On October 4, 2014, at the Westford Regency hotel in Westford, Massachusetts, the Kenpo/Kempo Spirit of Lo Kahi event brought dedicated and faithful Practitioners of Kenpo systems, stemming from the Kenpo/Kempo Roots of GGM James Mitose and GGM William K.S. Chow, together to pay their respects to their honored Roots and the Successors of those Roots, Soke Thomas Mitose of the Kosho-Ryu Kenpo Art style, and Sifu Bill Chun, Jr. of the Go Shin Jitsu Kenpo/Chinese Kempo Arts Style. Attendees came from far and wide covering New England and beyond. It was a wonderful Kenpo/Kempo Family Reunion as many members were meeting their Senior ‘relatives’ for the very first time. The Successors honored their respective Founders and Creators by sharing many details of their Arts styles, some of which had never been shared in a public before. Everyone enjoyed and appreciated their generosity, sharing many techniques and insights which highlighted the uniqueness of their Founder’s insight to their Art’s creation.
The good will continued into the evening at the Celebration Dinner. The Dinner started off with a very ‘Traditional’ offering from those gathered to the Successors, thanking them for their time and efforts during the day. The Offering was symbolic of the way a student showed their teacher how much they were appreciated in the infancy of Martial Arts in China and Okinawa. The Successors were each given a gift commemorating the meaning of the event, which was to show deep respect and honor the Roots of Kenpo/Kempo from which we all come from.
We would like to take this time to say ‘Thank you’ for all those Kenpo practitioners who took time away from their families, training, and schools, to show the Successors how much their presence and their Art Styles are valued by everyone who attended.
And finally, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Soke Mitose and Sifu Chun, Jr. for taking time away from their families and students to share their Art Styles and stories to everyone who were eager to learn. It was an honor and privilege to have you as our Honored Guests and to gain a deeper understanding of where we all come from. We hope you had as great a time as we did and that your journey home was safe and pleasant.
GGM Chow Lo Kahi Plaque
GGM Mitose Lo Kahi Plaque
