Shorinji Kempo was founded by Doshin So in 1947 in the Japanese town of Tadotsu. His inspiration for creating Shorinji Kempo was based on his personal experiences of Japan's defeat at the end of World War II.
Doshin So (also referred to as Kaiso, which means founder) had lived for many years in what was then called Manchuria (now the Northeast Region of China). During this time he had studied various Chinese martial arts. He was also very well versed in many Japanese martial arts. It was during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria where he witnessed fully the wretechedness and sorrow of a defeated people.
Kaiso concluded that the course of the world's events was not dependent on ideology, religion or nationalism, but on the quality of the individual person and particular actions, especially at difficult or critical moments. In one of his most famous expressions, he proclaimed:
"The person! The person! Everything depends on the quality of the
person!"
This conclusion strongly influenced the shaping of Shorinji Kempo and its philosophical base.
Returning to the devastation of postwar Japan, Kaiso found the youth of his homeland discouraged, and with little, if any, sense of purpose.
His great concern for their moral welfare and the future of his country caused him to devote his life to training young people, with "courage, strength, mercy and a sense of justice," principles that in the fullness of time would find international acceptance.
Kaiso reformed and revised the martial art techniques that he had studied in China, and added to them his philosophical insights to create Shorinji Kempo. As both a training place and sanctorium he established the Shorinji Kempo Hombu (headquarters) dojo on the Island of Shikoku, Kagawa Prefecture, in the town of Tadotsu. The original 12 square meter dojo behind his house in Tadotsu has grown over the years into a very substantial training facility, to which students from all over the world come to train.
On May 12 1980 Kaiso died of heart disease. Since then, his daughter, Yuki So, has continued his work as the head of the Shorinji Kempo movement. Currently the world federation Kaiso formed is called the World Shorinji Kempo Organization - a federation of all Shorinji Kempo dojos around the world. Countries outside of Japan have national, and sometimes regional federations, where they periodically meet together as a group. Worldwide, there are about 1.5 million members at across 31 countries. In the United States, there are currently 32 branches.
Shorinji Kempo
Mental Power
Shin
Shin means
mind, the faculty of reason and
control. Many believe that
dependability goes hand in hand with
developing mental power.
Physical
Techniques
"Eki Kin Gyou"
Juho
Juho is a set
of techniques which let you escape
from holds and enable you to throw
someone who is attacking you.
Goho
Goho is a set
of self-defense techniques using
kicking and punching.
Seiho
Seiho is a set
of techniques of theraputic massage
and relaxation techniques.
Intelligence
Chi
Chi means
wisdom, intelligence, mental
ability. Practicing Shorinji Kempo
develops one's mental faculty
through human relations and the
disciplined execution of physical
techniques.
Shorinji Kempo is a conglomerate of the
above three. Even to execute physical
techniques there always must be Shin, mental
power, to overcome the fear and Chi, to find
out the weak point of the aggressor. And
also, in physical techniques, Goho and Juho
are not independant, they can work best with
other's help.
Principles in learning physical techniques:
The body and the
heart, they must go together.
Development of one's body is greatly
aided by one's control of one's
mind.
Power and love, they
must go together, too. Power without
love is nothing but violence. Love
without the power to sustain it is
useless.
Do not try to defeat
someone without thinking of defence.
Offense without defense will lead
you to lose.
Do not try to harm
anyone. Shorinji Kempo is intended
to assist and develop people.
Goho and Juho cannot
be separated. They will work most
beautifully in combination. You must
practice both of them for good
results.
Try to practice
Shorinji Kempo with a partner, who
can help you practice in realistic
situations. You can learn from each
other.
Training tips:
Seek to understand the principles
behind each technique. If you know why a
technique, a waza, works, then
you can learn it more quickly.
Practice as often as you can. Repeated
practices will make your techniques
almost instinctive.
Try to practice a variety of
techniques. They will work well in
combination. Well balanced training will
develop your skill best. For example,
try to use both hands until you feel
equally comfortable with both.
Do not go overload. Shorinji Kempo is
not asceticism. Practice it at level
suitable to your skill, physical
condition, and range of interests.
Continuity is the most important
factor for development. You may feel
your progress is slow at first, but
continuity can make you an expert in
Shorinji Kempo.
Three stages in learning:
The
literal meaning of these three characters
are Obey, Break and Leave.
Their meanings are thought to be essential
for learning the profound techniques.
Obey, in this context, means "do exactly as you are taught". Sometimes, you will think of a better way to execute some technique or other however, such kind of casual idea will not help your progress. Understanding each technique can be achieved only if you have come to be able to do it as you are taught..
Break means modifying what you are taught to fit yourself, but after you fully understand what you were taught. You come to a level of modifying the techniques for better performance and bigger effect.
Leave means establishing ones own techniques. You can develop your own techniques after going through the Break level.
Always try to go through these steps. You have to be modest to master the important fundamental techniques of Shorinji Kempo.
~ K.Hayashi
The
literal meaning of these three characters
are Obey, Break and Leave.
Their meanings are thought to be essential
for learning the profound techniques.