is taught the various self defense techniques and
applications. Intermediate and advanced students would begin
training in the Kobudo (weapons) system once the basic material
was mastered.
There are 36 major styles of Karate in the world today, with 52
variations, and literally hundreds of eclectic systems taught in
different countries. However, we can identify four classifications
of Kenpo Karate: Chinese (Chuan-fa), Japanese (Shorinji), Hawaiian
(Kajukempo), and Okinawan (Te). |
As a student of United States Kenpo Kobujitsu advances in rank,
the student begins to understand how jujitsu and karate work
together harmoniously in our self-defense sets and kata. Jujitsu
is then taught to the students in advance ranks classes and in
seminars. Students can attain rank in Okinawa Te Jujitsu. Below is
the history of our Jujitsu program and lineage.
The story of Aiki-Jujitsu begins 1,000 years ago during the reign
of Emperor Seiwa, the 56th ruler of Japan. According to legend, it
was Prince Teijun, Seiwa’s sixth son, who discovered the principle
of aiki and passed the secret along to his descendants.
Tsunamoto, Prince Teijun’s eldest son, was given the name Minamoto,
and his descendants, who are known as the Seiwa Genji, kept Aiki-Jujitsu
as their secret family art. These were all men of historical
importance in Japan, traditionally holding the post of Shinjufu
Shogun, the general in charge of the northern army.
Although there are those who regard this story as mere legend,
itiis an undeniable fact that the Seiwa Minamoto went from nothing
to become the most powerful warriors in Japan. And they did this
in only four generations, even though there were other families
which were older, wealthier, and had more combat experience. It
seems only logical to attribute the sudden rise of the Minamoto
clan to their hijutsu (secret art).
Minamoto Yoshiie was born in the fifth generation of the Seiwa
Genji, during the Heian period (about 900 years ago). He was known
as Hachiman Taro, the “eldest son of the god of war,” and is
widely considered the single greatest warrior in the history of
Japan. His youngest brother, also a great general, was named
Yoshimitsu.
Shinra Saburo Minamoto Yoshimitsu was a master of many arts. Poet,
warrior, physician, and historian, he is regarded as the actual
founder of the Daito Ryu (the “great eastern style” of Aiki-Jujitsu).
It is said he greatly advanced the art of atemi (striking vital
points) and kansetsu (joint locks) by dissecting the bodies of
criminals and war dead. He was also said to have devised many new
methods of restraining a prisoner by observing the actions of a
spider weaving a web about its prey.
The name “Daito” is commonly said to have come from the name of
Yoshimitsu’s mansion. However, this story may be an error
resulting from a mistranslation of the Japanese character for
“house”. That character may also be read as “family”. In other
words, when old books talk about the “Yoshimitsu house”, they are
not talking about a building, but about the family itself. Because
the Minamoto were the most powerful family in eastern Japan, it
seems only logical their family art should be referred to as the
Daito Ryu. Yoshimitsu’s grandson, Yoshikiyo, settled in the town
of Takeda in the Kai area, and his descendants are known as the
Kai Takeda. They were quite wealthy and held positions of
political power.
Near the end of the 16th century, when Takeda Shingen chose to
fight against the formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which was
destined to rule Japan for the next 300 years, the position of the
Kai Takeda became untenable. This forced Takeda Kunitsugu to move
his family north and take up service in the Aizu Han
(Present-day-Fukushima area). This branch of the family is known
as the Aizu Takeda, and they held the position of Shinamban (clan
fencing masters) and taught their art to the most senior members
of the clan, those with an annual income of over 500 koku. (In the
feudal period, a samurai was paid with rice. One koku – about five
bushels – is the amount of rice it took to feed one man for one
year.)
The last of the Aizu Shinamban was Takeda Takumi no Kami Minamoto
Soemon (1758 - 1853). In addition to Matsudaira Takamori, the
Daimyo (ruler) of the Aizu domain, Soemon had two other important
students. One was his grandson, Takeda Soyoshi, and the other was
the minister of the Aizu Han, Saigo Tanamo (1829 - 1905).
Takeda Soyoshi was a master swordsman and headed, under the
direction of the Aizu daimyo, a special squad of elite warriors in
the capital city of Kyoto, far to the south of Aizu. It was his
task to suppress anti-shogunate demonstrations near the Imperial
Palace. His children remained in Aizu, studying under their uncle
and Saigo Tanamo.
In 1868 came the Meiji Restoration, and the shogun returned power
to the emperor. As leaders of the resistance to this change,
Takamori and Soyoshi were killed. Tanamo, then governor of
Shirakawa Castle, became a Shinto priest and adopted the name of
Hoshino Genshin. His senior student was Takeda Sokichi, Soyoshi’s
eldest son. Sokichi, in addition to studying Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujitsu,
was a well known sumo wrestler, so he must have been a man of
considerable size.
In 1875, Sokichi died and Tanamo called his younger brother to the
shrine at Toshogu in Nikko. At less than five feet tall, Takeda
Sokaku was the physical opposite of his older brother. Perhaps in
order to compensate for his small size, he was a martial arts
fanatic. He was one of that rare breed of men who devote their
entire existence to training, never doing, or even thinking about,
anything else. However, Sokaku was not ready to settle down to
temple life and left after only six months.
This forced Tanamo to look for another student, and he finally
selected a young boy named Shida Shiro (1868-1920). In 1884, Shiro
was officially adopted by Tanamo and changed his name to Saigo
Shiro.
While in Tokyo in 1881, Shiro joined the Inoue dojo (school) of
the Tenshi Shinyo-ryu Jujutsu. There, in 1883, he met a young man
named Jigoro Kano. At that time Kano was in the process of
creating a new organization called Kodokan Judo. Shiro joined him
and quickly became the most senior member.
During a famous series of matches in 1886, Shiro defeated all
challengers with the Daito Ryu technique call yama arashi
(mountain storm), greatly increasing the reputation of the new
Kodokan. (Yama arashi is the source of the modern judo technique
known as uchimata, an inner thigh throw. In the original version,
there is a wrist lock based on the basic Aiki-Jujitsu technique of
rokyo).
Shiro was appointed director of the Kodokan in 1888, but soon
found that the conflict of loyalties between the Daito Ryu and
Kodokan Judo was becoming too great. In 1891, he deserted both
systems and ran away to Nagasaki, in southern Japan, and joined
the Hinoda Newspaper Company. Although he taught Aiki-Jujitsu to
army officers during the Japanese-Korean War, he was never to take
a formal part in either organization again. Instead, he devoted
his time to a study of Kyudo (traditional Japanese archery), and
before his death, achieved its highest grade, hanshi. His story
has been immortalized in the movies Sanshiro Sugata.
Shiro’s abrupt departure forced Saigo Tanamo to call on Sokaku for
the second time, in the hope he would now be ready to assume
leadership of the Daito Ryu.
Takeda Sokaku Minamoto Masayoshi (1858-1943) was the last of the
great swordsmen. Beginning his martial arts training with this
uncle at the age of five, Sokaku studied Daito Ryu and Ono-ha
Itto-ryu Kenjutsu (swordsmanship). Because of his tremendous
abilities, combined with his small size, he soon became known as
the kotengu (little demon) of the Aizu clan. By the time he was 20
years old he had earned licenses from the Ono-ha Itto-ryu, Yagyu
Shinkage-ryu, Jikishinkage-ryu of sword, and the Hozoin-ryu
Sojutsu (spear), all among the most famous and highly respected
schools in Japan.
Sokaku devoted the next 20 years of his life to musha shugyo
(severe training). He traveled throughout Japan issuing
challenges, and was rarely defeated, mastering many different
arts. He is said to have been one of the very few people ever to
master all 18 of the tradition martial arts.
It is important to note that Sokaku was not merely a student. He
had been born and raised as a samurai, and he had killed with a
sword. He mastered every martial art of importance at the time,
and this academic (dojo) knowledge was tempered by combat
experience.
However, in 1898, Saigo Tanamo finally managed to convince Sokaku
that the day of the sword was past, and Sokaku took over
leadership of the Daito Ryu. However, his years of hard training
had established a pattern and he was never to settle down again.
For the first half of his life he had traveled throughout Japan
studying, and for the second half he traveled and taught, never
stopping long enough to establish his own dojo.
There are those who say Sokaku created the Daito Ryu at that
point, basing it on a handful of techniques taught to him by
Tanamo over a period of a few months. However, there are two
glaring flaws in this theory. First, there is the tremendous
complexity of the art. The Daito Ryu contains 2,804 techniques,
and a system of that immensity takes centuries to develop. The
second major flaw in assuming Sokaku created the style lies in
Sokaku himself. He held certificates in not just one, but most of
the famous and honored styles of his day, and was probably the
greatest swordsman alive. He could have had all the students he
could handle, along with the status of teaching a famous art, so
he had little reason to create something new.
Sokaku's student roster — we are lucky in that he kept a record of
everyone he ever taught, reads like the Who’s Who of northern
Japan. Generals and admirals, judges and mayors, all flocked to
his classes. He followed the traditions of his ryu (style) and
only accepted the upper levels of society as his students. This
made him very influential, but not widely known to the general
public. In 1908 he was invited to the northern island of Hokkaido
to teach police officials, and by 1915 was the most famous
instructor north of Tokyo.
Sokaku had many famous students, and when he died in 1943 —
typically, on his way to teach another class — the system was
inherited by his son, Takeda Tokimune, the present headmaster.
Other students branched out, modifying the original teachings to
suit their individual tastes. A few of the more famous styles
related to Daito Ryu are Hakko Ryu, Shorinji Kempo, and Hapkido.
Sogaku’s most famous student was Morihei Uyeshiba (1883-1969).
Uyeshiba, who later founded Aikido, was introduced to Takeda by a
newspaperman named Yoshida in 1915. It is one of the mysteries of
Aikido how Uyeshiba managed to convince Takeda to accept him as a
student. Uyeshiba was of social position so far below the rest of
Takeda’s disciples that he could not even get a proper
recommendation. (The introduction by Yoshida was not a formal one.
Yoshida excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving Takeda
sitting alone with Uyeshiba.) One must assume Uyeshiba was an
extremely impressive man.
Uyeshiba became Takeda’s most avid student, traveling with him on
his lecture tours. In 1922 he received his first Daito Ryu
certificate and then, in 1926, his second one. Uyeshiba later
moved to Tokyo and taught Daito Ryu as Takeda’s official
representative.
Uyeshiba fell under the influence of Deguchi Onisaburo, who was
teaching the Omoto-kyo religion. Uyeshiba combined the philosophy
of this school with the techniques of Aiki-Jujutsu and, over a
period of about 20 years, created what we now know as modern
Aikido. In the process, he greatly softened many of the
techniques, which allowed him to teach the art to a much wider
range of students.
It is important to note that Uyeshiba’s original students were
studying Daito ryu Aiki-Jujitsu, not Aikido, and received their
certificates in that art from Takeda. This is why you can see a
considerable difference between early styles of Aikido, such as
Yoshinkai, and later styles such as Shin Shin Toitsu.
There are at present over 40 different styles of Aikido. The
primary goals of these systems range from quasi-religious to
purely combative, depending on the date and source of their
creation. |
Much of the history of the martial arts is obscure and there are
several versions of its origins. This is because many stories of
great Masters and legends may have been exaggerated to the point
of mysticism. Many masters of the past also died with their
knowledge and secrets went with them to the grave since they were
very concerned about whom they would take on as a disciple. It was
not uncommon that a student used the power of martial arts in the
wrong way.
When this happened in ancient China, the Master himself would
customarily be responsible. Also, there were many wars and feuds
in which secrecy was important to survival and other records of
martial arts were burned with the temples that maintained their
records. This secrecy on the other hand is what actually gave
strength to the Okinawan art of kobujutsu or kobudo (ancient
weapons art).
Okinawa started out as a beautiful and peaceful country of the
peninsula near China and Japan. There were many emperors who
eventually produced laws that were supposed to keep the peace.
Laws like, no production of iron (which could produce metal
weapons) and laws like "Turn in your swords for all Samurai
warriors). In 1609 Okinawa was occupied by the powerful Samurai
clan of Lord Satsuma. Although the Okinawan people were required
to be subject to the new laws, they continued to practice life
protection karate and kobudo skills with the undetectable farming
implements that could be found around the farm and in the home
without appearing as threatening weapons.
Among these weapons was the nunchaku which was used as a rice
flail and wheat thrasher. The nunchaku was originally a six foot
long staff with a one foot staff attached to it by a rope, chain
or leather thong. Other uses reportedly included its use as a
device used by the night watchman which would alert the village in
the event of an emergency like a fire. This instrument was more
flat than round. The nunchaku was also said to have been used as a
removable horses bridle.
The Tonfa, or Tuifa has been adopted by civil and military police
as a restraining and striking type of weapon based on its
flexibility and power. The nickname for this weapon is "Spinning
Fury" and is quite a versatile weapon. It was used as a rice mill
grinder with the handle deeply embedded into a stone mill.
Possibly the oldest close quarters weapon known to man, originally
used on Okinawa as a means to more efficiently carry buckets for
water from the well or fruits and vegetables from the market, the
Bo staff or RokuShakuBo (six foot staff) could suddenly be used as
a long reach weapon against weapons like the katana or Samurai
sword which average over five feet in length. The length of the Bo
staff is typically longer than most weapons and has a reach
advantage. The bo staff is the most popular weapon in the Okinawan
martial arts to this day.
The Kama or sickles is jokingly referred to by Old masters as the
Okinawan lawn mower.
This weapon is
normally used in pairs but not limited to being used in connection
with the staff connected by chain or ropes for reach and
versatility. The Kama is quite possible the most dangerous of the
farming type weapons on Okinawa. It can be razor sharp and can
move as fast as the wielders arms can move. There are several
other exotic weapons in the kobujutsu arsenal and are all mere
extensions of the arms. Here is a listing.
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Eku bo or oar (boat paddle)
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Sai or truncheon (miniature pitch fork)
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Manji sai or sai that is pointed on both ends
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Nunte bo or spear (a bo staff with a manji sai attached to the
end)
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Tekkos or inverted brass knuckles
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Tinbe Rochin or shield and dagger
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Kusarigama or sickles with a weighted chain
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Sansetsu bo or three sectioned nunchaku
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Ni tan bo or
short staff
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