SANADA Tamao WSKO Official Instructor Tokyo Shakujii Branch Master, Japan Tokyo University Shorinji Kempo Club Coach, Japan

"It seems that you visit Europe quite often."
The first time was with the Japan Budokan delegation, and I went to Nice, France to represent Shorinji Kempo. The next time, as an instructor for the European Seminar, I went together with Arai Sensei and Bando Sensei. Afterwards, using Aosaka Sensei's kenshi cabin as my base, I traveled around Europe on a Eurail Pass. That was 16 years ago. It was so much fun that I had gotten chubby by the time I returned, and Aosaka Sensei scolded me. At the time of other seminars, I went to Sweden and Finland too, and I made the acquaintance of Finland's Ikka Virtanen Sensei and Stockholm's Toyokawa Sensei. At the Immigrations checkpoint in Sweden, the official in charge there was standing with a machine gun -- that surprised me.
I've also visited Switzerland's Neufchatel Branch many times. Their branch master, Bazz Sensei, is a student of Mizuno Sensei's, and he's visited my place as well.
The university where I serve as Coach (Tokyo University) maintains fellowship with British branches, and the kenshi participate in British university camps.

"What was it that got you started in Shorinji Kempo?"
At the time, it was because I was small in stature and I wanted to get stronger. In my first year of middle school, I joined the judo club, and at the time we often did rabbit hops for practice, and I injured my knee at the joint. After I recovered, I decided to start kendo. One of my seniors used to practiced kicking in his chest protector and hakama, and it was beautiful. Upon asking, it turned out he was a dan holder in Shorinji Kempo. After I entered high school, I began the weaponless combat of Shorinji Kempo. I was uncertain whether to choose karate or Shorinji Kempo, and I went to see each three times a week, but Masanao Sado Sensei was a splendid person, and so I joined the Nagao Doin. Sado Sensei took me by the hands and by the feet and taught me directly. He was someone who made people think, and whenever you met him he would ask you all kinds of questions. My half-hearted character gradually changed.
While in high school, I visited Hombu for the first time, and I met Kaiso. Although I had come thinking to meet a martial arts teacher, I realized he was no ordinary person. Sensei would discuss politics, economics, and society. You know, a regular martial arts sensei wouldn't discuss topics like that. I had once been the Kagawa Prefecture representative in kendo, and I had met a lot of martial arts' sensei, but Doshin So Sensei was entirely distinct. I was still a high school student, but in the instant I met him I knew it. There was an electrical current running. It felt like, oh, this guy's different. Listening to the content of his lectures too, I was totally drawn to him, and I thought to myself, I want to keep doing Shorinji Kempo. Even during the leadership seminars, Sensei would talk about how Japan should be, how the world should be, and what kind of people Shorinji Kempo should cultivate. For me, a high school student from the sticks in Shikoku, I had never even thought about what the world was doing, but I sensed then that it wasn't enough for us to simply live, eat and drink. So, I got myself over to Hombu often. However, while I was still in Kagawa Prefecture and close to Hombu, I didn't participate in many seminars. My sensei at my doin was a Hombu seminar instructor, so I thought I would just be going to Hombu to do the same things I already did in practice. But after I went to Tokyo, I regretted that. I had been so close to a mountain of wealth, was what it felt like. After moving to Tokyo, I really went to Hombu quite frequently -- taking trains and boats.

"Why did you move to Tokyo?"
It was a corporate transfer. I was supposed to return in 2 or 3 years, but at night I went to school, so I changed jobs. Then, I looked for a place that still had no doin, and then I opened Shakujii Doin. And so 30 years passed.

"How did you end up becoming a coach at Tokyo University?"
When Head Coach Takita was an instructor at Busen, I was his student, and I was really taken by him. So Takita Sensei asked me if I would write a newspaper article for Shorinji Kempo. But then, he told me I was a terrible writer so I should coach -- and I became a coach at Tokyo University. At the time, there was a move to strengthen sports clubs at Tokyo University, and I was hired as a temporary instructor. Kaiso was very happy for me.

"For you personally, what is the attraction of Shorinji Kempo?"
Shorinji Kempo has a philosophy and techniques, but when you say techniques, that's physics. I really think it's easy to understand for people who have studied physics. I'm talking about Newtonian mechanics, so everywhere in the world people can understand it. (And so, he began to explain about formula.)
For example, what is a good angle for mawashi geri kicks? That's a question you don't normally get, right? But one of the foreign students at Tokyo University has a physics doctorate, and he asks questions like this. One time he asked, "What's the difference between Kyokushin Karate's mae geri, Muay Thai's mae geri, and Shorinji Kempo's jun geri?" No way to answer that, right? So I asked a question in return, "What is the shape of a General Motors tire, of a Benz tire, and of a Japanese Nissan tire?" "Round," he answered. That's right, they're round. The only difference on them is the tread. They're the same. When I said this, he replied, "Sensei, that's great." Usually martial artists explain all kinds of differences. But, not everything can be different. In the mechanics of the body, the good parts of motions are bound to be the same. The person who asked that question became my student and joined Shorinji Kempo. He wrote every one of the techniques out as formulae.
He once asked me what was the angle of impact for mawashi geri, and a physics professor told me it was between 110 and 130 degrees. Apparently this is also the most effective angle for pedaling a bike or for jumping in volleyball. Whenever he learned something at Hombu, he would back it up with physics. When he would ask me questions involving physics, I would ask physics professors because I didn't know, and this is how I came to grasp the techniques through physics. So it's not a matter of kuzushi but of objects in motion. In physics, people make robots that won't fall over under any circumstances, but Shorinji Kempo is about how to make someone fall over. Interesting, don't you think? Shorinji Kempo techniques can be explained by physics. I hope the physical sciences people push forward with research on it. It's really fun. It's "x" squared. When the speed doubles, force quadruples. When the speed is multiplied by ten, force is multiplied by a hundred, so if you increase the initial speed a bit, your opponent will go down. When you explain these things to someone, I'll bet it's interesting to them. Of course it's tough to explain in English, but... Two thirds of our kenshi are in the physical science division, so they're always asking why, why, why. When you stick to it and finally solve the problem, there is that feeling of accomplishment too. It gets a little off the topic of Shorinji Kempo, but... But, because of that our membership does grow. As you can see, at this Hombu camp there are 80 participants from our university.
I don't think Kaiso thought it would be this well received overseas. Within Shorinji Kempo practice, there is philosophy, and Aosaka Sensei has taught this so that it has sunk in quite deeply. Kaiso said this too, that it's doubtful whether or not Shorinji Kempo could take hold as a latecomer in the birthplace of sports. But I think Aosaka Sensei did a great thing by coming in from a different angle and spreading it.
I think we need to cultivate good leaders overseas as well. If we were simply establishing who was stronger, then wouldn't we exclude the elderly and people with disabilities. My eldest daughter has a disability, and I don't think we can say that we don't need people like her. I think that if we proceed with a good system of practice, then more and more overseas kenshi will join too. I just want to do my part to help that.

(Updated on January 15, 2003)

 

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