Kempo, also known as Kenpo, is a martial art that originated in China and later spread to Japan and other parts of the world. The word "Kempo" is derived from the Chinese words "quan fa," which means "fist law" or "boxing method". Historically, Kempo can be traced back to the Shaolin Temple in China, where Buddhist monks developed various fighting techniques to defend themselves against bandits and other attackers. Over time, these techniques evolved into different styles of Kempo. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kempo was introduced to Japan by martial artists who had trained in China. In Japan, Kempo continued to evolve and was influenced by other martial arts such as Judo and Karate.

Today, Kempo is practiced around the world and has many different styles and variations. Some of the most well-known Kempo styles include Kenpo Karate, Shaolin Kempo, Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo, and American Kempo. Each of these styles has its own unique techniques, forms, and philosophies, but they all share a common origin in the martial arts of China.

American Kenpo Karate, also known as American Kenpo or Ed Parkers Kenpo Karate, is an American hybrid martial art founded and codified by Ed Parker. It has a graded colored belt system consisting of white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, 3rd-degree brown, 2nd-degree brown, 1st-degree brown, and 1st through 10th-degree black. Different Kenpo organizations and schools may have other belt systems. The black belt ranks are indicated by half-inch red tips up to the 4th degree, then a 5-inch block for the 5th. After that, additional half-inch stripes are added up to the 9th degree.

Overall, Kempo is a martial art that has a rich history and has evolved into many different styles and variations.