Origins
Kenpo is an unarmed fighting style that came to Japan from China around the twelfth century. Kenpo continued to evolve separately in both countries over the centuries. The Tracy's Kenpo style derives from the Japanese branch, brought to America through Hawaii by James Mitose. Mitose began teaching kenpo to family members in Hawaii in 1936. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Mitose began to teach Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu more openly and, for the first time, outside his family and to students outside the Japanese community. A student, William K.S. Chow, opened a kenpo karate studio in Hawaii. One of his more notable students, Ed Parker (founder of American Kenpo) moved to the mainland United States, and was the kenpo instructor of Al and Jim Tracy, the Tracy brothers.
Tracy's Kenpo was founded by the Tracy Brothers, Al and Jim. The Tracy brothers began their martial arts training in fencing, boxing, and wrestling. They embarked on their study of Kenpo with Ed Parker and his black belt student James Ibrao in 1957, while attending Pasadena City College.{*Jim Tracy} Over time they developed a close relationship with Parker, and soon after Parker turned the teaching of all beginner and intermediate classes over to the brothers. They developed an order in which the techniques would be taught; the advanced classes were run by Ibrao.
In the Black Belt Family Tree listed in the original "Infinite Insights" book by Ed Parker, Al and Jim Tracy are listed as first generation Black Belts under Ed Parker,. They also have the largest number of black belts listed under their tree.
On January 2, 1962, Al Tracy was the fifth person promoted to black belt. Clicking the reference will take you to a photo of his shodan diploma. Jim Tracy was the sixth person promoted to black belt (January 2, 1962). Both certificates were dated January 7, 1962 and signed by Ed Parker and Mills Crenshaw. The third Tracy brother, Will Tracy received his black belt in 1961, under both William K.S. Chow and Fusae Oshita (James Mitose’s sister).
Read more about this topic: Tracy Kenpo
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