Grandmaster William Gregory studied Shorinji Kempo under Kili Fujiama Sensei and earned his black belt ranking.  This style heavily influenced GM Gregory in his development of our Kajukenpo System.

The originator of Shorinji Kempo was a gentleman named Doshin So from Japan.  Doshin went to Manchuria, China to live with his grandfather in 1919.  He was 8 years old at that time. He studied various kung fu arts and according to an account of his life, in 1932 began his training in Peking, China, with a monk, named Master Chin Ryo, who four years later was named the 21st Master of the Northern Shaolin Giwamonken Temple.

Doshin is said to have worked for the Japanese Government as a ‘spy’ in China because of his ability to speak the language.  During the 1930’s and part of the 1940’s, China had no government. It was a Republic controlled by the Japanese Imperial Army.

WWII atrocities and the retreat and defeat of the Imperial Army, deeply affected Doshin, who made a decision to try to change the way people acted towards each other. In 1946 he began to develop a style of pugilism that combined his Chinese and Japanese skills, what he named as Shorinji Kempo, which are Japanese terms for Shaolin Temple Fist Way. This style/way was rooted in the Buddhist religion. Master So firmly believed in meditation, breathing and spiritual enlightenment. Today, Shorinji is arguably the most popular Japanese style in the world, and is practiced as a registered religion as well as a martial art. His daughter Yuki, became the leader of Shorinji Kempo in 1980 upon Doshin’s death.

Doshin So instituted much of what our family and most KEMPO/KENPO stylists practice today- training with a partner, and sharing in his/her joy of accomplishment; meditation, physical fitness, and discipline.  He tried to recreate how the Shaolin monks had lived and studied.  He did not believe in teaching martial arts as a sport, but rather a full and complete way of life-  improvement of ourselves, our spirit, learning who we are, and finding balance in all that we do.

No matter what your religious beliefs may or may not be, these are wonderful tenets to follow.

For further study and information check the Shorinji headquarters website http://www.shorinjikempo.or.jp/wsko/index.html, or read The Fighting Arts by Howard Reid, published 1983 –Simon and Schuster

Rick Mattioli
Kajukenpo Pai Lum Family
November 2002