Learning Never Stops: A Working Adult's Passion for Shorinji Kempo
noriakiI recently had the opportunity to observe a voluntary training session by a working adult dedicated to Shorinji Kempo.
While I believe that there is value in professional instructors of the Budo, I also feel that there is great cultural significance in the presence of people who continue to study Budo for self-improvement while leading their daily lives as working people.
This time, I visited Yasutome-san, who is in his second year as a working adult, at his voluntary training session.
He recently had the opportunity to get in touch with a Senpai(senior member) of his university's Shorinji Kempo club (about 25 years older than him), who agreed to train with him.
In Shorinji Kempo, there are two main practices: “Goho” and “Juho”.
Yasutome's Senpai gave him tips based on his own knowledge and experience in those practices, and Yasutome-san learned them by repeating them silently.
The movements of the Senpai showed their proficient skills and deep experience gained over many years of training.
After the training, Yasuru-san said that in addition to the abundance of techniques, the appeal of Shorinji Kempo is the community that extends beyond the workplace and home, and the warmth of the teachers and friends.
These words remind us that the Budo is not just about acquiring techniques, but also about building relationships with other people and spiritual growth.
I feel it is very valuable to have such a place to learn even after becoming a member of society.
I hope to report on someone's voluntary training in the future and bring it to you.
