Kosho Shorei Kempo was created by several happenings, spanning a period of
centuries. According to Mitose Sensei, during the invasion of Genghis Khan, the
Head Monk of the Shaolin Temple fled China and found refuge with the Mitose family.
In appreciation for the kindness of the Mitose's, he taught them Shaolin Chuan
Fa (Shorinji Kempo in Japanese). From James Mitose's book:
"Fifteen hundred years ago, the ancestor (of the Author) was a Shinto priest.
He studied and taught many different martial arts including sword fighting, lance
fighting, fighting with the bow and arrow, fighting on horseback, and swim fighting.
Some arts looked like Kempo, Karate, Gongfu, and Ju-jitsu- but they were different
in many ways. He mastered all of these arts and became Grand Master. Then Grand
Master Mitose founded a martial arts school and called his style Mitose's Martial
Art School."
In 1235 a Shinto priest whom James Mitose called his first ancestor became
enlightened to what we call Kempo. According to Mitose, this man was a martial
arts master and a Buddhist monk studying at Shaka-In who found it difficult to
be both. His religion taught him pacifism; his martial art taught him destruction.
He pondered this dilemma under an old pine tree meaning Kosho in Japanese. He
became enlightened and was from then on known as, Kosho Bosatsu, the Old Pine
Tree Enlightened One. He discovered the relationship between man and Nature and
also the secret of the Escaping Arts which is what makes Kempo a True and Pure
Kempo or study of all Natural Law through a Martial Arts medium. Then "the Grand
Master founded the Kosho Shorei Temple of Peace, True Self Defense and Kosho Shorei
Yoga School. At that time, he made up the Coat of Arms and the Motto for his Temple.
In his Temple, he taught how to escape from being harmed by using the escaping
patterns, with God's help."
Only 2 people in the world learned the Escaping Arts from Mitose Sensei and
one of these two learned all the facets of Kosho, namely its 22 Generation Grandmaster
Bruce Juchnik. The highest goal is to defend oneself without body contact unlike
Okinawan/Japanese Karate systems or many other Ken/mpo systems.
Kosho Ryu influences can be seen in Ed Parker and his creation American Kenpo.
He added many labels to concepts inherent in Kosho that had Japanese names or
no labels at all.
A - C