In the kenpo world it has always been somewhat of a mystery as to where Mitose's art came from.
(Supposedly he told stories of learning from monks at the top of some mountain in the south of Japan yet apparently there are no monasteries in the area he spoke of.)
And since almost all kenpo in America comes via Professor Chow, who learned his kenpo from Mitose, it has always been a big and important missing piece in the kenpo puzzle.
Mitose did however refer once to the great Choki Motobu as "his master" so it is possible he learned from Sensei Choki.
We'll never know for sure but the above quote certainly fits in nicely to the realism Mr. Parker, and other American kenpo founders, searched for.
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(some information about Choki sensei from motobu-ryu.org)
https://www.motobu-ryu.org/motobu-kenpo/motobu-choki-sensei/
Choki sensei also did something unprecedented for a person of noble birth at the time by venturing into Naha's red-light district of Tsuji-machi to take part in street fights known as kakedameshi. At a time when karate was still a martial art studied only among the military class, it was inconceivable for anyone of that class to flout propriety by fighting in such a dangerous place. A loss in such a situation would not only be physically dangerous, but would also bring shame upon one's family. Thus, a person of noble birth such as Choki sensei taking part in such fights was unheard of.
However, Choki sensei was rational by nature and believed in the authenticity of experience. He sought to verify the usefulness of the techniques he had learned from his teachers in actual confrontations. In hundreds of kakedameshi encounters, he did not lose even once. As a result, by the time he reached his mid-twenties, his nicknames of Motobu Udun no Saaraa-umē (Lord Monkey of the Motobu Udun) and Motobu no Saarū (Motobu the Monkey) were known throughout Okinawa.
Choki sensei had become a living legend while still only in his twenties, but because his desire to improve his bu was stronger than others', he subsequently immersed himself in research into kumite with his fellow student Yabu sensei. Whenever they encountered a problem or question, Choki sensei would seek guidance from his teachers. Determined not to let his abilities go to his head, Choki sensei began an earnest and humble investigation into the heart of karate that continued into his old age.
In 1921, Choki sensei moved to Osaka. In November of 1922, while visiting Kyoto, he saw a sign advertising matches of judo vs. boxing. Impulsively jumping into a match himself, Choki sensei downed his European boxer opponent in one blow. At that time, Choki sensei was 52.
In those days, it was still said that "life is 50 years." Therefore, the spectators were astonished to see a man considered elderly take down such a huge boxer using an unknown martial art, and after the match they were caught up in wild enthusiasm.
Choki sensei was already a legendary karate-ka in Okinawa, but after the match his reputation as a martial artist began to spread on mainland Japan, and he was besieged with inquiries about karate and requests for instruction. In 1922, he established a dōjō in what is now Osaka's Konohana Ward, and also instructed at the Mikage Police Department and Mikage Normal School in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture.
In 1925, the magazine Kingu, which had the largest circulation at the time, gave the story of Choki sensei's victory in Kyoto extensive coverage. It is from this article that many people in Japan first heard of the Okinawan martial art of "karate." The people of Okinawa, who were suffering under harsh economic conditions at the time, were glad to hear news of the success of one of their own on the Japanese mainland.
In May of the following year, Choki sensei published his Compilation of Okinawan Kenpo Karate-jutsu Kumite. This volume is the oldest record of kumite, and the classical Okinawan kumite techniques introduced in it are today preserved only in Motobu kenpo. As such, it is not simply the kumite manual of one ryūha, but a priceless document of Okinawan culture and history which is held in high regard both in Japan and around the world.
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