Today's style is: KEMPO or KENPO, a style that places equal emphasis on the use of hands and feet and uses similar fighting techniques to other Okinawan fighting styles.

A brief history lesson: Okinawan fighting arts can be traced back to the Shaolin monks of China. Master "To-De" Sakugawa (1733-1815) from Shuri, the ancient capital of Okinawa, traveled to China in the 18th century to train with the Chuan Fa masters. On his return to Okinawa he developed what became known as Shuri Te, which would become Kempo.

Much later in 1916, a young Hawaiian man named James Mitose ventured to Japan where he studied and trained in Kempo. After mastering the style, Mitose returned to Hawaii and began teaching. From here, the style became fused with western fighting arts and thus transformed into the American Kempo we know today.

American Kempo is now defined as a mixed martial art, compromising of over a dozen different styles from around the world. The most definitive characteristic of American Kenpo or Kempo is the focus on linear and circular movements with a signature rapid-fire combination of blows to vital areas of the body.

As for the spelling, it seems there is no definitive difference between the two most common spellings: Kenpo or Kempo. The Japanese kanji character for Kenpo and Kempo is the same, yet when translated to English, the N can also be an M. For both spellings, the meaning translates to, "Law of the fist", referring to its roots in China.

Even though it's one of the oldest forms of martial arts, present day Kempo can be described as a much more niche-oriented style. Depending on where you train and under which black belt, Kempo teachings can vary greatly. However, Kempo has managed to survive for nearly a decade in the US and has a number of strong national and even world organizations behind it.

Learn more here:

http://www.kempo.org/home.htm

http://www.torakendo.com/webpage.html