SHORINJI KEMPO - WHAT KIND OF INDIVIDUAL TO BE DEVELOPED?

Shorinji Kempo, or Kongo zen's principle, is very simple: "Everything depends on individuals." Social systems or rulers may cause hardship and injustice, but even in such situation, well developed individuals can change any situation for the better.

Furthermore, even within the best social systems people may suffer from selfish individuals. For these reasons, Shorinji Kempo does not support any specific political party or specific social system. It is not political in nature, focusing on developing dependable individuals who can lead themselves and others to a better society.

There is a phrase which states the essence of these principles simply and elegantly: "think of others' happiness with the first half of your being and think of your happiness with the remaining half". This can be interpreted in many ways. You may take it as: "try to make others happy by using half of what you have and try to make yourself happy by using the remaining half". Or you may take it as most important of Christian principles: "Do unto others as you would have do unto you.

"Too simple? Simple in principle is often difficult to practice.The goal of Shorinji Kempo is to develop dependable individuals who think of others' happiness as well as their own and, through harmonious leadership or influence, improve the world for better human relationship.

SHORINJI KEMPO - HISTORY

Right after World War II, the Japanese were deeply depressed. Many people thought that what had been thought important or precious in their lives no longer had meaning. Friendship, love of family, helping people and so on, these things were truly important in other times and seemed to have been discarded. Many seemed to seek their own interests by taking advantage of others. Those who had little money or power were suffered greatly.

The founder of Shorinji Kempo, Doushin So, wanted to do something to improve the spiritual wellbeing of these people. He knew that regardless of how society worked, the key to personal development lay within each individual. He had learned from his experience in China that everything depended on the individual. Even in unfair system, it is up to individuals to show mercy and kindness to others. One can save others even if society does not provide ready made supports for every situation. For the most part, it is every individual's thought and action that make the world what it is.

Doushin So mixed this conviction with Buddhism and began teaching young people who had lost their way. He soon found it useless to try to make them listen to his philosophy or principle. They simply walked away. Just sitting in the class room and listening to principles, no matter how wise, sparked no interest of the youth of the day. He realized that he had to create the new philosophy, a "Kongo zen", or something relevant to attract the youth.

Before World War II, Doushin So had learned various Shorinji Kempo in China and was officially designated the successor of the leader of the north Shorinji school. He cast his convictions into a system incorporating Shorinji Kempo as a way of physical training and meditation.

He began to teach youth how to practice Shorinji Kempo. Soon those who were taught Shorinji Kempo by Doushin So became enchanted by its wonderful techniques and, at the same time, deeply impressed by Doushin So's philosophy.

Today, Shorinji Kempo is widely spread all over the world and the world wide network of people who love Shorinji Kempo is growing rapidly.Although Shorinji Kempo's self-defense techniques are superior, its ultimate goal is not to develop a skill to knock down a person by its techniques, but to help people establish themselves as kind, generous individuals.

SHORINJI KEMPO - STANCES

Shorinji Kempo employs many different stances for various purposes ranging from the listening stance (Kesshu Gamai) to various defensive stances. A range of basic Shorinji Kempo stances are described below.

SHORINJI KEMPO BASIC STANCES

These are stances taken up by an individual. The following is a selection of the stances used in Shorinji Kempo.

Kesshu Gamae

This Shorinji stance is used when listening to instruction.
Heels are together with feet angled out. Hands are held with the left over the right, the left thumb is held in the right hand.
Hands should rest at belt level.

Kaisoku Chudan Gamae

This Shorinji stance is typically used when practicing basic moves.
From Kesshu gamae the left leg steps to the side so that the feet are shoulder width apart. The feet are parallel to each other.
Both hands are held in fists just above waist height. Knees are slightly bent.

Chudan Gamae

This is an offensive Shorinji stance similar to a typical Boxers stance.
Feet are set with either the right foot forward for Migi chudan gamae, or left for hidari chudan gamae.
The feet are set shoulder width apart with the front foot turned in about 10°, and the rear foot turned out about 45°. Knees are slightly bent.
Both hands are held in fists. The rear hand is held at chest height pointing at the opponents head. The front hand/arm is held lower than the rear and is angled slightly above horizontal.

Ichiji Gamae

This is a defensive Shorinji stance.
Either the right foot is forward for Migi Ichiji gamae, or the left foot is forward for hidari Ichiji gamae.
The feet are set shoulder width apart with the front foot turned in about 10°, and the rear foot turned out about 45°. Knees are slightly bent.
The rear hand is in a fist and is held at chest height pointing at the opponents head.
The front hand is open with the palm facing down held in a horizontal position across the body in front of the belt knot.

Gassho Gamae

Gassho rei position.
Stand with heels together as in Kesshu gamae. Hands are placed palms together and are held in front of face. the arms are held horizontal.

Hasso gamae

This is a defensive Shorinji stance that encourages the attacker to strike to the stomach area. Either the right foot is forward for Migi Hasso gamae, or the left foot is forward for hidari Hasso gamae.
The feet are set shoulder width apart with the front foot turned in about 10°, and the rear foot turned out about 45°. Knees are slightly bent.
From Chudan gamae, raise both hands to shoulder height and open both hands. Elbows should be held so as to protect the side of the ribs but leave the stomach area open.

Taiki Gamae

This is a defensive Shorinji stance that leaves the face/head area open.
Either the right foot is forward for Migi Taiki gamae, or the left foot is forward for Hidari Taiki gamae.
The feet are set shoulder width apart with the front foot turned in about 10°, and the rear foot turned out about 45°. Knees are slightly bent.
The rear hand is open in a horizontal position across the body with the palm facing down. The front hand is held open at shoulder height with the hand turned slightly in.

Gyaku Taiki Gamae

This Shorinji stance is the same as Taiki Gamae but with the hand positions reversed.
The front hand is open in a horizontal position across the body with the palm facing down. The rear hand is held open at shoulder height with the hand turned slightly in.

Gedan Gamae

This is a defensive Shorinji stance generally used to encourage the attacker to grab the arm or wrist.
Either the right foot is forward for Migi Taiki gamae, or the left foot is forward for Hidari Taiki gamae.
The feet are set shoulder width apart with the front foot turned in about 10°, and the rear foot turned out about 45°. Knees are slightly bent.
The rear hand is held in a fist at chest height pointing at the opponents head. The front hand is held in a fist in a horizontal position across the body (palm down) in front of the belt knot.

Gyaku Gedan Gamae

This Shorinji stance is similar to Gedan Gamae but with the hand positions reversed.
The front hand is held in a fist at chest height pointing at the opponents head.
The shoulders are turned brining the rear shoulder forward, so as to present the rear hand to the attacker. The rear hand is held in a fist in a horizontal position across the body (palm down) in front of the belt knot.

Fukko Gamae

This is a Shorinji kneeling defensive position.
Kneeling on the rear knee, the front foot is positioned to draw the knee across the groin.
The rear hand is held in a fist at chest height. The front hand is open in a defensive position and is held away from the body to cover against attack.

Midare Gamae

This is a defensive Shorinji stance that leaves the face/head area open.
Either the right foot is forward for Migi Midare gamae, or the left foot is forward for Hidari Midare gamae.
The feet are set shoulder width apart with the front foot turned in about 10°, and the rear foot turned out about 45°. Knees are slightly bent.
The front hand is open with the palm facing down held in a horizontal position across the body in front of the belt knot.
The rear hand is held open with the palm facing down across the body in front of the opposite shoulder.

Manji Gamae

Feet are set with either the right foot forward for Migi chudan gamae, or left for hidari chudan gamae.
The feet are set shoulder width apart with the front foot turned in about 10°, and the rear foot turned out about 45°. Knees are slightly bent.
The front hand/arm is held in a fist and is angled slightly above horizontal.
The rear hand is held open raised to head height leaving the body area open inviting the opponent to target this area.

BEGINNERS FAQS

What should I wear?
While training we wear a traditional dogi or white training suit. However, when you first start training we recommend you wear loose comfortable clothing such as track suit trousers and a t-shirt, and invest in a dogi when you feel ready.
We train bare foot so you need not bring any specific footwear.

Can I wear my black (or other colour) belt earned in another martial art?
No, you may have attained a grade in another martial art but those techniques and the syllabus will not be the same as for Shorinji Kempo. As you will not know the Shorinji Kempo techniques you will have to start as a beginner/white belt, in much the same way as learning any thing new.
If you were to wear a coloured belt this may also cause confusion among other students and instructors and could place you at a disadvantage.

How fit do I need to be?
Fitness or lack of it is not a problem. One reason many people start learning Shorinji Kempo is to improve their level of fitness. You will not be expected to keep up with the rest of the class when you first start training, you will be encouraged to train according to your own level of fitness. Eventually you will attain a level of fitness that enables you to keep up with the majority of the class.

Do I need to make contact before attending my 1st lesson?
No it is not necessary to make contact before attending you are welcome to turn up to a lesson and talk to the Sensei or other students and either watch the lesson or join in.

Is Shorinji Kempo suitable for women or small people?
Yes, Shorinji Kempo is practiced by many women without any problems. The techniques do not rely on strength or physical size so no matter what your size you will not find it a problem.

Is Shorinji Kempo safe?
Injuries are rare in Shorinji Kempo, this is mainly due to the emphasis of co-operation during training and the nature of the techniques, which are designed to be effective without causing injury.
However, when taking part in any physical activity, be it running or working out in the gym, you could potentially suffer some form of injury.

HOW TO TIE A SHORINJI KEMPO BELT

Take one end of the belt and place in centre of your back

Wrap Belt around your body twice, keeping it flat

Hold belt at the front and let the outer end drop

Tuck the outer end up and under the length of belt around your body

Pull the inner end of the belt down and adjust so that both ends are an equal length

Take hold of the lower end and flip it over towards you

Lay the upper end across the lower end creating a hole

Tuck the upper end under both lengths of belt and up through the hole

Gently pull both ends of the belt to tighten the knot (but not to tight!)

Tuck both ends of the belt down between the two sections of belt that are wrapped around your body. Adjust as required so that all sections lay flat

WHAT IS SHORINJI KEMPO

Shorinji Kempo is a martial art than can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, sex or size. The techniques exploit the use of balance and specific pressure points (vital points) of the body. This means that strength is not required to perform any of the techniques.
But Shorinji Kempo goes beyond the limits of Self-defence. It's main practice is designed to benefit it's students in three main areas: Self-defence, improved health and spiritual development.
The physical techniques are split in to two families Juho and Goho.
Generally Goho techniques are used against an opponent who attacks with a punch, kick or strike, and Juho techniques are used when an opponent has grabbed or pinned the defender.
Generally, all techniques used in martial arts consist of three fundamental movements; the circular, the straight and the curved. These movements can be found in all Shorinji Kempo techniques.
In addition to these physical techniques, Shorinji Kempo teaches the practice of Seiho and Zazen Meditation.
In Shorinji Kempo it is taught that all are equal no matter what your age, sex or grade. Higher graded students and instructors are there to help each other and lower graded or new students. The lower graded and new students are encouraged to ask questions of the more senior students, and unlike some martial arts there is no problem in approaching the Sensei to ask a question. The colour of the belt signifies the amount of experience each person has, not that they are better than anyone else.
When training together in Shorinji Kempo students do not bow to each other as in many martial arts, but instead they use the Gasso rei.