is a Japanese martial art claimed to be a modified version of Shaolin Kung Fu. The name Shōrinji Kempo is the Japanese reading of Shàolínsì Quánfǎ. It was established in 1947 by [born ], a Japanese martial artist and former military intelligence agent who lived in China for many years before and during World War II.
Shorinji Kempo is a holistic system, whose training methods are divided into three parts: self-defence training, mental training and, health training. The basis are the concepts that "spirit and body are not separable" (心身一如: shinshin-ichinyo) and that it is integral to train both "body and mind as one" (拳禅一如: kenzen ichinyo).
Through employing a well-organised technical course outline, Shorinji Kempo aims to help the practitioner "establish oneself" and to promote "mutual comfort". The philosophy and techniques of Shorinji Kempo are outlined in their master text, (少林寺拳法教範) Shōrinji-Kempō-kyōhan.
Overview
There are two sides of Shorinji Kempo – true budō (武道) and educational system. As the latter, the organisation is well known for their mental training institution as well as body training facilities dōjō (道場).
The founder, Doshin So, wanted to establish not only an organisation which incorporated mental and physical training but also wanted to educate Japanese people who had been completely demoralised by World War II. His aim was to help those who had lost their way and rebuild Japan for the future. It is said that he tried to teach Buddhist philosophy but no one followed him. Later on, So reportedly saw a vision of Bodhidharma, which inspired him to pursue teaching martial arts, as Bodhidharma was believed to have done. Both of these are later to become the main training methods of Shorinji Kempo.
Shorinji Kempo includes a broad curriculum of self-defense techniques, known as hokei (法形). For demonstration or competition purposes, these are combined into a choreographed sequence known as an embu (演武). The embu consists of (typically) 6 sections and each section includes a series of gōhō (剛法) or hard techniques and jūhō (柔法) or soft techniques. During a pair-form or kumi embu, one person attacks and another person defends for one section, and they then swap roles for the next section. The application of technique within an embu is known as hien (飛燕) or flying swallow which represents speed and smoothness of those techniques. The embu is occasionally performed wearing a black robe, called hōi (法衣), for example at an opening or closing ceremony of a taikai (大会, convention/tournament).
Hombu
Headquartered in Tadotsu town, Kagawa prefecture (on Shikoku island) in Japan.
Buildings: Hondo (main dojo/hall) Kodo (lecture hall) Rensei-dojo (former 1st dojo) Shokudo (dining room) Daigan-toh (memorial tower) Zenrin Gakuen (college house)
The bones and ashes of Doshin So are buried behind the lecture hall.
Organizations
The organisation of the Shorinji Kempo group is divided into 5 entities:
Religious entity (金剛禅総本山少林寺: Kongō-zen Sōhon-zan Shōrinji), Foundation entity Shorinji Kempo Foundation Federation (一般財団法人少林寺拳法連盟: Ippan-zaidan-hōjin Shōrinji-kempō Renmei), Educational entity Zenrin Gakuen College (学校法人禅林学園: Gakkō-hōjin Zenrin Gakuen), Global entity World Shorinji Kempo Organization, WSKO (少林寺拳法世界連合: Shōrinji-kempō Sekai Rengō), Intellectual property entity (一般社団法人SHORINJI KEMPO UNITY: Ippan-shadan-hōjin Shōrinji-kempō Yunitī).
The relationship between these five entities is very close because of the unique fusion of religion, martial arts, and education. (Source: web site of Shorinji Kempo Foundation Federation and Shorinji Kempo Kyohan written by Doshin So)
National federations
Shorinji Kempo Foundation Federation (Japan) Indonesian Shorinji Kempo Federation Malaysian Shorinji Kempo Federation Swiss Shorinji Kempo Federation Finnish Shorinji Kempo Federation Swedish Shorinji Kempo Federation Italian Shorinji Kempo Federation French Shorinji Kempo Federation German Shorinji Kempo Federation Spanish Shorinji Kempo Federation Portuguese Shorinji Kempo Federation Ukrainian Shorinji Kempo Federation United Kingdom Shorinji Kempo Federation United States Shorinji Kempo Federation Canadian Shorinji Kempo Federation Brazilian Shorinji Kempo Federation
The Shaolin monastery
The name "Shōrinji" is a literal reading of the Chinese "Shaolin Temple" from the Shaolin Monastery in Henan Province, China. Dōshin Sō claimed to have inherited the title of the 21st master of the Giwamon-ken (義和門拳) system (in Mandarin: Yihe Mén Quán) which is believed to have been used during the Boxer rebellion of 1899 to 1901.