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ultrajohan
1st December 2000, 12:48
If I recall things right "Shorinji" is the japanese word for the chinese "Shaolin". Are SK just a japanese version of Shaolin kung fu with similar techniques and philosophy or are there perhaps other martial arts that has influenced SK?

Regards
Johan Svensson



[Edited by ultrajohan on 12-01-2000 at 06:59 AM]

Steve Williams
1st December 2000, 13:38
Hi Johan

You are correct "Shorinji" is a translation of "Shaolin-si" or "Shaolin Temple", and Shorinji Kempo does have connections with the Shaolin temple.

More information (including history) is at:
http://www.bskf.org (in English)
http://www.shorinji-kempo.org (in Swedish)

Hope this is of help to your question.

Anders Pettersson
1st December 2000, 14:19
Hi Johan.

Well Steve beat me to this one :cry:, just finished my post and conected again just to see it already been answered.
But I post what I wrote anyway, although some is just the same as Steve wrote:

Hejsan Johan.

Actually Shorinji is the Japanese pronunciation of the kanji 少林寺 , which would be something like "Shaolin-ssu" i Chinese.
The literally meaning is; "small", "forest", "temple".

The founder of Shorinji Kempo, So Doshin, did practice under some Chinese Shaolin masters during the years he spent in China. He also studied different arts, such as kendo, sojutsu (spearmanship), and jujutsu, from his grandfather. You can read more about that at in the Article series of "The History of Shorinji Kempo" at <A href="http://www.shorinji-kempo.org/">www.shorinji-kempo.org</A>.

Today the Shorinji Kempo Hombu have quite good relations with Shaolin in China, some monks visited for instance at the Shorinji Kempo 50th Anniversary in 1997 at the Budokan, etc.

But for what I have seen of Shaolin fighting techniques it is quite different from Shorinji Kempo. The main reason for Kaiso So Doshin to name his art Shorinji Kempo was to establish the same way of teaching both body and mind as they have done in the Shaolin temple. But of course Shorinji Kempo has been influenced by other arts, so have all martial arts, but I believe the main influences are from the techniques that So Doshin learned as a young boy from his grandfather and from his teacher during his time in China.

Vill du ha en utförligare förklaring kan jag ta det på svenska om du vill, men då kanske vi skall ta det via e-post eller varför inte på <A href="http://www.budoka.nu">www.budoka.nu</A>.
Ha det så länge.

Steve Williams
1st December 2000, 15:34
Hey Anders

Yes I am fast and get the meaning across, but as ever your information is fuller and more rounded (may be a connection between our writing and our physical training :laugh: )

I am going to have to visit your site again now, because I did not remember about the sojutsu connection. :shadowmas

Steve Williams
1st December 2000, 23:03
If you want to find more information on the Shaolin temple then try this link:
http://www.shaolin.com/history_shaolin.html

Or try this one for the "Shaolin monks on tour", OK it is not directly related to Shorinji Kempo, but I saw the show a few years ago and it was VERY good:
http://www.wheeloflife.co.uk/


[Edited by Steve Williams on 12-02-2000 at 06:34 PM]