Not a problem! Thanks for all the info! I'm really enjoying myself with Shorinji Kempo, and I hope to stick with it for a long time.
Tony, I have a serious question for you. You and others have refered to each other as Shorinji Kenshi. Is this a sword art? I am being completely serious. So I would Like a serious answer please.
hmm... I guess that website was mistaken, But, of of the "official" one "In this time, over 1,500,000 people have joined. The number of branches within Japan is about 2,950, and it has also spread to 29 countries overseas." Which is a little more believable. It doesn't say there are that many active members, just that that many have joined since the beginning. Big difference. edit: opps... wrong shorinji kempo thread
hey Kimpatsu do you know bret dennison?- i remember from the other forum i was on- i think you joined right before it cloased down??- also- dont you were those cloaths only above 3rd dan? arnt they like preists cloaths or somthing?
No, Andre, Shorinji Kempo has nothing to do with Kendo, although practitioners of both arts are called "Kenshi". The "Ken", however, is a different character. You've just fallen foul of a Japanese homonym. If your PC is Japanese-enabled, try these: (Shorinji) Kenshi: [少林寺] 拳士 (Kendo) Kenshi: [剣道] 剣士 HTH.
Brett Dennison? The name sounds familiar; can you refresh my memory. The hoi is worn by all black belts from 1st dan upwards.
Tony, thank you for the clarification. It did have me quite confused in that there is not reference to swordsmanship in relation to Shorinji Kempo on the net.
No problem, Andre. As I said, it's just an accidental homonym that Kendo Kenshi and Shorinji Kenshi should both be called "kenshi".
Shorinji Toraken Do Kempo I studied Shorinji Toraken Do Kempo and Hakko-ryu Jujitsu for awhile at the Iron Fist Academy. I found it to be an excellent and well rounded style. There are a lot of joint locking elements in it but I would consider them to be more along the lines of the traditional Aikijitsu techniques. There was also a great deal of leverage point use, pressure points and meridian manipulation as well as continuous motion. As I said, I found it to be a very good style and if I had the opportunity I would definitely pick back up where I left off with it. The translation we were given by Sensei Laterno was "Old Temple Tiger Fist" Best of Luck Whitetiger
I don't believe that Shorinji Kempo has any connections to Shorinji Toraken Do Kempo. The latter appears to be an American form of Kempo. There is some connection with Hakko Ryu Jujutsu if it is the style developed by Okuyama Ryuho. I believe there are some styles that just use the name Hakko Ryu but have no recognised connection. Doshin So (the founder of Shorinji Kempo) learnt Jujutsu when he was young. He also studied Hakko Ryu for about two years on his return from China. I would describe our Juho as similar to AikiJutsu type techniques. Doshin So was greatly affected by his Shaolin experience (using Kempo training to develop human qualities) while living in China. When he returned to Japan he wanted to create this type of experience for the young Japanese people. He re-systemised his knowledge and produced Shorinji Kempo (Shaolin Temple Fist Method). The physical study of Shorinji Kempo is broken into three main areas; Goho, punching, kicking, blocks and evasions; Juho, throws, locks, chokes, evasions and arrests; Seiho, using kyusho and manipulations for medical treatments
Wow, that is some Lazarus Thread Revival going on! Good to see that all three active Kenshi are still going strong (Not me! I meant Omicron, Kimpatsu and Colin).
I have been practicing this art for about 3 or 4 years. Under the name Shaolin Kempo (Which IS infact the same thing.) I also assist at U.S.S.D. VERY often. Its a more shaolin than japanese version because U.S.S.D. is endorsed by the shaolin temple. You can go to www.ussd.com and click on find an instructor to search america, canada, and ireland for dojos. Mainly my style of shaolin kempo has chinese and japanese arts: judo, jiu-jitsu, animal style, chi na, karate etc. ALOT of different styles in one. You could look for other S.K. dojos too online using google or something if your looking for one.
While Shaolin Kempo and Shorinji Kempo do have the same meaning they are in fact completely different arts. Shorinji Kempo is the copy right protected name of Doshin So’s martial art. While he did study at the Shaolin Temple his art is more of a re-examination of all his experiences and as such varies from the original styles he learned there. We also have a good relationship with the Shaolin Temple, they often visit our headquarter as do our headquarters visit them. Just for interest sake there is a stone monument to Doshin So at the temple.
Hi ShaolinKempoKa, The Shaolin Kempo Karate you practice is in fact the creation of Fred Villari not Shorinji Kempo. He learned it from Nick Cerio and add is own touch (the five animals and the shaolin name...) some old Villari guys are here on the forum like Professor Shuras if you want to know more about your style you can ask they can tell you a lot. Bill
I have also been doing Shaolin kempo for 4 years, and I can tell you that almost everyhting you wrote is wrong. It is neither Shaolin nor Japanese, it is basically HAWAIIAN STREET FIGHTING. The owners of USSD went to China and PAID BIG MONEY for anything they got from there. Read about it... from sources OUTSIDE the USSD. It doesn't have judo or jujitsu - it has throwing. It doesn't have Shaolin 5 animal, it has made-up animal forms from Cerio and Villari. It doesn't have chin-na, it has locks and grabs. It does't have karate, it has Shotokan kata.... SKK is a mixture of the hawaiian kempo from Emperado and Gascon, kickboxing and street fighting added by Pesare, with shotokan and TKD added by Cerio, and some made-up kung-fu by Villari. Dilute with 20 years of mediocre instruction and you get USSD's SKK. Honestly, you need to read some OBJECTIVE history of Shaolin Kempo, don't believe the party line from the USSD. REAL Shaolin Kung Fu is 99% gone, and that last 1% is found far far away from the Shaolin temple in China. Shaolin kempo and Shorinji Kempo are completely distinct and seperate, any similarity of names is purely coincidental. I looked up "endorse" and this is what I found "To acknowledge (receipt of payment) by signing a bill, draft, or other instrument" so I guess in a way the heads of USSD are endorsed by ST - the ST abbot signed their certificates, in receipt of payment LOL. SKK is a fine system - it's just often sold as something it is not. Fred Villari first used the name "Shaolin" to make his schools sell better and be more popular by tieing into the Shaolin myths and mystique. He thought this would capture the imagination of the general public. He was right! As you demonstrate with every post it was many many years later that the USSD guys discoverd that you could buy anything you wanted from the Communist Lackeys that live at the temple these days. I don't think Villari ever had anything to do with the ST, and he's the one that named the style. -David
