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Ralph Castro

Ralph Castro, who grew up in Honolulu, taught his own Shaolin Kenpo system in San Francisco and founded the International Shaolin Kenpo Association in 1981.

Quick Facts

Date of Death2/25/2019
Country of OriginUnited StatesUnited States

Biography

Ralph Castro grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is known as the creator of the Shaolin Kenpo system, in which he reached the 10th dan. We have not been able to verify the date of his birth in the sources.

He began training in martial arts in 1955 under William "Thunderbolt" Chow.

In 1958 he opened his first school on Valencia Street in the Mission district of San Francisco. He collaborated with Ed Parker in the International Kenpo Karate Association, and in the early 1960s also worked with Bruce Lee. He helped establish the California Karate Championship at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. In 1981 he founded the International Shaolin Kenpo Association and became its president.

He had seven children, all of whom earned black belts. In 2002 he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame. Sources disagree on his date of death: some give 25 February 2019, others October 2021 at the age of 87.

Associated Martial Arts

Kenpo KarateNotable figure→

Ed Parker’s system from the USA, rooted in his Hawaiian teacher William Chow, built on 154 named self-defense sequences and belts up to 10th dan.

Organisations

Ranks and titles

  • 10th danKenpo Karate

Achievements and honours

  • Martial Arts History Museum Hall of FameHall of Fame · 2002