An interesting perspective on Khenfoia Padu.

Osu!

I received an e mail from from my senior and friend Dai Sensei Kow Loon "Kayo" Ong, in response to my piece about GMstr. Padu. As a youth in Sensei Urban's Chinatown DoJo, Kayo had much more interaction with GMstr. Padu than I ever did, and was gracious enough to give me the OK to post his message to me here.

Dear Steven:

Thank you for the notice.... I hope all is well???

I am very sorry to have learned of GM. Khemfoia Padu's passing.

Yes, Khemfoia Padu was a very unique man! He was giant of a man on the Dojo floor as being a big man physically. Hey, I was 110 pounds or less back then.... hahahaha. Believe it or not, when I was a youngster at Chinatown Dojo, I had always watched his fighting ways and skills with scrutiny. His ways and characteristic of fight had always intrigued me and then prompted me to seek ways as to answer an opponent with his capabilities. He was different and his differences worked for him very well!!! His "differences" had inspired me as well.... Anyway, another great elder lost....

Kayo

Grand Master Khenfoia Padu passes.

Unfortunately, we lost another GoJu brother. This one, from the original Urban guard. He was born on January 21, 1935 and died on November 28, 2011. I personally did not know him very well, but for the memory of a large senior yudansha in our organization who always wore a turban. What we had in common was that we came from the same teacher, practiced the same style, yet we came from otherwise very different worlds. He was imposing in appearance, yet kind in demeanor. He was a professional in the holistic genre and a highly spiritual gentleman of quality.










Here Grand Master Padu is pictured along with GMstr. S.Henry Cho, GMstr. Urban, John McGee, Abus Salaam U, GMstr. Frank Ruiz and GMstr. Aaron Banks during a forum for Official KaraTe magazine's April 1972 issue..

The following is a piece from Official KaraTe magazines February 1972 issue.
















































Last night at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, which is a Masonic Temple in NYC, GMstr. Padu was remembered. He is now in the company of the Great Architect Of The Universe. Rest in peace my GoJu and Masonic brother. Osu!

GMstr. Urban referees as Dr. Maung Gyi opens up a can of whoop ass....

Osu!

I found this video courtesy of Bando Bob, a student of Dr. Maung Gyi.
Maung Gyi brought the Burmese martial art called Bando, here to the USA.
He was not a big man, but hit like one, with a lightning speed.

I recall Don Nagle saying that he considered Gyi as his equal in fighting.

In the early days of East Coast KaraTe tournaments, it was Maung Gyi, Don Nagle, and Peter Urban, who where, in Urban's words "The Establishment."

In this video clip, Dr. Gyi defeats the well known boxer Jeff Goldberg as Maestro Urban referees, at Sunnyside Gardens in NY.

Incidentally, Sunnyside Gardens was one of, if not THE location for many of the now historic events in our East Coast martial arts history.

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 1

Osu!

What we have here is a CLASSIC tournament program circa 1966, which was sent to me courtesy of my friend and Chinese American GoJu yudansha Stephen Trost.

This was at a time when the pioneers of East Coast KaraTe where still alive, and still working together.

For those of you who actually take the time to read, you will find some really interesting participation going on here from the camps of Urban, Nagle, Gyi, and Cho just to name a few, as well as some really well known names from around the country.

Two names on page 9 that I found especially interesting are:
#1. Listed as one of the ticket takers is Roy Colonna, who besides later becoming a high ranking yudansha, was the artist who drew the famous line drawings in Urban's book The KaraTe DoJo.

#2. Listed as Downstairs Usher, is Kow Loon "Kayo" Ong, who was just a young teen then, but who I can say with much authority, and meaning no disrespect, now has a deeper knowledge of Martial Arts than all of the other names on this program combined. But that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.... but I doubt it.....

As usual, if you click on the following images, they will enlarge for easier reading.

Enjoy!

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 2

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 3

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 4

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 5

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 6

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 7

Peter Urban MKS Karate Championships 1966 part 8

Peter Urban MKS Karate championships 1966 part 9