My first experience with martial arts was in 1947 when I joined a boxing club at Kaimuki Park and judo at the famous Henry Okazaki's dojo in downtown Honolulu (near the car barn where the HRT busses parked). I was not ready to commit myself to these arts. But, in 1957, I heard of an art called karate. It was very different from judo and I was interested in learning more about it. I went to an old Japanese school in Wahiawa where they were teaching this "mysterious" art. When I arrived, the doors were locked, but I could here the activity inside. In those days, all martial arts were taught in secrecy and only to family and friends. I eventually was allowed into the school through a friend and was impressed with what I saw. The class was small, consisting of maybe eight people. I soon learned why this was so. It was small because the training was brutal. There were no women or children, only adult males. I was intimidated by the training even though I was a physically tough, 24-year old, Korean War veteran. I finally overcame my apprehension and joined the school. The system of was called Kajukembo, a combination of karate, judo, kenpo, and Chinese boxing, mainly developed for self-defense. I found it to be an effective street style system. I got my black belt after three years and started teaching for Sijo Adrian Emperado, one of the system's founders, at the Wahiawa YMCA. Among those training at the time were Joe Black, Alapac, Tokamoto, Tony Ramos, and Al Reyes, Sr. At the Wahiawa School, they were the first group of black belts promoted by Sijo Emperado. A few others and I were his second group of black belts.

In 1962, I was assigned to Thailand for a short time, returned to train in Hawaii, and then was assigned to Korea in 1963. At that time, I asked Sijo if I could join another school because I knew I would not be coming back to the islands. Sijo gave his approval knowing that I was a soldier and would be traveling all over the world.