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William Kwai-sun Chow | |
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Born | William Ah Sun Chow-Hoon July 3, 1914 Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii |
Died | September 21, 1987 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States | (aged 73)
Other names | Ah Sun Chow-Hoon |
Style | Kara-Ho Kempo, Kenpo, Boxing, Wrestling, Jujutsu, Karate, Hung Ga |
Teacher(s) | James Mitose |
Rank | 10th Degree Black Belt in Kara-Ho Kempo |
Notable students | Edmund Parker, Bobby Lowe, Adriano Directo Emperado (founder of Kajukenbo) |
William Kwai-sun Chow (July 3, 1914 – September 21, 1987, AKA William Ah Sun Chow-Hoon) was instrumental in the development of the martial arts in the United States, specifically the family of styles referred to as kenpo/kempo.[1]
Born in Honolulu, but raised in Hana, Hawaii, Chow was the third of sixteen children and the first son born to Chow Hoon (AKA Ah Hoon-Chow) and Rose Kalamalio Naehu. Chow's father came to Hawaii at the age of 18 and worked in a laundromat as a laborer. His mother was of Hawaiian descent. One of his brothers, John Chow-Hoon, would also become a well–known martial artist. Chow left school at age eleven when he was in the sixth grade.[2]