The exact origins of the forms we practise are uncertain. Like much martial arts history, they have been passed down through generations of practitioners, and not much of that journey was formally documented. Nevertheless, the evidence we do have provides a fascinating glimpse into their likely history.
The Martial Arts of Inter-War Britain
The story begins during the period between the First and Second World Wars, when the martial arts landscape in Britain looked very different from today. Boxing and wrestling clubs were well established, while judo, ju-jitsu and other systems of self-defence were gradually becoming known through demonstrations, military training and the experiences of those who had travelled overseas.
The boundaries between different fighting systems were far less rigid than they are today. Knowledge was often exchanged informally, particularly in boxing gyms, wrestling halls and boys’ clubs, where practitioners with different backgrounds trained alongside one another. Some instructors also brought experience of military combatives or martial arts learned abroad, creating an environment in which ideas and techniques could be shared and adapted.
Leeds and the Early Tradition
It was within this environment that the roots of our forms appear to have developed.
Leeds was one of the centres in which these influences came together, and it was here that George Smith encountered the body of movement that would later become an important part of our shared Kempo tradition.
Looking back decades later, Smith recalled that, alongside familiar boxing and wrestling methods, he had been exposed to movements that were quite different in character—more circular, more fluid, and unlike the judo or ju-jitsu then becoming established in Britain. He also described training under an instructor known as “Mr Burma”, whose background may have connected him, directly or indirectly, with martial arts traditions from Southeast Asia.
Nearly a century later, it is unlikely that the full story can ever be reconstructed. However, these recollections provide a plausible historical context for the origins of the forms that continue to be practised today.
A Distinctive Character
One particularly interesting feature of our forms is that they bear little resemblance to the Japanese karate kata that became widely known in Britain from the 1960s onwards.
Instead, their rhythm, footwork and flowing transitions suggest a different influence. While it is impossible to determine their precise lineage with certainty, they possess a distinctive character that has been preserved through successive generations of instructors.
Preserving Our Heritage
As George Smith established clubs after the Second World War, the forms eventually became an established part of training and were passed on to his students. They preserved not only sequences of movement, but also a connection to an earlier period in British martial arts, when practitioners drew inspiration from a wide variety of sources and effective methods were shared more freely between traditions.
Today, these forms remain an important part of our heritage. They connect present-day members with those who trained before them and help preserve the distinctive movement, principles and character of our style. While training methods and self-defence techniques might continue to evolve, the forms remain a valuable link between our history and our future.
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