Shorinji Kempo 20th Anniversary Taikai
Completion Ceremony for Rensei Dojo (1967)
Hombu Rensei Practice Hall under construction Construction on the current Rensei Practice Hall began in February, 1965.
At that time, increases in kenshi numbers had led to increases in people wanting to participate in study sessions, and the Hombu Practice Hall at the time was too small even to hold a third of them. Also, the number of university clubs coming to training camps had increased vastly.
In this situation, Kaiso decided to build a large-scale training hall as a foundation for the further propagation of Shorinji Kempo.
The site acquired for the construction was a lonely thicket that almost no one ever even approached. First, the work began with preparing the ground, and it was a difficult job involving bulldozers and tearing away at cliffs. Kaiso regularly visited the construction site and watched over the work. During the preparation of the site, perhaps because of the extra mental burden, Kaiso was struck by a heart attack and collapsed for the first time. From then until he passed away, he was continually plagued by heart disease.
