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Like a tree, our roots have many turns and branches. They reach out in different directions. We have a lineage to Chinese Kempo (600AD). We have another to Okinawa, where some of our weapons, katas, pinans, and fundamentals of weapons come from. We also have a line to the Japanese influences that come to us through Shotokan, which had Okinawa and Kempo influences, and the James Mitose connection who received his training in his ancestral art of kosho-ryu kempo, which is based directly on Shao-lin kung-fu. Lastly we have an American lineage that comes down to us through people like Ed Parker, Sonny Gascon, George Pesare, Fred Villari, Larry Sullivan, and Nick Cerio as well as other influences that would affect the development of all martial arts in the U.S.
Any practitioner of any type of kempo/kenpo that has or had a connection to Thomas Young, William K.S.Chow, Paul Yamaguchi, Arthur Keawe, or Edward Lowe has a direct lineage back to James Mitose. Our lineage has several roots back to James Mitose through William K.S. Chow.
One is by way of kajukenbo. Adriano Emperado is one of the five original founders of kajukenbo in 1947. Emperado received his black belt from Chow. In 1950 he founded Hawaii’s first and largest chain of karate schools. Sonny Gascon studied under one of Emperado's black belts. He went on to Pasadena, California in 1956 and started teaching with John Leoning, another kajukenbo black belt. In 1960, George Pesare went to California and started training with Sonny. Pesare received his black belt and opened his school in 1963 in Providence RI. It was in that year Nick Cerio started training with George Pesare. Nick Cerio went on to teach Fred Villari, who in 1969 opened his first school in Dedham, Massachusetts. There he taught Bill Fitzgerald, who opened his school in North Attleboro, Massachusetts in the 1970’s. Soon after that Larry Sullivan and his brothers began their training. In 1982, Larry Sullivan, along with his brother Tom, opened his first school in Pawtucket RI. Shortly thereafter, Tom Sullivan opened up a school in Riverside, RI.
A second way is more direct. In 1966, Nick Cerio received his black belt and opened his first school. In 1971, (according to research) he was able to train directly with William K.S. Chow who promoted Nick Cerio to the Master Rank of 5th Degree Black Belt. In 1988, Larry Sullivan, who was a 3rd Degree Black Belt, started training with Nick Cerio. Nick Cerio promoted Larry Sullivan to 4th Degree in 1989 and licensed him to be a certified instructor of Nick Cerio’s Kenpo. By 1992, Nick Cerio promoted Larry Sullivan to 6th Degree Black Belt. In 1995, Larry Sullivan became the only person to become Nick Cerio’s business partner. They formed a corporation (C&S Management Co.) for the sole purpose of the selling, opening, training, and management of Nick Cerio’s schools. Larry Sullivan was Nick Cerio’s highest ranking black belt, the vice president of the Nick Cerio’s International Martial Arts Association, the co-founder of the International Team Karate League, his only business partner, and the person who Nick Cerio had chosen to be his Soke-di (second in line for the head of family) of the Nick Cerio Kenpo style. In 1996, Larry Sullivan was awarded his 7th Degree by Nick Cerio. After having a very successful year and finally bringing organization to the group, Cerio and Sullivan went their separate ways. Several of the most successful schools went with Sullivan, and Sullivan’s USA Karate was formed. Larry Sullivan then began to create his own system, not just modifying technique and kata, but actually creating all new material. In 1999, Larry Sullivan finalized his system and became the Soke (10th Degree Master) of Sullivan’s American Kenpo. Since then Hanshi Larry has been the driving force of our system. Hanshi Larry continues to train all School owners which include his wife 5th degree Master Robin Sullivan, 7th degree Soki Di Angelo Oliveira, Director of Operations 5th degree Master John Pinault, 5th degree Master Kevin Demers, 5th degree Master Tony Abatecola, 4th degree Sensei John Agostini, 2nd degree Sensei Joe Champagne, 1st degree Sensei Chuck Simpson . All black belts listed above have successfully trained and pasts all test required by Grandmaster Larry and have all been successful with owning and operating our chain of schools since USA KARATE was founded in 1999. Hanshi Larry and all instructors of the system take pride in the art that they teach and are constantly improving our systems and methods. Our tree has deep roots and our branches are still growing and with the right cultivation of qualified black belt Instructors our branches will continue to reach for the stars.
