Shorinji Kempo - Curriculum

“Shorinji Kempo,” Kenji said, “is not about learning to fight. It is about learning to live. The curriculum is not a cage. It is a key.”

Class structure (typical 90 minutes):

Akira learned Kihon —the basics. Punches, blocks, and the deep, crushing kosa-dachi (crossed-leg stance). But the first shock came not from a punch, but from a lecture. Hōdō : the code of self-protection and self-perfection. Kenji made him recite, “ Gōjō dōkan —hard and soft, unified.” Akira wanted to break boards. Instead, he spent an hour sitting in za-zen , counting his own angry breaths. shorinji kempo curriculum