Shōrinji Kempō
The Shōrinji Kempō ( Japanese 少林寺 拳法 ) is a modern Japanese art of self-defense .
term
The name literally means Shaolin Temple Law of Fist. The first word reminds of the general place of origin of the martial arts in East Asia and, more specifically, of the founder's many years of learning in China. Kempo is a relatively widespread generic term for Japanese (and other, see Shaolin Kempo ) martial arts, which, however, mostly have no direct relationship to Shōrinji Kempō. The word Ken should be understood as broad as possible as a generic term for everything physical, especially combative.
Practitioners are referred to as kenshi (拳 士, literally scholars), which should not be confused with the homonymous word for practitioners of kenjutsu .
history
Shōrinji Kempō was officially launched in 1947 by its founder Sō Dōshin (born in 1911 as Nakano Michiomi) in the Japanese city of Tadotsu . It combines the various Chinese and Japanese martial arts techniques and the teachings of Buddha and Bodhidharma , which he had learned in Japan and China in the previous decades, into a holistic system. Similar to other foundations of this time (cf. the philosophically related Aikidō ), significant influences were the experiences of the war and the immediate post-war period in Manchuria and Japan, which were determined by great suffering, social isolation and many other problems. The technical teaching system should rather serve as a means to not only teach young people the Buddhist moral philosophy of Kongō Zen (金剛 禅) and the spirit of cooperation, but also to give them the ability to implement them and to help themselves and others .
Shōrinji Kempō spread quickly in Japan and is now one of the largest and most famous styles there. Outside of Japan it has been widespread especially since the 1970s, but has only reached a really considerable size in Indonesia and is relatively weak in the west.
The German Shorinji Kempo Association (DSKV) has existed since 1974 under the direction of Sensei Walther Wunderle, who lived in Japan for several years and learned Shōrinji Kempō there. Dōjōs are mainly found in the Augsburg area, near Nuremberg and in Berlin, at the Humboldt University (as of 2012).
philosophy
The philosophy traditionally has great weight in Shōrinji Kempō and is not only actively taught in training and queried for belt tests, but also underpins the techniques so strongly that they cannot be fully understood without them. The most important principle is learning together, which aims at joint development, not competition. This stimulates mutual respect, encouragement of understanding and improvement. The motto can be translated as "Half [of life] for your own happiness, half for the happiness of others".
Other important characteristics are e.g. B .:
- Ken zen ichinyo (拳 禅 一如), body (Ken, see above) and mind ( Zen ) are one unit and inextricably linked, so they have to be trained together.
- Riki ai funi (力 愛 不二), strength (Riki) and love (Ai) belong together. Pure training to become stronger and tougher can lead to the fact that one only knows how to solve conflicts and problems with violence. Compassion and compassion don't really help others if they lack the strength to act from within.
Shōrinji Kempō is a method to promote self-control , physical and mental balance and mutual development through joint practice. The ability to defend oneself and others, intellectual development and the promotion of health are the most important goals to be pursued.
technology
The various techniques of Shōrinji Kempō consist in the sense of the mentioned philosophical principles basically of defensive processes against certain attacks, which are only supposed to incapacitate the attacker and if possible not injure them. They are usually roughly divided into three areas (see below).
Individual movements such as steps, punches and kicks, blocks, rolls etc. are practiced in Kihon and then put together in Hokei to form such processes.
- Gōhō (剛 法): The Gōhō includes all "hard" techniques, i. H. Defenses against kicks and punches, blocking methods, evasive movements, etc.
- Jūhō (柔 法): The Jūhō includes all "soft" techniques, i. H. Defenses against body grips through releases, throws, levers and holding techniques.
Only Gōhō and Jūhō together make Shōrinji Kempō an efficient art of self-defense. Advanced techniques often involve transitions between the two areas.
These defense techniques are put together in processes (Embu), in which they should come to the greatest possible perfection and fluency, as well as practiced in a more free form (Randori or Unyo-ho) in order to be able to come closer to a real self-defense situation.
- Seihō (整 法): The Seihō includes massage and healing techniques that are mostly simple but efficient. Here, too, philosophy plays a major role, because if you can destroy something, you should be able to repair it if possible.
Due to the special history of origin, the techniques and movements of Shōrinji Kempō stand out from most other Japanese martial arts. Overall, Shōrinji Kempō can still be clearly classified in this family.