(from Mr. Carl Totton's Facebook page, September 12th)
Sifu James Ibrao has passed away. Many respects and blessings to the memory of this most significant and legendary martial artist.
Here is the chapter I wrote on Sifu James Ibrao for the Kenpo Continuum, Vol. 2, in 2012. I co-edited this book with Amy Long.
James Ibrao: Kenpo Pioneer
By Dr. Carl Totton
Grandmaster James Ibrao was born in 1937 in Hawaii. A naturally gifted athlete, Ibrao studied some judo and played many sports but excelled in basketball, quite a feat since he was only 5’, 9’’ tall. After moving to the US mainland, in 1956 he had the opportunity to witness Ed Parker teaching a kenpo karate class and he was amazed at what he saw. Mr. Parker’s speed, power, and sheer presence were astonishing and he enrolled the very next day.
Ibrao immediately took a great liking to this deadly art form and found his body rapidly responding to Mr. Parker’s innovative teaching style. His speed, power, and self-confidence seemed to increase exponentially with each workout and he quickly rose through the ranks and has the distinction of becoming Ed Parker’s first black belt! What’s more, he accomplished this singular feat in only nine months on training, setting yet another unbroken record.
Ed Parker was later to comment that among all of the many students he taught, James Ibrao was the most naturally gifted martial artist he ever met.
Mr. Ibrao was present for the formulation of many of the techniques, sets, and forms which have become standard in kenpo, and he helped Mr. Parker with the creation of many of them. Ibrao in fact accompanied Mr. Parker on a trip to San Francisco in 1960 where they observed many Chinese kung fu stylists and were especially impressed with the skills demonstrated by Grandmaster James Wing Woo. Woo would move to southern California where he helped Mr. Parker with the writing of his second book, Secrets of Chinese Karate, and helped to develop some of the early kenpo forms, leading Parker to even begin referring to his art as Chinese Kenpo for a time.
From 1962 to1964, Ibrao was recruited onto the global basketball demonstration team the Harlem Globetrotters, yet another testimony to his impressive athletic skills. He traveled around the world demonstrating his incredible ball handling skills with them, and when he returned, he decided to continue his study of the Chinese martial arts with James Wing Woo. He studied many forms of kung fu and tai chi chuan with Woo and eventually began teaching his own students these ancient art forms. Today he continues to innovate and has put together a system allowing others to progress in martial arts under his guidance.
James Ibrao was one of the crucial contributors to Al Tracy’s first Gathering of the Eagles event in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999. Indeed, the four legends who signed my certificate of participation were the esteemed grandmasters James Ibrao, Al Tracy, Tino Tuiolosega, and Ralph Castro. Ibrao’s command of kenpo’s unique history and innovations made for an especially powerful learning experience which was appreciated by all who participated.
Mr. Ibrao has remained committed to preserving kenpo’s unique history by continuing to teach many of the original kenpo sets which have fallen into disuse today. These include the Book Set and Tiger-Crane forms which he sometimes teaches at workshops to a newer generation of kenpo practitioner, as well as to older generations who want to learn the forms as they were originally taught. Having learned many of these forms directly from Woo, he is in a unique position to offer them in their pure and unadulterated state.
Today, James Ibrao is often found presenting at martial arts seminars, or teaching and training at his home in South Pasadena, California. He continues his own study and research into the Chinese martial arts and continues to train and refine his skills with Grandmaster James Wing Woo. He is a highly sought after consultant for his encyclopedic knowledge and ability in the martial arts. And in spite of the many systems he has learned, James Ibrao always credits Ed Parker and kenpo karate for giving him his start and providing the principles upon which he has been able to grow over the years.
Beyond his obvious skills in the martial arts is James Ibrao’s personal warmth and extremely caring and respectful personality. In his presence, old and new friends alike immediately feel welcomed and respected as he is the very embodiment of a perfect gentleman, scholar, and warrior. At age 75 he continues to astonish with his speed, power, knowledge, and skills as a modern martial arts warrior-scholar-teacher who seems to have stepped out of history to give current generations a glimpse of the distant past to show how to innovate by returning us to our roots.
James Ibrao lives in South Pasadena. He can be reached at www.jamesibrao.com
Dr. Carl Totton teaches martial arts in Southern California. He can be reached at www.taoistinstitute.com
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