Morning Research

So, I've been thinking about my martial art journey or what ever "life plan" I have in my head and I decided to do research on the style of karate that I practiced because of one simple thing I learned, Shorinjiryu and Shaolin are the same characters in Japanese and Chinese meaning there is a connection between the two styles. Thus began my morning research...

Shorinjiryu Shindo Budo Kwai was founded by an Okinawan man named Kori Hisataka. I won't give the full history on the man but he traveled around the eastern world a lot and continued studying various arts, the two main ones being Shorinji Kempo and Judo but as he traveled he also made his way into China where he dabbled in Baji Quan (八极拳）. Being a master in Shorinji Kempo and Judo he began to form his own art with a few modifications:

• The "Vertical Fist"
• Heel Kicks
• Practice of Weapons
• Practice of Yakusoku Kumite
• and a few more...

But this isn't a direct lineage to Kung Fu, so I kept researching. Judo is purely Japanese but it seems that Shorinji Kempo is not. Though very different, it is said to be a simplified/modified version of Shaolin Kung Fu (少林功法） . Doshin So, the founder of Shorinji Kempo, is said to have spent a lot of time in China and to have studied Bailian Men Quan and Yi He Men Quan.

This is the connection to the Shaolin Temple and its Kung Fu. I don't know much about Bai Lian Men Quan but I do know that Yi He Men Quan was a style used by those in the Boxer Rebellion. I just think its a neat thing to see the lineage.