Reyes Kajukenbo Archive (RKA)

your gateway to the pasT, Preserving the history and spirit of Kajukenbo.

Help us honor the past by preserving our community's stories and knowledge for future generations. The Reyes Kajukenbo Archive (RKA), invites you to share your personal experiences, photos, films, videos, notebooks, knowledge and more. Together, we can inspire and guide future generations in the art of Kajukenbo.

Rest assured, we will treat your contributions with the utmost care and respect. We will digitize, document, and promptly return your contributions or add them to the physical archive. Collection donations will be recognized and honored. Additionally, please consider leaving your Kajukenbo collections to the RKA in your will.

Join us in celebrating the Aloha spirit of Kajukenbo.

 

GGM Aleju Reyes, Sijo Emperado at the Suisun Self Defense Institute Reyes Kenpo Karate cira1960.

ABOUT the RKA

Who We are.

In the early days of Kajukenbo, my Grandfather Great Grandmaster Aleju Reyes was known for his dedication to Sijo Emperado and the art of Kajukenbo particularly, to the original Hard Style. Not only did Sijo recognize my grandfather’s skill as a martial artist but he also admired his meticulous documentation of the original knowledge. Sijo would eventually appoint him the official Kajukenbo Secretary. To honor this role, my grandfather kept detailed records of the knowledge, organizational minutes, personal letters, photos, and more.

1959 Waikiki Sand Annual Christmas Party. Pictured in their famed Kajukenbo Jackets: (back row, left to right) Charles Lakalo, Henry Mandac, Ben Kekumu, Gabby, Sijo Emperado, Howard Papioli, Aleju Reyes (front row, left to right) Bay Kaowili, Kenneth Funokoshi, Antoque Silva.

1948 Aleju and Maria Reyes and Family. Honolulu, Hawaii

1940s The Islanders Orchestra with Aleju Reyes on Drums

In 1927, Grandpa was born and raised in Hawaii. He had a love for music. He played ukulele, drums, and had a voice like an angel. Like most of the family he was in the military. He met my Grandmother Maria Reyes and fell in love. They had three children; Alan, Marilyn, and Te, all of which would be involved in both Hula and Karate. On a recent trip to Hawaii, my uncle Joe Calaustro recently told me “in those days, if you were Filipino, you did Kajukenbo.”

As Grandpa continued to train, he also developed a love for photography and film. He routinely filmed his Kajukenbo classes at the Kaimuki YMCA on Oʻahu which he had taken over after the passing of Joe Emperado. He would review these films frequently as he documented the knowledge assisted by his cousin Henry Mandac. My uncle, Clyde Mandac tells me they spent hours and hours together as Henry would go through the motions, Aleju would write them down.

“they dedicated countless hours to preserving and refining the written knowledge.” - GM Clyde Mandac, son of Henry Mandac.

Years later, after moving to the mainland, Grandpa continued to document and refine the knowledge, having my father Alan Reyes demonstrate the self defense and forms on 8mm film. Together they documented classes, demos, and tournaments.

As Grandma’s hula school grew, Grandpa would document their performances and events. My aunties Te and Marilyn would perform as Grandpa would document each dance for future students. In addition, he and Tony Ramos would occasionally be the musical accompaniment for my Grandmother’s hula troop Tiare O Polynesia.

1950s Hula Honolulu Hawaii Tiare ‘O Polynesia

1964 The Tiare Dancers with Aleju, Maria, and Marilyn Reyes, Tony Ramos and friends.

1968c, Suisun Self Defense Institute. 8mm Film Session.

Grandpa filmed our Kajukenbo Christmas parties, our tournaments, hula performances, and family life. Documenting everything just became the thing we knew was important. Notebooks would become a requirement for every student to document their knowledge in their own words. This is a Reyes Kenpo Karate tradition that endures to this day. It’s a significant part of how we pass down knowledge.

In the late 1960’s and 70’s the Reyes family was a powerhouse of martial arts and hula. I remember how the dojo was split down the middle with hula girls on one side and karate guys on the other. Grandma and Grandpa’s tournaments and luaus were a perfect example of how the family came together with their Aloha spirit.

Not only was there plenty of dancing and food at Grandma’s luau’s, Grandpa would MC, play music, and sing while Dad would do fire knife and the Haka. My aunties Marilyn and Te would dance and even my cousins Shawn, Jamie, and Sharron were there too. The Luau would not be complete without a Reyes Kenpo Karate demo. The self defense always got the crowd going but the brick breaking was always the highlight.

Grandpa’s karate tournament, the Northern Pacific Nationals, is one of the oldest tournaments in the U.S. to date – where competitors such as Al Dacascos, Phil Cornin, Alan Reyes, Bill Owens, and Franco Ramirez of the "Kajukenbo Team" all gained notoriety. The tournament attracted the likes of Chuck Norris, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Ed Parker, and Bruce Lee.

Aleju was also the first tournament promoter to start a Women's Division and a separate Junior Division; he was the first promoter to bring in a female Black Belt judge, Malia Dacascos. He was also a much sought after judge and ring official within the tournament scene. He and Ed Parker routinely supported each others’ tournaments.

Grandpa would plan the Northern Pacific Nationals (NPN), orchestrate the event and judge in the ring, while dad would create the graphic design and programs, make trophies, and compete. Grandma of course with her hula girls was in charge of the food. It was such a sight to see all the aunties lined up, a whirlwind of teriyaki chicken, Lumpia, Futomaki, and Poi. Grandma’s luau style food was always a hit.

Aleju Reyes, along with Charles Gaylord, Joseph Halbuna, Tony Ramos, and Gabriel Vargas formed the the Kajukenbo Association of America (KAA) in 1967. They were all KSDI, but the KAA was geared to further Kajukenbo on the mainland and specifically to integrate Kajukenbo into the competitive scene. At the time many Kajukenbo techniques were considered too “dangerous” for competition, Al Dacascos recalls.

1969 Northern Pacific National Aleju “Al” Reyes, Reyes Kenpo Karate

Alan Reyes, Northern Pacific Nationals Trophy Making. Reyes Kenpo Karate

1969 Northern Pacific Nationals Chuck Norris VS. Phil Cornin - Reyes Kenpo Karate, Kajukenbo

1969 Northern Pacific Nationals, Reyes Kenpo Karate, Kajukenbo.

1981 RKA Aleju Reyes was the first of Sijo’s students to be promoted to 10th Degree Red Belt by Sijo Emperado.

1977 GGM Aleju Reyes funeral procession. GGM Reyes was an 8th degree red/black belt when he died August 3, 1977.
Visible from left to right; Lee Hart, Don Nahoolewa, Bill Rodriguez, Dave Beyer, Alan Reyes, Bill Owens, Gary Forbach, Al Novak.

Aleju Reyes gave himself to the sport of Karate, and now, posthumously, the sport has acknowledged his accomplishments and awarded him its highest honor, the rank of "Professor, 10th degree. Professor Adrian D. Emperado, founder/creator of the Kajukenbo system, made Reyes the first Professor and 10th Degree Black belt in the history of the Kajukenbo system. - Vacaville Reporter, California. (November 1981)

After my grandfather’s passing in 1977, things slowed down a bit. While my dad struggled with the loss of his father, he began the process of sifting through the mountain of materials my grandfather had archived. Sijo Emperado would later name my father Chief Librarian of the Kajukenbo System.

SGM Alan Reyes, Reyes Kenpo Karate circa, 1975.

Words from Sijo; a document validating prof. Reyes' Kajukenbo instructors Training Manual, certifying it to be the record of Original Knowledge and training methods at the art's inception at Palama Settlement in Hawaii. Signed and validated by Sijo Emperado.

As the Chief Librarian, Sijo entrusted my father with many personal photos, documents, and other artifacts. Together they began to formalize my grandfather’s meticulous notes that spanned from the Palama Settlement days to the Suisun Self Defense Institute in California.

Sijo authorized a number of original Hard Style documents to be authored by my father. The most notable being the Kajukenbo Instructors Training Manual in which every page of original Hard Style knowledge is signed and validated by Sijo himself. This was an attempt at formalizing the knowledge and language used to describe it. The manual was based on my grandfathers original notes from Palama Settlement, including handwritten alphabets from both my grandfather and Sijo.

Kajukenbo: The American Martial Art is a true and accurate collection of my Knowledge and interpretation of a practical approach to self-defense. Its detail and preciseness can only be surpassed by Prof. Reyes' Kajukenbo Instructors Training Manual, which is the only document I certify to be the record of original knowledge and training methods developed by me at the Art's inception at Palama Settlement in Hawaii. - Sijo Emperado

It was my father’s dream to assemble a book of original knowledge and history with photos illustrating each and every technique including the fundamentals. He made many attempts over the years staging many photography sessions - some with Sijo himself. Sadly dad passed before the completion of his dream.

Al Dacascos, Alan Reyes, Glen Abrescy at Reyes Kenpo Karate, Railroad Ave. 1980

“I will never forget so many conversations we've had together…Steadfast on his convictions of keeping the wishes of his dad and Sijo to make sure that they kept Kajukenbo Kenpo-karate Emperado method intact and original. With the Many Black belt and students, His legacy will live on especially with the memoirs of his intended book on Kajukenbo which I witnessed him starting many many years ago. Hopefully his son will continue the journey and complete it for him.” - SGM Al Dacascos , SGM Reyes’ Celebration of life.

Sigung Alan Christopher Reyes, Reyes Kenpo Karate, Reyes Kajukenbo Archive, KSDI

Filming the Alphabets 2005. Christopher Reyes, Alan Reyes.

As the successor to the Reyes lineage, the archive has now passed to me. Like my grandfather and father, I too developed an interest in film, photography, music and design. I’ve made a career of making documentaries, films, music, and interactive art projects. This is what I do, wonder where it came from?

I started training in 1974 under my Grandfather Great Grandmaster Aleju Reyes and then under my father Senior Grandmaster Alan Reyes. The study of Kajukenbo has been a lifelong journey. Not only will I and my daughters carry on the practice of Kajukenbo, I now clearly understand my duty to protect the Original Hard Style knowledge and historical archive as my father and grandfather did. I only wish that I had started sooner. So many questions and so few who can answer them honestly.

That said, the stories continue to reveal themselves. The more I dive into the Reyes Kajukenbo Archive, the more we will “talk story” together.

It is my hope that Kajukenbo.com can become a place for sharing knowledge and history, news and events, photos, videos and more. In short, a place for the Kajukenbo Ohana to be proud of their history and I welcome all Kajukenbo branches and methods to contribute to this community and their future history.

Many thanks to the Kajukenbo community and the RKA Advisors: SGM Al Dacascos, SGM Gary Forbach, GM Ed Zickowski, GM Clyde Mandac, Sigung Susan Thomas Gitlin and KSDI.

Mahalo!
Sigung Alan Christopher Reyes

Let me know what you think! I welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact me.

2014 Reyes Kenpo Karate The Next Generation

2023 Reyes Kenpo Karate The Next Generation

We’re interested in your stories and memories, where we came from and why we keep doing this art we call Kajukenbo. If you have boxes of photos, films, or videos, send them to us. We’ll have your Documents digitized and Added to the archive.

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