More Links
Back to Introduction
Kempo and Kenpo
History
Principles
Organizations - In Japan
Organizations - Rest of the World
Emblems
Philosophy
The basic philosophical principles
The Nippon Kempo Handbook by Muneumi Sawayama (1932-1977) quite clearly describes the expected philosophical principles on which the martial art teachings are based: inward radiating outward, gentleness with hardness, compassion with strength.
The visual representation of the philosophy is the symbol of a circle surrounded by eight small circles - each circle representing mind, body, spirit, power, technique, skill, way, rules.
Nippon Kempo is a way of life based on the understanding of the interrelation and interaction of all things and knowledge, and it emphasizes the cultivation of a balanced body and mind in which love, wisdom, courage and health abide.
All Nippon Kempo teachings are embodied in the practice of a martial art to insure expression in action - just as the art of driving a car depends on the mechanism of the car, proper driving techniques, and the understanding of the rules of the road.
In the teaching of Nippon Kempo, there are three known variables: the individual, nature, and society. These three variables determine the condition of man's survival as well as his fulfillment and happiness. But because it takes individuals to exploit nature, and individuals to make societies, Nippon Kempo asserts that the individual is both directly and indirectly responsible for his/her own welfare and happiness.
Nippon Kempo teaches that man learns through a long evolutionary process, and that his unique body and mind interact to endow him with vast potentiality - to which every individual must turn for answers in life. Man must bear the burden of his individuality, and Kempo asserts that the individual is his own witness and his own responsibility - in both good times and bad.
Nippon Kempo teaches of the significant unity of matter and spirit. Matter is expressed as the body and as the actions of the body; spirit expressed as the mind or the composure of the mind. The two are inseparably united in man, and enter into sequences in which either can affect the other. Kempo asserts that the training of the body disregarding the spirit (or the training of the spirit disregarding the body) cannot lead to the formation of a complete man.
Nippon Kempo and the Law of Nature
The fundamental law of nature, survival of the fittest, is applicable to all living creatures. But although strength is the decisive factor in the animal world, among men the fittest are those who excel both physically and mentally.
The mental capacity in man accounts for the fact that he is at the top of the evolutionary pyramid. It would be indeed ideal if men did not resort to strength to settle conflicts among themselves. It would be indeed ideal if reason was the only and final mean of setting disputes. But all too often merely being right is not enough and justice, unfortunately, must be enforced by strength.
The laws and social codes of any society are significant only to the degree to which they are physically enforced.
Nippon Kempo thus emphasizes the importance of strength, not for killing and destruction, but for preservation of life. Strength is to be used only as a final measure, only for preserving and defending oneself when one is threatened, and to prevent violent attack.
With righteousness enforced by strength, and forgiveness backed up by the power to punish, one can stop an aggressor while protecting one's own life. One must not confuse Kempo with other schools of martial arts prevalent today. Many of these center on cultivating sheer strength which is - for example - measured by how many bricks one can break in a blow or other similar, irrelevant feats. Unlike these schools, the martial art of Nippon Kempo is characterized not by the cultivation of brute force or strange powers. The objective of of Nippon Kempo is - quite simply - the cultivation of a balanced man in harmony with others.