KEMPO: a difference of spelling?

[aefibird]

Sorry if this has been answered before in another thread. However, as all the kenpo/kempo threads are now in one place it may be useful to bring this question up again.

 

Can anyone explain to me why some people call their art keNpo and others call it keMpo?

 

Is it to do with lineage, differeces in techniques, location or something else?

 

Or is it simply due to a difference in spelling (much like American English and British English ), with the actual systems of kenpo and kempo being the same?

 

Thanks!

[doubletwist]

The following answer was found here: http://www.urbin.net/EWW/MA/KF/3D.html#Differ

 

 

What's The Difference Between Kempo And Kenpo?

 

Nothing. Actually, the only difference is in the translation of the Kanji to its English form. The rules of Kanji holds, that when a character (written word) ends in an "n," the "n" is pronounced, when spoken; with the exception, that when the "n" is followed by another character (word), which begins with a "p," the two characters are unchanged in the written form and the "n" is pronounced "m". Ken-po follows this rule. So, if following the correct Kanji translation, it is spelled "Kenpo" and pronounced "Kempo". It is only in transliteration that Kenpo is written Kempo.

 

Hope that helps

 

DT

[Sasori_Te]

As you said, it's simply a spelling difference. Kempo/ Kenpo means fist way. Ch'uan Fa means the same in Chinese.

[Red J]

As you said, it's simply a spelling difference. Kempo/ Kenpo means fist way. Ch'uan Fa means the same in Chinese.

 

Hence why many kenpoists have Ch'uan Fa as a system or reference in their lineage. The Chu'an Fa subsystems and references usually have more of the Chinese elements in it, while the kempo subsystems have Okinawan influences. My system has both influences with pinans and animal forms.

[Drunken Monkey]

gonna be a pain and ask if any of you know/have the characters for 'kempo/kenpo'?

 

is it really just the japanese reading of the chinese characters?

[doubletwist]

gonna be a pain and ask if any of you know/have the characters for 'kempo/kenpo'?

 

is it really just the japanese reading of the chinese characters?

 

I BELIEVE That this is it:

 

http://www.fearthepenguin.net/~ender/pics/kenpo_kanji.jpg

 

DT

[Shorin Ryuu]

Those are the correct characters for kenpo. I could be wrong on this, but I think it was a term the Japanese came up with by themselves to describe unarmed methods of combat (almost all the time meaning Chinese) rather than a Japanese pronunciation of a Chinese word. DM, is there a Chinese word using these two characters like this with the same meaning in China?

[delta1]

I've allways been told that the Chinese characters for Chuan fa are pronounced as kempo in Japanese.

 

Also, while the terms Chuan fa and Kempo encompass many different systems, the Kempo arts all are made up of different systems. This is especially true of American Kenpo. So I see no problem applying these terms to any of the Kempo family of styles.

[Shorin Ryuu]

I looked it up in one of Robert Smith's books (Chinese Boxing) and sure enough, the Chinese characters for chuan fa are the same characters that the Japanese use for kenpo. I didn't know that. I never really payed much attention to the actual characters for chuan fa before...

[Drunken Monkey]

um..... a worthless post but yeah, them characters are the ones for kuen (chaun-fist) faat (fa-art/skill/technique).