KAJUKENBO is the official name of the style that has its roots in Hawaii. It is a true American martial art that originated on the tough streets of the Palama district on the island of Oahu.

Kajukenbo was founded in 1947 at Palamas Settlement on Oahu, Hawaii. It developed out a group calling themselves the "Black Belt Society", which consisted of black belts from various martial arts backgrounds who met to train and learn with each other. This was the beginning of an evolutionary, adaptive style designed to combine the most useful aspects of the arts.

Several black belts from the Palama Settlement left Hawaii and went to the mainland (U.S.) and opened schools. One of those was my instructor, Tony Ramos.