Kajukenbo is an American hybrid martial art. It was founded in 1947 in the Palama Settlement on Oahu, Hawaii. In the late 1940s, the Palama Settlement was a violent area. Due to this environment, five martial artists from varying backgrounds came together with the goal of developing an art that would be practical and effective on the street, each with a different specialty, and its name (Kajukenbo) comes from the various arts from which its style is derived:

Peter Young Yil Choo — Tang Soo Do Korean KArate and Boxing
Joseph Holck — JUdo and Danzan Ryu JUjutsu
Adriano Directo Emperado — KENpo (Kosho Ryu) and Eskrima
Frank F. Ordonez — Danzan Ryu Jujutsu
Clarence Chang — Sil-Lum Pai Kung Fu (also known as Chinese BOxing)

In its conception, the founders followed a simple rule, if a technique worked consistently on the street (or against one another), then it stayed in the system, if it did not, it was discarded. This allowed the style to maintain its self-defense focus, while covering limitations found within each of their traditional arts.

Kajukenbo training incorporates a blend of striking, kicking, throwing, takedowns, joint locks and weapon disarmament.

Today, Kajukenbo is practiced all over the world in many different branches. In contrast to many traditional martial arts, students are not required to mimic their teacher, but are encouraged to develop their own “expression” of the art.