What is Shorinji Kempo?
Shorinji Kempo 少林寺拳法(Shorinji Kempo in Kanji) is a traditional Japanese martial art developed around the time of World War II.
After Shorinji Kempo was founded in 1947 in the town of Tadotsu, Japan by Kaiso, Doshin So, kenshi (students) who had studied the teachings and techniques took the initiative in spreading them overseas. Japanese kenshi who moved abroad brought the teachings and techniques with them and kenshi who had studied while staying in Japan likewise built dojo to share them with their friends, and so Shorinji Kempo spread gradually.
The World Shorinji Kempo Organization was founded in 1974 to coordinate and manage all the Shorinji Kempo branches of the world, properly spreading the principles, teachings and techniques of Shorinji Kempo around the world.
The first President of the World Shorinji Kempo Organization was Kaiso, Doshin So. However, after he passed away in May of 1980, Since then, his daughter Yuuki So succeeded to the office.
Now, Shorinji Kempo has spread to 33 countries, over 3,000 branches have been established in the world, and we count over 1,700,000 registered members.
History of Shorinji Kempo can found here