Black Belt Magazine http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/179?

print=1

Shorinji Kempo

By Blue Johnson

This little-known offspring of Shaolin kung fu is alive and kicking in Japan—and making Pledge of Allegiance
inroads in the USA!
The Shorinji kempo oath
asks the art’s students
Although movies and magazines have caused the to pledge that they will
popularity of numerous arts to skyrocket, Shorinji follow six
kempo remains a mystery to most people. Even principles—both in
martial arts enthusiasts are frequently ignorant of training and in life:
its philosophy and techniques.
• Always affirm the
And they are almost always astonished to learn founder.
that the style has accumulated some 1.5 million
students in more than 3,000 dojo in 27 countries. • Be honest with your
A single group, headquartered in the town of teachers and respect
Tadotsu on the island of Shikoku, Japan, regulates those ahead of you.
all that training and testing, thus making the
World Shorinji Kempo Organization the largest • Never disdain those
independent martial arts group in the world. behind you.

However, with only 23 dojo in the United States • Give as well as receive
and four in Canada, Shorinji kempo is still an help and always
enigma to most Americans. This article will cooperate.
attempt to remedy that.
• Give yourself in a
Modern History contributing way and set
Doshin So is the founder of Shorinji kempo. Born aside your
in 1911 in a small mountain village high above the preoccupations in
city of Okayama, Japan, he traveled to China at learning Shorinji kempo
age 17 and lived there for more than a decade as if you were a
and a half as a special agent for the Japanese newborn child.
government. His work brought him into contact
with several Chinese secret societies, and he • Use Shorinji kempo
learned the Chinese fighting arts from instructors only to help people and
who had gone into hiding because of the Boxer never for reputation or
Rebellion. profit. —B.J.

After training extensively in Beijing with a Shaolin

Although it is not designed
expressly for competition or
street fighting, Shorinji kempo
definitely leaves its
practitioners with the ability to
master named Wen Laoshi, Doshin So was Kempo in California
permitted to succeed him as the 21st master of The Rev. Toshio
the Northern Shorinji Giwamonken School. He Kuramoto is the founder
started with the various techniques he had of the Shorinji Kempo of
learned in China, then added moves of his own Hollywood Dojo. He
and melded it all together. He named his creation holds a sixth-degree
“Shorinji kempo,” which translates as “Shaolin black belt in the art and
Temple fist method.” has practiced it for more
than 32 years. He is also
Doshin So returned to Japan in 1946 only to find an ordained Zen
his nation in a post-World War II state of moral Buddhist priest of the
decay and dismal self-esteem. Because of his Kongo-Zen Sohonzan
concern for his country and desire to change its Shorinji Temple in
mass depression, he began lecturing young Shikoku, Japan. A
people. When he failed to get his message across, well-known Zen
he realized that words alone were not enough to acu-therapist, he has
modify minds. So he opened a dojo and began the appeared in numerous
task of rebuilding the character, morale and television shows, films,
backbone of the Japanese people by using his magazines and
Shorinji kempo techniques as the bait to attract commercials. For more
new students and as a vehicle to teach his information, visit
message of Zen philosophy. www.shorinjikempoholly

1 de 4 14-08-2008 11:44
Black Belt Magazine
practitioners with the ability to
defend themselves.
Shorinji kempo is a
comprehensive martial art that
includes kicks, punches,
openhand strikes,
pressure-point attacks, escapes,
joint locks and throws.
Click For Next Image
The opponent grabs Toshio
Kuramoto’s right wrist (1).
Kuramoto stuns him with a front self-defense.
kick to the abdomen (2), then
maneuvers his wrist out of the
other man’s grasp (3). Next, the of “soft” and “hard” techniques designed to allow a weaker defender to
Shorinji kempo master bends
the opponent’s arm backward
(4) and wraps his right arm
under the trapped limb (5).
With his balance destroyed, the slashes.
opponent falls onto his back
(6).
C lick For Next
Author Blue Johnson (left)
swings at Toshio Kuramoto’s
2 de 4
http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/179?print=1
message of Zen philosophy. www.shorinjikempoholly
wood.com. —B.J.
In December 1951, Doshin So founded the Kongo
Zen Sohonzan temple in Tadotsu with Shorinji kempo as its main teaching;
thus he was able to teach the art despite the Allies’ prohibition on martial
arts training. Two years later, he created the Japan Shorinji Kempo
Federation, and in 1974 he set up the World Shorinji Kempo Organization.
In the 33 years that followed the founding of the art, he dedicated his life
to developing young men and women into strong adults through his
philosophical and physical teachings.
He wrote a bestseller titled Shorinji Kempo: Philosophy and Techniques,
and in 1975 it was abridged and reprinted in the United States as What Is
Shorinji Kempo?
In 1976, a movie was made about the life of Doshin So. It featured martial
arts film star Sonny Chiba performing Shorinji kempo techniques and
playing the role of the founder. The film primarily dealt with Doshin So’s
return to Japan after the war, the opening of his dojo and his rebuilding of
his people.
Unfortunately, when it was dubbed into English and released on video in
the United States, it was sensationally retitled Killing Machine, thus
misrepresenting virtually everything the founder stood for.
In April 1980, Doshin So traveled to Shaolin Temple, where the Chinese
priests welcomed him with a festive ceremony.
A stone monument dedicated to him still stands in the courtyard of the
temple. He returned to Japan, and on May 12, 1980 he died of heart
disease.
His daughter, Yuki So, then 22, decided to continue her father’s vision and
serve as president of the World Shorinji Kempo Organization. Today, the
system she oversees is used by police and military agencies in Japan and
is recognized not only as a martial art and a religion, but also an entity
that is committed to the betterment of society.
Comprehensive Art
As a religion registered with the Japanese government, Shorinji kempo
seeks to follow in the ancient traditions espoused by the Shaolin monks—in
short, unifying the mind and body through spiritual and physical
development in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. Because the
art revolves around Zen meditation and Oriental medicine, it can offer
students three main benefits: improved health, spiritual development and
The self-defense component stems from the art’s reliance on combinations
control a stronger attacker by dynamically applying the laws of physics.
That makes it perfect for women, children and people of all ages. Its
curriculum can be broken down into four basic parts: • Goho, which refers
primarily to punches, kicks, hammers (non-punching hand strikes) and
• Juho, which is composed of closecontact techniques, including releases,
joint locks, reverses, throws and pins.
• Seiho, or Zen acu-therapy, which offers health promotion through the
prevention of illness.
• Zazen, or seated meditation, which promotes spiritual and mental
development through Zen Buddhism, ultimately fostering the ability to
seek a solution to conflict without unduly harming others.
Physical Training
The Shorinji kempo arsenal includes hundreds of techniques that can be
broken down into 25 categories. For the most part, they are taught
through partner training, with the students alternating roles as attacker
and defender.
The partner is not a competitor or opponent, and the object is not to
defeat him. Instead, he is a partner in the learning experience, one who
can help the student improve his technique.
Students continually change partners during class, thus forcing themselves
to adjust their techniques to size, height, weight and reach differences.
The esoteric Japanese art also teaches pressure-point techniques for
14-08-2008 11:44
Black Belt Magazine
swings at Toshio Kuramoto’s
head (1). Kuramoto blocks the
strike with his left hand and
punches with his right (2). He
then grabs the opponent’s right
elbow (3) and torques the arm
backward (4). Once the
opponent falls (5), Kuramoto
can escape or immobilize him
with a Shorinji kempo pinning
technique.
In Shorinji kempo, defense
often involves a combination of
joint locks and strikes delivered
to the body’s vital spots.
Close-up: The point is located
under the assailant’s ear.
Toshio Kuramoto (left) stops an
attempted takedown by
activating a pressure point.
3 de 4
http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/179?print=1
The esoteric Japanese art also teaches pressure-point techniques for
selfdefense and healing. Out of 708 points known to Oriental medicine,
Shorinji kempo makes use of 138 for combat. Learning to use them
effectively requires much experimentation with a partner.
Stance and foot positioning are crucial in Shorinji kempo. The Zen term
kyakkashoko means “to look at the area around your feet” or “to be aware
of what your feet are doing.” If a student fails to observe that, his mind
and body cannot function as one. If either one lags behind the other in a
confrontation, critical mistakes will be made and techniques will lose
effectiveness. The mind and body must remain calm, focused and aware.
In the East, Shorinji kempo students train in a gi adorned with the
Buddhist manji symbol because they seek to follow the traditions of
Shaolin Temple. The symbol has been used for millennia by different
civilizations and actually predates Buddhism. It possesses profound
meaning, and in Asia it can be found in temples, on maps and in works of
art.
The manji represents the fluidity of the universe and the foundation of life.
It also stands for the all-important theory of opposites: heaven and earth,
day and night, positive and negative, male and female, fire and water, etc.
Each component maintains its own distinct nature while finding
harmonious relations with its opposite, and students learn to apply that
principle in their interpretation of the art.
Unfortunately, Adolf Hitler latched onto the manji, turned it on its side and
used it as the swastika. It eventually came to represent his Nazi party.
As a result, Shorinji kempo students in the West wear the ken (fist)
symbol on their gi.
Art, Not Sport
Shorinji kempo is not a sport. Sports have rules, but in self-defense, there
are no rules. A practitioner does whatever is necessary to fend off the
attacker. To temper that potential lethality, students are taught that under
no circumstances should they attack first, as Buddhism holds it is always
wrong to strike the first blow.
In lieu of the sporting ideal of striving to defeat others or set world
records, Shorinji kempo emphasizes the importance of overcoming oneself
by unifying the mind and body. It is not designed for fighting against
others, but as it teaches the practitioner to improve himself physically,
mentally and spiritually and thus become a positive person who is useful to
society, he can assuredly take care of himself on the street.
Because of this philosophy, the art does not award rank based on a
comparison with others or a win-loss tally from a tournament circuit.
Instead, it is based on the individual student’s improvement. Rank is not
used for the purpose of setting up a hierarchy in class, but to provide a
series of goals and markers for training. In addition to undergoing a
physical test, practitioners must take a written exam that includes crafting
an essay on technique, philosophy, history, their motives for studying the
art and their current state of mind with respect to it.
Body and Spirit
One of the most important lessons of Shorinji kempo is that the body and
spirit are indivisibly one and that both are of equal importance. The art
advocates training the two halves through the physical techniques
described above and through zazen meditation. The guiding principle is
that the student must first save himself and then be of use to the world.
Developing breath control, mental discipline, and physical and spiritual
strength are among the many benefits of Shorinji kempo practice.
“Boundless strength and unlimited love” is a slogan often used by its
adherents.
The philosophy teaches that love without strength is ineffective, while
strength without love is violence. Movement exists in stillness, and calm
exists in action.
Through meditation and physical training, Shorinji kempo seeks to find
balance and harmony between love and strength, mind and body, power
and compassion, self and others, and action and stillness. It ultimately
becomes a lifestyle, a formula for personal happiness and for the
realization of human potential.
14-08-2008 11:44
Black Belt Magazine http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/179?print=1

Blue Johnson is a free-lance writer, recording artist and Shorinji kempo assistant
instructor based in Hollywood, California.

Return to http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/179.

4 de 4 14-08-2008 11:44