History

Essential information on Nippon Kempo

Origins and history of any martial art are quite often shrouded in legend, and sprinkled with mystic references or miraculous occurrences. Furthermore, the origins and history of any martial art as recounted by different individuals are almost always oversimplified or - at the other end of the spectrum - overstuffed with details and trivia that only detract from the little remaining, relevant material.

I have always been especially fascinated and intrigued by the origins and history of Kempo. Historians and would-be-historians have provided us with innumerable, wildly different reports. The most accurate and realistic renditions are those founds in two somewhat hard to find books, by two authors that could not be any more different from each other.

The most concise and factual version of Kempo's history is the one found in the seminal Shorinji Kempo by Doshin So - father and founder of that Kempo style (which, interestingly enough, is registered in Japan as a religion). Unfortunately the book is today out of print and not available in the United States. Few used copies may be found for sale on Amazon.com: the buyer should make sure to obtain the 1973 edition published by Japan Publications, and should also be aware that the book is a collector's item with a price tag to match.

A substantially more detailed version of the origins, the history, and the offspring of Kempo is related by William Durbin in his book Mastering Kempo (Human Kinetics Europe Ltd - ISBN: 0736003509 - 2000). This book is, more or less, readily available in bookstores and from Amazon.com at a reasonable price. Although the techniques described in the book are those of Kempo Karate (as envisioned, reinvented, and coded by Ed Parker) the introductory notes, the history and philosophy of Kempo are must read sections for all Kempo students.

From a very practical point of view, Doshin So and William Durbin tell the same story. Doshin So restrict his focus to the history of Kempo as it pertains to its introduction, development, and explosion in China and Japan. William Durbin expands on Doshin So, and explores in detail the several ramifications and variations of Kempo in Japan, Okinawa, and Hawaii.

Here I simply synthesize the few indisputable, historical facts common to both versions.

The origins of Kempo

Wall paintings and other remains of the period suggest that an early form of Kempo already existed in India as early as 2,000 B.C. Authors other than Doshin So and William Durbin (see, for example, Ken Warner) have proposed that it is also reasonable to assume that links existed between the ancient Indian form and the system known as Pankration - which was practiced by the ancient Romans and Greeks. Historians have documented the existence of ancient trade routes between Italy, Greece, and India. As a result of this contact, each culture had the power to influence the other, and this influence may well have included the transfer of some martial arts methods.

It is common belief that Indian Kempo had already been organized and formulated into a standardized art before the founding of Buddhism. We know that Buddhism was transmitted to China sometimes between 25 A.D. and 220 A.D (later Han Dynasty), but it is very much agreed that Kempo entered the country many years later - introduced by the twenty-eight patriarch of Buddhism, Bodhidharma, in the early six century.

Scarce historical records and legends tell us that Bodhidharma traveled China and settled in Shaolin-ssu - also known as Shorinji, a monastery in what is now the Honan Province - to teach a form of Buddhism that later became known as Ch’an (Zen in Japanese) and, you guessed it, to teach the martial art of Kempo.

Even if many doubt the authenticity and the accuracy of the Bodhidharma legend, there is some evidence to support many aspects of the story. For example, paintings that can still be seen at the Shorinji temple remains depict dark-colored, quite obviously Indian monks practicing and teaching Kempo with light-skinned Chinese monks.

Rise and fall of Kempo in China

Eventually, and in time, Shorinji became famous. Not as the spiritual center of Zen, as was probably and originally intended by Bodhidharma, but as a superior center of weaponless military art.

Gradually, Kempo spread among the people in many parts of China. During the latter part of the Sung Dynasty (947 - 1279) Kempo enjoyed its golden age: during these centuries it practically became the national combat technique.

But during the Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368) Emperors followed a policy of banning the practice of Kempo - because the art was seen as the nucleus of popular resistance against that Mongol Dynasty. And even the last imperial dynasty (the Manchu Dynasty, which lasted until the early 20th century) issued and enforced edicts against the practice of Kempo.

The tragic Boxer Rebellion (1900) against the Manchu Dynasty (and against greedy foreign powers) marked the end of Kempo as a martial art in China - the government took effective steps to abolish the practice of all martial arts: training halls were closed, leaders executed, and students persecuted.

Nor was Kempo revived under the Communist Regime. Today, the only evidence of Kempo having been a part of the Chinese martial code are some exercises - seldom seen in demonstrations during the yearly All-China Martial Arts Tournament in Peking.

Rise and growth of Kempo in Japan, Korea, and Okinawa

Kempo was introduced in Japan sometimes during the Kamakura period (1192 - 1333), not as a martial art but as a set of calisthenics. Later, after each rebellion and dynastic change in China, monks, patriots, and rebels seeking refuge in Japan brought with them more traditional forms of Kempo - which took root and grew into the Japanese martial arts as they exist today.

During the 12th and the 17th centuries Kempo spread to Korea and Okinawa (with Buddhism), influenced the development of the indigenous fighting arts, and helped them evolve into true martial arts.

And during that same period, Kempo started changing into several distinctive forms according to environments and cultures. For example, in the warm climate of Korea and Okinawa, where people wore less clothing and used little armor, Kempo centered on the use of fist and other empty hand striking techniques - and kicking techniques to high, unprotected targets became more and more common.

Jujutsu

In the 16th century, the term Jujutsu was coined to describe all empty hand combat forms in Japan. By the end of the century many systems of martial arts (Ryu, in Japanese) started adopting the terminology of Kempo Jujutsu. Later in the 17th century most of those systems and schools followed the example of the prominent system Kosho Ryu and dropped the term Kempo - in favor of a more simplified Jujutsu. Jujutsu, in a short period, became more focused on the use of a subset of Kempo skills - and specifically those skills commonly used by Ashigaru (Samurai, foot soldiers): foot sweeps, props, hip throws, and hand skills.

Aikido

Other Kempo Jujutsu schools favored the skills used by Bushi (High Level Samurai, fighting with heavy armor). Those skills included techniques well suited to fight a person similarly armored: attacking vital points protected by the armor made little sense, but attacking the wrists, the elbow, and the shoulders with joint locks was extremely effective. These schools and this transformed martial art system soon adopted the new name Aikijujutsu. In 1942, the Shinto priest Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) modified and coded Aikijujutsu into the modern discipline of self-defense known as Aikido.

Judo

Through the efforts of Jigoro Kano (1860-1938), Jujutsu eventually developed into the modern martial sport known as Judo, which in 1964 became an Olympic sport. For reference purposes only, we note here that Judo (Kodokan Judo) was coded by Jigoro Kano in 1884.

Karate

In Okinawa, the indigenous fighting art was known simply as Te - meaning "hand" but referring to "skills". With Chinese and Japanese influences, "Kempo" became a common term used to express the concept of "martial arts". Later, a number of prefixes were applied to Te, so that terms such as Karate, Bushite, and others were coined and introduced. The art of Kempo strongly influenced the development of the existing, primitive form of Te - so much so that still today several styles of Okinawan martial arts prefer to use the term of Kempo Karate to give a more complete interpretation of the style, showing the connection to the old Chinese art. Later, in the early 1900, the Japanese became acutely aware of the "new" Okinawan fighting styles. By 1920 some Okinawan masters began teaching Karate in Japan. The three main teachers were Choki Motubo (1867-1941), Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), and Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) - and each one of these master originally referred to their art as Kempo Karate. For reference purposes, it should be noted that Gichin Funakoshi is till today considered the father of modern Karate (mostly because of his leading role in the historical All Japan Athletic Exhibition of Ochanomizu, organized by the Japan Education Ministry in Tokyo - May 1922 )

Modern Kempo in Japan

Shorinji Kempo

Modern Shorinji Kempo is the work of Doshin So who, before the Second World War, traveled to China and studied the scattered remnants of Chinese Kempo. After the end of the war, Doshin So returned to Japan to reintroduce and reestablish what is considered the most true form of Chinese Kempo - the closest to the orthodox North Shorinji line.

In reality, under scrutiny, the Shorinji Kempo introduced and reinvented by Doshin So is the fusion and rearrangement of several Kempo forms that he observed in China. It is Kempo re-examined and systematized from a new angle and with modern, accurate scientific foundations.

Nippon Kempo

Nippon Kempo is the transformation and adaptation of Shorinji Kempo (the original, orthodox North Shorinji line) into a competitive, full contact combat sport. It was founded in 1932 by Muneumi Sawayama.

Sawayama was born into a family descending from a Samurai family of the Nakaoka clan. Until he passed away on 27th September 1977, at the age of 72, he dedicated his life to developing the combination of techniques that we know today as Nippon Kempo, and to the compilation of the Nippon Kempo handbook.

The nature of Kempo is that of a martial art: it was invented, coded, and refined not as a sport, but as a fighting art to be used on the battlefield. In traditional, competitive Japanese spirit (that same spirit that gave us Karate, Judo, Aikido) Sawayama created a safe, realistic sport that incorporates all the most practical and effective aspects and techniques of Kempo (Shorinji Kempo).

The uniqueness of Nippon Kempo lies in its use of a Samurai style protective armor, consisting of helmet and face mask, breastplate, padded vest, groin protector and gloves. The object of Nippon Kempo armored contact sparring is to score points using a recognized Nippon Kempo technique, and the purpose of the armor is to allow realistic, full contact sparring without the risk of serious injury.

Testament to the effectiveness of this relatively modern art, Nippon Kempo is today practiced in over 100 Japanese Universities, is part of standard Japanese Police Force training, and counts on approximately 500,000 students in Japan alone (over 1,000,000 worldwide - source: Nippon Kempo KYOKAY - Tokyo).

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