Non-profit Shorinji Kenpo

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Would this "Sean" be Sean Cephas?

American Shorinji Te founder himself. . Met in high school in fountain valley, and trained with him and his family on rare occasions...first lesson in getting hit reallly hard came from him and clan.

Last time I saw him, thought I'd pull a fast one and snare him in some BJJ...turns out his fathers sempai had been an avid BJJ-er, and passed it on to Sean. I really despise naturals; I gotta work my hiney off for small gains, and guys like sean are excellent to begin with, and still put the time in to get even better.

Oh well. Such is life, eh?

D.

 

[Colin_Linz]

Seeing as there have been no replies here by a Shorinji Kempo kenshi I thought I might enter the discussion.

On the first question regarding fees.

Yes this is correct, we are not allowed to make money from teaching Shorinji Kempo. We do charge fees though as we have to cover overheads and buy equipment. This is because Doshin So believed that it was important for everyone to contribute to society, and not make money from teaching people how to fight. Another benefit is that only those that have a strong desire to teach do so.

On religion.

I don’t believe Shorinji Kempo is registered as a religion anywhere outside Japan. While it was certainly true that at one time you needed to a member of the religious arm of Shorinji Kempo to receive training, it has not been so since the early seventies. The philosophy of Shorinji Kempo is more of a lifestyle philosophy and could work within any religion

Doshin So

Doshin So lived most of his early life in China, from about the age of twelve. He lost his father when he was eight, and his mother when he was about twelve. He then went to live in China with an uncle.

He studied kempo under two masters. After training under one master for some time he asked Doshin So to come and meet his teacher. After this Doshin So became Wen Lanshi’s student, eventually becoming his successor.

On Doshin So’s return to the Shaolin ssu many years later there was an old monk who remembered him from the old days. They have also placed a statue of him there. Many of the official functions in Japan are attended by representatives from the Shaolin ssu. Even in Jet Li’s movie, The Shaolin Temple there were a number of Shorinji Kempo kenshi involved in the fight sequences, one notable kenshi was Yamazaki Sensei. In the late 1970’s The Chinese government invited Doshin So back so that he could reintroduce Kempo to the Shaolin ssu. Unfortunately he died before he could complete this. None of this of course proves anything other than there is a good relationship between the Shaolin Temple and Shorinji Kempo.

Doshin So has been publicly critical in TV interviews and in print with some of the actions taken by the military in Manchuria. He has acted only with compassion for those less fortunate. It was his actions and those of his followers that cleaned out the Yakuza from the town of Tadotsu when he realised how they were tramping over the general populace.

Shorinji Kempo today is a re-systemisation of Doshin So’s life time of experience with budo, both Japanese and Chinese.

Shorinji Kempo as a nationalistic martial art.

I guess you could say that it was. It was the precise reason he started it. On his repatriation to Japan post war, he was struck by the utter despair and loss of confidence in the future that had taken root in the young people of the time. He wanted to teach them that they had the power to change their lives. Unfortunately they were not interested in listening to his lectures. He was despairing of this when he dreamed about Bodhidharma and how he used Indian Kempo to help teach Buddhist principles. He then thought, I will follow his footsteps. This is when he decided to use his knowledge of martial arts to draw the young in so he could teach them the lessons that he had learned through out his life. His goal was to restore pride in the nation both internally and internationally. So yes, it was initially a nationalist art form. He never expected it to become so huge (1.5 million people in 27 countries); however once it became obvious that Shorinji Kempo had struck a cord in people from all over the world he realised that changes would need to be made to accommodate all nations, not just Japan.

The Japanese have a saying. The mouth is the root of all evil. By this they mean that if you want the truth don’t listen to what is said, but watch the actions. You only need to go to any Shorinji Kempo dojo or taikai and you will soon see that this notion of nationalistic is just so fare of the mark that you wonder how it started. Personally I think it started by people not bothering to experience Shorinji Kempo before writing about it. We don’t even bow, Japanese kenshi included. We Gassho Rei; the Indian Buddhist greeting. We do this because it is a way of greeting without lowering yourself to the other person, it is an expression of equality. Not the sort of thing you would expect from an ultra nationalist.

If anyone would like to learn more about Shorinji Kempo I’m more than happy to answer questions to the best of my ability, or you check out the links in my signature block. There are a number of Kaiso’s lectures on the WSKO site, read them before you make up your mind about what sort of a person he was.

 

[Turner]

I am a former Shorinji Kempo student (Studied for three years.)

I spent three years training in Shorinji Kempo and never left white belt because of the rules placed on the instructor by the Shorinji Kempo Headquarters in Japan. My Instructor applied to become an instructor with headquarters and was required to run a non-profit organization. He could only charge what it would take to keep the class running. Furthermore there is a stipulation that states that the instructor can not promote his students until he's gathered a group of 10 or more. Because this particular class was being held in a limited access building, the class size rarely went over 5. After three years of training, the instructor got really frustrated with the art and gave up.

My instructor had trained in Japan while stationed there in the Air Force. He found that the Shorinji Kempo headquarters was very biased when it came to giving out rank. He noticed that his fellow Japanese classmates where getting promoted above him and went to his instructor to figure out why. His instructor told him to take it up with Headquarters. He was scheduled to go to headquarters for his 3rd Dan Test and after passing the test he went before the board to see why it took him twice as long to get his rank as it did the Japanese kids that he'd been wiping the floor with. They basically explained that because he wasn't Japanese he wouldn't be able to understand the martial arts and so the time requirements for a non-Japanese is double that for a Japanese. He started to argue with them, but they said either accept it or quit.

There are many classes in America where the instructor has split from the main Shorinji Kempo organization because of the way that they treat non-Japanese. I tried to convince my instructor to do the same, but he felt that it wouldn't be the honorable thing to do and wound up quitting for good.

The art is pretty interesting. As someone said earlier, the techniques seem to be designed to cause the most painful joint locks. However the politics are some of the worse I've seen in any martial art.

 

[RRouuselot]

Seeing as there have been no replies here by a Shorinji Kempo kenshi I thought I might enter the discussion.

On the first question regarding fees.

Yes this is correct, we are not allowed to make money from teaching Shorinji Kempo. We do charge fees though as we have to cover overheads and buy equipment. This is because Doshin So believed that it was important for everyone to contribute to society, and not make money from teaching people how to fight. Another benefit is that only those that have a strong desire to teach do so.

On religion.

I don’t believe Shorinji Kempo is registered as a religion anywhere outside Japan. While it was certainly true that at one time you needed to a member of the religious arm of Shorinji Kempo to receive training, it has not been so since the early seventies. The philosophy of Shorinji Kempo is more of a lifestyle philosophy and could work within any religion

On fees:



If that’s the case then we have a problem.

Mr. Tamura, (see website below) of Yokosuka Japan charges fees.

http://wsko.econ-net.or.jp/b-report/107.html

I know this because my secretaries take the fees ($35.00 a month) for his class……he only has 2 or 3 students though.


On Religion:
This is also a problem I will have to bring to the attention of my superiors.

Since we are in Japan an it is a recognized religion here we can’t have him teaching on a Government facility.

 

[Colin_Linz]

As a current student with a 16 year history of Shorinji Kempo I would offer this in reply to Turner.

It’s true that you need to have at least 10 students to start a branch, obviously until you are an official branch master you can’t grade anyone. The reason for this is so students don’t get disadvantaged by clubs opening and then closing because they are not being able to sustain their operation. If you have had a group of 10 people training for more than a year then you have a good chance of succeeding. I think it is also a way of ensuring that the instructor really has an idea of what he is committed to before formally doing so. This is one of there quality ensurance processes.

It is an unfortunate reality that some people care more about rankings than what they are learning. I know of Karate systems that give you a black belt after 1 or 2 years. I would not have a problem with any kyu graded Shorinji Kempo kenshi doing randori with them as I’m sure they will be equipped well enough to deal with it.

It is true also that Japanese students initially progress further in rankings quicker. This has nothing to do with the martial art side of things, but rather the philosophy. Because much the philosophy is common to Japanese society, Japanese students start at san kyu, while others start at go kyu. It should be noted that this requirement is the same even if you are from Japanese parents living in another country. In this case you maybe Japanese, but you will still start at gokyu, the same as everyone else. What you will notice if you examine longer term kenshi is that it no longer makes a difference. The kenshi that has attended the most study sessions, and has trained the most hours will be the higher ranked, no matter if they are gaijin (foreigners) or nihonjin (Japanese). I would have disagree quite strongly to the notion that WSKO is racial biased. Anyone that has been to Hombu, or trained under their instructors will have felt the warmth and friendship from them no matter what their rank or position. Just check out some of Doshin So’s lectures from the WSKO site if you want to find out where there hearts are. There is a link in my signature box.

I know of very few kenshi to willingly leave Shorinji Kempo to start their own styles, there have been some that have been expelled, and some that leave because they feel they should be advancing faster. If you’re after quick gradings, then Shorinji Kempo is not the place to be, Japanese or not. Most kenshi recognise that they can learn much more through staying, as the technical elements have tremendous depth. I would also disagree with WSKO being political, it would be the least effected organisation I have been with. There is no external bickering, there maybe at board meetings, but it never shows. I guess the telling thing here is that it is a huge organisation with 1.5 million members in about 30 countries, it is rock solid, there is no one running off starting up alternative governing bodies like so many other arts. This speaks volume for the satisfaction of its members. In fact, I believe it is the best martial art in the world, bar none. But then I could be biased.

 

[RRouuselot]

Let me say this first.

While I have friends that like and practice Shorinji Kempo I do not care for Shorinji’s fabricated history, and the demi-God status placed on Do Shin So, nor the over zealous attitude of most of the practitioners I have met in Japan.

Their attitude has basically been “Shorinji is the best; you should quite your art and join us”





On Do Shin So



Much of his fabricated training and martial history has been exposed by various sources…the BBC being one of them. Do Shin So’s engaging and then kicking out the Yakuza and moneylenders after WWII was little more than a “turf war”…..

Do Shin So and Shorinji Kempo are also connected to Sasakawa Ryoichi who was a real scumbag, Class A war criminal- same as many high ranking Nazis- and The head of one of the largest Ultra Right groups in Japan…..he also claimed to be the last living fascist.


Found here:

http://www.etext.org/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit/Antifa/japan.far-right

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, Japan's
ultra-right reformed itself, thanks to some important allies such
as Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi (1957-60), who had co-signed the
Declaration of War against the United States and Great Britain.
Kishi, while serving time in Sugamo prison for war crimes, met
Yoshio Kodama, who later resigned his post as Justice Minister on
account of his contacts to the far-right and organized crime, and
Ryoichi Sasakawa, godfather of Japan's motor boat sports industry
and advisor to "Reverend" Su Myung Mun, whose Unification Church
has provided weapons to Japanese right-wingers. As a fighting
force against the left, the Japanese far-right provides an
invaluable service to the Yakuza as well as the corporations.
The police are also present on the highway. But neither are the
cars in the right-wing convoy searched for weapons nor are
people's identity cards checked. The leaders on both sides know
each other well. The topic of right-wing violence is only given a
few lines of mention in annual police reports. The murder of
Tomohiro Kojiro, a reporter for the daily newspaper Asahi
Shinbun', on May 4, 1987 is not even mentioned. And it's not only
communists who think that the police and fascists work together
when it comes to observing and disrupting the activities of the
Communist Party of Japan (CPJ).

 

[Colin_Linz]

On fees:



If that’s the case then we have a problem.

Mr. Tamura, (see website below) of Yokosuka Japan charges fees.

http://wsko.econ-net.or.jp/b-report/107.html

I know this because my secretaries take the fees ($35.00 a month) for his class……he only has 2 or 3 students though.


On Religion:
This is also a problem I will have to bring to the attention of my superiors.

Since we are in Japan an it is a recognized religion here we can’t have him teaching on a Government facility.

Robert,



On fees - We are not supposed to make money from teaching Shorinji Kempo, do you know if he is pocketing it, or is it going to pay expenses? He is allowed to cover any costs that he may incur through the teaching and running of the branch but not make money from it.



On religion – Yes that is correct, it is why Shorinji Kempo have separated into 4 entities, each with their own responsibility. It is also why the new Tokuhon has removed all the religious references that were in the Fukudokuhon. What will happen there is that this sensei won’t be teaching the religious side of it, but I think you will find that if the students attend Hombu the will still be taught it. There are also some branches not in Government facilities that are not a Dojo, but rather a Doin. They will still be teaching the religious side.



Hope that alleviates any concerns you may have had.

 

[Colin_Linz]

Let me say this first.

While I have friends that like and practice Shorinji Kempo I do not care for Shorinji’s fabricated history, and the demi-God status placed on Do Shin So, nor the over zealous attitude of most of the practitioners I have met in Japan.

1/ Their attitude has basically been “Shorinji is the best; you should quite your art and join us”





On Do Shin So



2/ Much of his fabricated training and martial history has been exposed by various sources…the BBC being one of them. Do Shin So’s engaging and then kicking out the Yakuza and moneylenders after WWII was little more than a “turf war”…..

3/ Do Shin So and Shorinji Kempo are also connected to Sasakawa Ryoichi who was a real scumbag, Class A war criminal- same as many high ranking Nazis- and The head of one of the largest Ultra Right groups in Japan…..he also claimed to be the last living fascist.


Found here:

http://www.etext.org/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit/Antifa/japan.far-right

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, Japan's
ultra-right reformed itself, thanks to some important allies such
as Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi (1957-60), who had co-signed the
Declaration of War against the United States and Great Britain.
Kishi, while serving time in Sugamo prison for war crimes, met
Yoshio Kodama, who later resigned his post as Justice Minister on
account of his contacts to the far-right and organized crime, and
Ryoichi Sasakawa, godfather of Japan's motor boat sports industry
and advisor to "Reverend" Su Myung Mun, whose Unification Church
has provided weapons to Japanese right-wingers. As a fighting
force against the left, the Japanese far-right provides an
invaluable service to the Yakuza as well as the corporations.
The police are also present on the highway. But neither are the
cars in the right-wing convoy searched for weapons nor are
people's identity cards checked. The leaders on both sides know
each other well. The topic of right-wing violence is only given a
few lines of mention in annual police reports. The murder of
Tomohiro Kojiro, a reporter for the daily newspaper Asahi
Shinbun', on May 4, 1987 is not even mentioned. And it's not only
communists who think that the police and fascists work together
when it comes to observing and disrupting the activities of the
Communist Party of Japan (CPJ).

Robert,



1/ But Robert, it is and you should.



2/ I hope your not referring to the BBC Way of the warrior series, they made no mention of a shady past. Whatever his past he seems to have acquired some skill and knowledge from somewhere. Do you think the techniques are valid?



3/ I found no mention of Shorinji Kempo in the link you provided. It is a concern to hear these stories, but I will temper it with my own personnel experiences with the various teachers and students I have met over the years. I have heard that he experienced a sort of epiphany so perhaps if what you are saying is true he may have changed. Certainly there is no hint of right wing attitudes from WSKO or anyone that I have dealt with over the years, or indeed his lectures.

 

[RRouuselot]

Robert,

2/ I hope your not referring to the BBC Way of the warrior series, they made no mention of a shady past. Whatever his past he seems to have acquired some skill and knowledge from somewhere. Do you think the techniques are valid?



3/ I found no mention of Shorinji Kempo in the link you provided. It is a concern to hear these stories, but I will temper it with my own personnel experiences with the various teachers and students I have met over the years. I have heard that he experienced a sort of epiphany so perhaps if what you are saying is true he may have changed. Certainly there is no hint of right wing attitudes from WSKO or anyone that I have dealt with over the years, or indeed his lectures.

Fees:



He has no overhead since he pats no rent here; in fact all his advertising is paid for by the US Military.





2) BBC did sort of allude to certain more unpleasant aspects of the organization. They didn’t come out and make any direct charges; however, I did hear the Shorinji Honbu tried to take them to court. I have read other articles on Shorinji as well.

About the technique……well some of it I don’t care for much. Specifically blocking kicks with a shuto type hand movement…..not good on the fingers. Some of the moves are very Aikido-esque as well……some of the locks and throws are good. The main thing that turned me off though was the attitude of most of the Japanese and a few foreigners that practice the art. The Japanese tended to be very right wing and the foreigners tended to be “grasshopper” wannabees.



3) The BBC documentary shows Sasakawa giving a speech at one of the tournaments and mentions his connection to Shorinji. I posted the info on Sasakawa to give some background on him.

 

[Colin_Linz]

Robert,

1/ Sorry I have no answer for you there, all I can say is what is supposed to happen. I suppose you could do anything as long as it didn’t get out.

Totally separate from this case is that sometimes Hombu allow people to make a living from it in special cases. I understand that Mizuno sensei is payed for his teaching. I think this relates to him being asked to go to the UK and develop Shorinji Kempo there, which he has done with a measure of success.

2/ I don’t recall any alluding to anything, I have the series and the book. They did mention that an organisation with the size and power of WSKO could be a force to be reckoned with, but all the sensei that they spoke to seemed deeply aware of their responsibility. I had heard that Hombu were not too keen on the way some of the philosophy was translated.

I think by the shuto actioned block you would be referring to shita uke. The fingers should be point upwards. It is quite effective against chudan tsuki and mawashi geri to sammai, It wouldn’t be my first choice against jun or gyaku geri. So far I haven’t injured my fingers.

I wouldn’t expect you to agree with all the techniques. I expect I would think some of yours seem odd, after all we both have little experience with each others art, and will be looking from different points of view. I was just after some feedback on your thoughts in regard to if they were a realistic budo type technique, or off with the fairies. I have seem some strange Karate type techniques that don’t look like Karate, but something someone has just invented from watching too many movies. Even though I don’t do Karate, I feel I can recognise a proper technique over one that is fictional.

I’m sorry to hear about the bad attitudes you have experienced. I haven’t experienced that. I’ve even had one ex bussen student live with me for six months. I have never seen it reflected in all the different sensei from Hombu that I’ve trained under. I guess people are people everywhere, some good some bad. I’m glad to hear that you do have friends that are Shorinji kenshi. Tell me, do they try to get you to defect to the dark side.

3/ Ah, I remember him. He was the one that spoke at a taikai. Big round of applause after saying something as riveting as. And I’m paraphrasing here; “without respect and obedience to your parents everything else is worthless”. He did seem full of himself.

Doshin So spoke often on the value of human relationships, and how you could accomplish things better when working with people. Perhaps he saw this relationship was necessary to achieve his goals. I say this because I cannot see any hint of right wing philosophy within WSKO, it’s instructors or Doshin So’s philosophy.

 

[Karazenpo]

Man, I just got through reading all the posts on this topic and I have one question. Was Doshin So and James Mitose seperated at birth? I can't believe all the parallels in their lives! Very strange..............almost seems like that was a trend of those times, lol.

 

[Colin_Linz]

Sorry, I know little about James Mitose other than some talk about murdering some people. Chinese arts themselves seem to be difficult to satisfactorily trace due to the number of competing arts, and the number of Government attempts to wipe them out. In Doshin So’s case there is ample evidence of the time he spent in China and it was extensive. Did he become the head of the Northern Shaolin Giwaken style? I don’t know, but the teacher he said he learned under is verifiable. What I do know is that he must have studied something, and that the relationship between the Shaolin Temple and Shorinji Kempo is a good one. I don’t think you could explain Shorinji Kempo by his study of Hakko Ryu Jujutsu, he studied it only for two years on his return to Japan, while forming his own style. The depth of the art is too deep; you would need to be some sort of martial art genius to absorb that much in two years. As to the claim it is related to some Karate style, I just don’t see the links in technique, they are too dissimilar. He also never claimed that what he taught was Shaolin Chaun Fa, but a systemisation of his total knowledge gained through all his studies.

His naming of Shorinji Kempo was more to do with his aim at using budo to gather and educate the youth of Japan, just as Daruma had used it to teach the monks of the Shaolin Temple. He had found on his return that his countries people had lost their will to live, or the belief in themselves or their country. He wanted to help remake Japan into a nation that could be proud of itself, and it’s standing internationally. Much of what he taught at the time may sound strange now when taken out of context of what was happening at the time. While things like oaths and pledges were written long before Shorinji Kempo became an International art. It was a complete surprise to Doshin So that it did so. Since that time these oaths and pledges have been modified to include the rest of the world not just Japan.

My experience with Shorinji Kempo and its teachers has shown a deep respect for all people, and a genuine concern for others. I don’t think that this attitude could have come from a teacher that didn’t feel this way.

 

[Karazenpo]

Sorry, I know little about James Mitose other than some talk about murdering some people. Chinese arts themselves seem to be difficult to satisfactorily trace due to the number of competing arts, and the number of Government attempts to wipe them out. In Doshin So’s case there is ample evidence of the time he spent in China and it was extensive. Did he become the head of the Northern Shaolin Giwaken style? I don’t know, but the teacher he said he learned under is verifiable. What I do know is that he must have studied something, and that the relationship between the Shaolin Temple and Shorinji Kempo is a good one. I don’t think you could explain Shorinji Kempo by his study of Hakko Ryu Jujutsu, he studied it only for two years on his return to Japan, while forming his own style. The depth of the art is too deep; you would need to be some sort of martial art genius to absorb that much in two years. As to the claim it is related to some Karate style, I just don’t see the links in technique, they are too dissimilar. He also never claimed that what he taught was Shaolin Chaun Fa, but a systemisation of his total knowledge gained through all his studies.

His naming of Shorinji Kempo was more to do with his aim at using budo to gather and educate the youth of Japan, just as Daruma had used it to teach the monks of the Shaolin Temple. He had found on his return that his countries people had lost their will to live, or the belief in themselves or their country. He wanted to help remake Japan into a nation that could be proud of itself, and it’s standing internationally. Much of what he taught at the time may sound strange now when taken out of context of what was happening at the time. While things like oaths and pledges were written long before Shorinji Kempo became an International art. It was a complete surprise to Doshin So that it did so. Since that time these oaths and pledges have been modified to include the rest of the world not just Japan.

My experience with Shorinji Kempo and its teachers has shown a deep respect for all people, and a genuine concern for others. I don’t think that this attitude could have come from a teacher that didn’t feel this way.

Hi Colin, here were my observations in comparing him to Mitose from reading everyone's posts. Mitose allegedly left Hawaii for Japan as a child (4) to live with his grandparents and be taught the family art which was originally rooted in China from his grandfather. Doshin So left Japan as a child (12) although somewhat older than the young Mitose, to live in China with his uncle and was trained in Shaolin Kung Fu. Both spent 17 years studying the art. Mitose went back to Hawaii and began officially teaching in 1942 and wrote a book describing his system in 1947 entitled: What is Self Defense Kenpo Jiu Jitsu, although Mitose originally called his art 'Shorinji' Kempo. It was the first art to have the pairing off of practitioners to practice and learn individual self defense techniques. Mitose claimed to be the 21st decendant of his Shaolin inspired family art. Doshin So left China, went back to Japan and began teaching an art he called Shrorinji Kenpo of which he stated he was the 21 decendant. So's art also had the 'pairing off' method of practicing self defense techniques. Mitose's art appears to be an eclectic blend of Okinawan kempo karate and some form of an oriental grappling art, possibly Okinawan torite and/or Japanese Jiu Jitsu. Doshin So's art has been described by some on this forum as a blend of linear Japanese karate techniques and jiu jitsu while others felt it was a very effective blending of aikijitsu. Nevertheless, the relationship of an eclectic blending of a grappling art with a punch/strike and kick art are predominate in both systems. There is much talk of Mitose as being a U.S. Naval secret intelligence agent. He has used religion as part of his focus on the martial arts and has been accused of using cult like methods to get his students (Terry Lee case) to do his bidding. Doshin So's organization is based on religion. He has also been accused of being a secret police and military intelligence agent. The above posts also stated he ran a cult like operation using martial arts and religion to get his students to do his bidding. Mitose was investigated for many illegal activites and crimes against the eldery including conspiracy to murder and extortion. It has been said by some that Doshin So should have been charged with war crimes. Mitose preached humanity, love and kindness to one another while having a background of treachery, violence and deceit. Doshin So's life appears to be clouded in the same veil of controversary. Masayoshi Mitose changed his name, Kaiso So also changed his. Both claim a lineage to Bodhidharma and roots to Shaolin Kung Fu. Mitose's lineage and training is still somewhat a mystery. According to documents, Doshin So was taken to court in 1972 by the Chinese and couldn't prove a Shaolin Chinese connection to his martial arts and was legally forced to change it's name to 'Nippon' (Japanese) Shorinji Kenpo. In all seriousness Colin, like I said, these two men appear to have been seperated at birth! Respectfully, Prof. Joe Shuras

 

[The Kai]

I often wonder if we did 'I went to a far away mysterious place and learned/mastered/inherited a unheard of system as old as the martial arts itself' how many would enter??

Tod

 

[rmcrobertson]

Mr. Mitose, one is sorry to say, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and died in San Quentin. He'd apparently gotten one of his senior students (such as they were) to climb in an old couple's window late at night with a screwdriver: they owed him money, or so Mitose believed.

There is what sure looks like a very solid, reliable--and at times caustic--chapter with very good discussions of "So Doshin," and the style in Donn Draeger's "The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan: Modern Bujutsu and Budo," (New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1996), 162-172.

 

[Karazenpo]

A Japanese named Nakano Michiomi -- he later changed his name to So Doshin -- incorporates his martial art school as a Kongo Zen Buddhist religious order. (So said that he taught martial arts mostly as a way of attracting young people to Buddhism, and that it was the latter, not the martial arts, that would make them better people.) However, the tax breaks given religious orders were probably a consideration, too. Until 1972, So said that he was the twenty-first grandmaster of an esoteric northern Shaolin system called Iher Man Thuen. What caused him to change his mind was a Japanese court ruling that his style was not Chinese, but instead a mixture of karate (perhaps Wado-ryu) and jujutsu (perhaps Hakko-ryu). Consequently, the style’s name was changed from "Shorinji Kempo," meaning "Shaolin Temple kung fu," to "Nippon Shorinji Kempo," meaning "Japanese Shaolin Fist-Way."

 

[rmcrobertson]

Incidentally, this stuff about tracing one's lineage back to a) Bodhidharma/Daruma/Ma To, or whatever, or b) "the," Shaolin Temple, is pretty much bogus.

As Draeger and several others have discussed (please also see Stanley Henning's article in the current, "Journal of Asian Martial Arts"), these are romanticized legends developed and passed on by various 18th and 19th century sources with varying motives, as well as by a series of popular novels in China.

It's the equivalent, apparently, of coming around in a few hundred years, and claiming to trace one's lineage back to Kwai Chang Kane.

There are similar mythologies running around loose in American kenpo--as well as a whole host of tangles around Mitose and Mr. Chow. Among these are at least one set of schools whose founder claims that Mr. Mitose taught--and enlightened--him, through the bars at San Q.

 

[Colin_Linz]

Changing your name when becoming a Buddhist monk is a fairly normal happening in Japan. In Doshin So’s case he used partly the Chinese rendering of his name and Doshin, which within the Buddhist context means keeper of the path or way.

I have never read Draeger’s book. From accounts there are many inaccuracies. There certainly appears to be a number of people that believe the Bodhidharma story to be false, even Doshin So says this in his book Shorinji Kempo, it’s philosophy and techniques. It was and is considered by many as true within the Chinese Buddhist and martial arts communities. It should also be understood that anything to do with Chinese martial arts is hard to prove. Various Chinese government have conducted policies of eradication of martial arts in China. The last one was in 1900; at this time they killed the teachers and destroyed the schools. This one was very effective and eliminated many practitioners and makes reliable analysis difficult.

The Shaolin Temple and Shorinji Kempo have a very good relationship. They send representatives to many of our important functions and they have a statue of Doshin So at the temple. This of course proves nothing, but it does demonstrate a lack of acrimony that you would expect if someone were lying about you.

I can understand the reference to our Juho as Aikijutsu, but there are some key elements of difference that an untrained observer would not pick up on. As for Goho being a form of Karate it is just way of the mark. Sure they both feature punching and kicking, but tennis and badminton both feature hitting something over a net with a bat; however they are very different sports. The reference to Goho being linear is also way of the mark. I have seen no resemblance to Karate or for that matter American Kenpo in our Goho. There are also no records of Doshin So studying Karate, at least with the Aikijutsu referance there are records of him studying Hakko Ryu for two years, and he himself said he learned some Jujutsu from his uncle when he was young. I find the thought that Doshin So learned the techniques of Shorinji Kempo from two years distance study of Hakko Ryu and undocumented study of Karate to quite ludicrous. The body of knowledge is huge; no one could have learned this in such a short time. It should also be understood that Aikijutsu has its roots in China as well, so similarities may be expected.

It should also be noted that he never said that what he taught was the Shaolin Kempo that he learned. What he was taught in China was all single form, and had no structure to the techniques. What he did when returning to Japan was restructure and systemise his life’s experience with budo. By this I don’t mean just lump it all together. He reengineered it so that it was compatible as a holistic art and all the techniques worked in harmony with each other. The naming of Shorinji Kempo was more to do with what he was trying to do in Japan; he wanted to recreate the Shaolin experience and learning method.

Doshin So references Boddhdarma when talking about the history of the Shaolin Temple, as would any of the monks that came from there. He also references Bodhidharma when explaining why he began Shorinji Kempo. On his return to Japan he found that many young people had lost the will to live and were deeply depressed. He wanted to do something about this, but when trying to talk to them he found they were not interested in hearing what it was he was saying. It was this quandary that lead to his dream about Boddhdarma, and his using martial arts to teach aspects of Buddhism to the monks at the Shaolin Temple. This is why he formed Shorinji Kempo. It is a form of Gyo, a way of disciplining yourself. It’s purpose at the time was to teach his young Japanese students to be strong and stand up for what was right, that only they had the power to change their fate and that they could accomplish more if they worked together and helped each other. He was always very open about this; it was not something that was a secret. When Shorinji Kempo became popular internationally it surprised him, he never considered that other people would be interested in it. At this stage he recognised the need to include all nations within its Philosophy.

Shorinji Kempo was designed to act as an experiential learning tool. You cannot learn it from a book, video, or single form practice. The only way to learn it is with the co-operative help of a training partner as it requires a lot of experimentation and feed back. For those that learn to help each other, progress can be made. While those that think in terms of winning and beating the other person will never learn the technique. Is this really a bad thing? He was up front about his reasons for developing it the whole time.

Much of what he said in the early days should be read with and understood within the context of the time, post WW2. It appeared nationalistic because in a way it was, he was trying to do some good for his country. Is this a bad thing? Rather than judge Shorinji Kempo by other peoples misunderstood writing have a look on the WSKO web site, read about it. Have a look at his translated lectures. Have a look at what WSKO does. Most importantly get along to a dojo and meet the people that train in it. All these are a product of Doshin So, and as such will reflect his teaching.

The cult word came up in a previous post. I have seen Shorinji Kempo described as this before. In some ways I can understand this. It is an organisation of dedicated people. There is the reference to religion. I think the best way to understand why we are not one is to look at the intent of cults, and how their leaders demand absolute power. Doshin So always taught that people should independently study the world around them, that knowledge was the real power, that they should always question what they learned and that only they had the power to change their lives, not god or anyone else. This doesn’t sound like much of cult leader.

Shorinji Kempo is a very highly respected martial art in Japan; it is considered one of the cultural arts of Japan and is a member of the Budokan.

Sorry about the length of the post, I tried to keep it short. If you would like me to elaborate on any areas let me know.

 

[Colin_Linz]

I often wonder if we did 'I went to a far away mysterious place and learned/mastered/inherited a unheard of system as old as the martial arts itself' how many would enter??

Tod

Many arts have these stories about there beginnings. In the end they matter little to the popularity. What makes them popular is the art, and wether people find value in it’s study.

 

[Colin_Linz]

A Japanese named Nakano Michiomi -- he later changed his name to So Doshin -- incorporates his martial art school as a Kongo Zen Buddhist religious order. (So said that he taught martial arts mostly as a way of attracting young people to Buddhism, and that it was the latter, not the martial arts, that would make them better people.) However, the tax breaks given religious orders were probably a consideration, too. Until 1972, So said that he was the twenty-first grandmaster of an esoteric northern Shaolin system called Iher Man Thuen. What caused him to change his mind was a Japanese court ruling that his style was not Chinese, but instead a mixture of karate (perhaps Wado-ryu) and jujutsu (perhaps Hakko-ryu). Consequently, the style’s name was changed from "Shorinji Kempo," meaning "Shaolin Temple kung fu," to "Nippon Shorinji Kempo," meaning "Japanese Shaolin Fist-Way."

I know the story of the court case. I have heard a number of conflicting versions of it, but have never read a transcript of it so I can’t make a reliable statement regarding it.