Explanation of the Crest
Groupings of “three” are very common and important in Kenpo and Far Eastern philosophies and have a very strong and spiritual meaning. Some exampl
es of how we use groupings of three in Kenpo are: the three stages of movement; primitive, mechanical and spontaneous, the three body zones; height, width and depth and the three prerequisites to correct technique; power, precision and speed. Hence, the Portlaoise Kenpo Karate Crest carries this theme through it.
Firstly, there are three colours in the crest; Red, White and Black. Red is a very important colour in Kenpo representing “Professorship” and is a Primary colour. White is equally important as it symbolises the “Beginner” stage of our learning and it’s the first belt everyone puts on. White is one of the six “Pure” colours. Black is another very important colour in Kenpo as it represents the “Expert” or Black Belt stage of our journey. It is also one of the “Pure” colours. Red and Black together are sin ominous as being the Kenpo colours. (Brown represents the Intermediate stage in Kenpo but it wasn’t included in the crest as it is not a primary or pure colour and can be obtained, in different shades, by mixing red and black).
Next there are three languages present in the crest; English, Chinese and Irish. Mr. Parker chose to propagate his art through the median of the English language as opposed to Japanese or Chinese like some of the traditional arts. It is one of the most common languages spoken on the planet and is represented on the crest in “Portlaoise Kenpo Karate” the meaning of which is self explanatory. The Kanji running down both sides of the crest is Chinese and says “Fist Law Empty Hand” or Kenpo Karate and “Spirit of the Tiger and Dragon” which is the mantra of Kenpo Karate. Having the Kanji on the crest is a nod to the Chinese origins of our art. At the bottom of the crest there is Irish or Gaelic. This represents the fact that Portlaoise Kenpo Karate is an Irish arm of Ed Parker’s Kenpo Karate and also that we are warriors as this is an old Irish Battle Cry. It is the motto of Portlaoise Kenpo Karate. (For a more detailed explanation of “Fág an Bealach” see bottom of article).
The red shape at the centre is the original shape of Ed Parkers Kenpo Karate Crest and is there to directly represent Senior Grand Master Parker and his art of Kenpo Karate. The “triskel” at the centre of this is an ancient Irish symbol, which we know to be more than seven thousand years old and has great meaning. The triskel carries on the theme of “three” with its three arms representing “Mind, Body and Spirit”. A hugely important part of Kenpo is that a well rounded Kenpoist must have all three of these aspects of themselves well developed to be a balanced Martial Artist.
“Fág an Bealach” - Clear the Way
Fág an Bealach is a battle cry of Irish origin meaning “Clear the Way”. It is sometimes seen written as Faugh a Ballagh which is an Anglicization from the 18th century. Although it is not clear when this phrase was first coined, its first recorded use as a regimental motto was by the Irish regiments in the Williamite Wars which culminated in its most famous battle in 1690, the Battle of the Boyne. It was also famously promoted by the Royal Irish Fusiliers in the late 1700’s. It was adapted due to the blood curdling battle cry of Sergeant Patrick Masterson as he tore into the French ranks to capture the first French Imperial Eagle to be taken in battle, during the battle of Barossa. It was also popularised outside Ireland by the Irish Brigade composed of the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry (NYVI) or the “Fighting 69th”, the 63rd and 88th NYVI and later by 116th Pennsylvania and the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry which fought in the American Civil War. The motto was also adopted by the 55th Battalion of the Australian 5th Division during the First World War. It has been used as a battle cry for Irish warriors all over the world for hundreds of years and is the motto of Portlaoise Kenpo Karate.
