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Shaolin Kenpo Karate By Shaolin_Samurai - Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:12:44 GMT

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Hi there,

I've read that the origins of Shaolin Kenpo Karate go back to the Japanese Samurais and the Shaolin Monks. Could anyone tell me something more about it's origins or how it's been transmited till our days?


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Tom Yum

Translating the kanji for shorinji kenpo, it means "ultimate shaolin fist method." If its roots are directly inherited from the shao lin temple, then it could date back as early as 386 to 534 AD (Northern Wei Dynasty). I do not know the lineage but shao lin martial arts came from China during this period.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-906), China became the cultural, economic and military and art capital of east, south east and central asia. There was a great deal of sino-japanese exchange during this period but the shaolin kenpo system did not arrive in Japan yet. There were additional cultural exchanges, more noteably in the 19th century - but the system came about during the WW2 period.

A Japanese man named Doshin So worked as a military cartographer for the Japanese Imperial Army in China during WW2. During most of the war, So travelled throughout China learning as much as he could about Chinese martial arts. Alot of cultural things seemed to have rubbed onto him as well.

When he returned to Japan at the end of WW2, he found his country in turmoil and wanted to do something for his people. He created the shorinji kenpo system as a method of improving people's lives through excercise, self-defense and martial philosophy.

The art of Kempo karate (not to be confused with kenpo) is believed to have originated in Japan around the same time Mr. So created the shorinji kenpo system. The difference in the english spelling is probably used to distinguish the arts. James Mitose was a Japanese American who studied the system while in Japan (in the 1930's) and brought the Kempo system to Hawaii. Kempo has also gone under the name kempo jujitsu (the "fist method of the gentle art").

At this time, I am not sure if So or Mitose were connected or studied the same style but its a good topic for future study.

Tom Yum

Bump: Most of the information that I wrote on came from my own knowledge. So's exact career in the Japanese army was something I had to research as some say he was a double agent. I also had to find the exact times of events.

This information is readily available on wilipedia or can be googled.