n the wShorinji Kempo is not a sport or martial art, but a religious exercise to approach the Buddha's spirit in the principles of "self-realization" and "help each other ."
It was started by So Doshin Ⅰ 宗道臣 (1911-1980) in 1947. Two years before he had been repatriated from Manchuria, the northeas tern part of China that "Imperialist Japan" held for 13 years till the end of world war Ⅱ. Doshin had seen how people could be dehumanized in the dire extremities of war and its aftermath. "Developing good humanity is the only way to save Japan and the world at large," he kept syaing to himself . Doshin , who had learned various martial arts n China, pondered over the Zenphilosophy of Bodhidharma, trying to restore the martial art that Bodhidharma himself was said to have practised about 1,500 years ago when he brought Zen from India to China. Finally, Doshin succeeded in restoring and reorganizing the whole body of that art, which he named shorinji Kempo. Now its Headquarters has more than 100 branches in 23 countries iorld.
◎ The Shorinji Kempo Headquarters 総本山少林寺 ℡ (0877)33-1010 is on the southern slope of Toryo Koen Park Hill 15 minutes' walk from JR Tadotsu Station.
The Bodhidharma Festival 達磨祭 is held on the 1st Sunday in October.
the mecca of Kompira worshippers
( From JR Takamatsu to JR Kotohira 琴平)
60 minutes by shuttle train ( dosan Line).
( From Takamatsu Chikko)
70 minutes' tram ride to Kotohira 琴平(kotoden).
(From JR Okayama)
67 minutes' train ride by special express.
2 hours to kotoden Kotohira Station by SetoOhashi Kosoku Bus 瀬戸大橋高速バス.
Especially Noted Product: Irrobori woodcarving.
Kotohira-gu , a great shrine complex, often affectionately called kompira-san , has been a celebrated destination for pilgrims and tourists for hundreds of years.
According to legend, Kompira-san came into being when Kumbhira - a guardian god of Buddhism, originally a Hindu crocodile god of the Ganges, was beckoned by a Buddhist priest of Matsuo-ji, a thousand- year-old temple in this neighborhood.
Kumbhira from the holy waters of the Ganges was naturally believed to be a mighty patron deity for seamen , fishermen and rice-growing farmers, and in later years came to be considered a Great Incarnation of the Buddha himself.
But the temple remained a Shinto shrine in pare, with Omononushi-no-mikoto, the native god of fertility, medicine and commerce also summoned from the mythological land of Izumo. Omononushi-no-mikoto, along with Daikoku-ten representing Chinese folk religion, were then identified with the Indian god Kumbhira(Kompira), a case of religious internationalism in classical Japan.
In 1868 Buddhism and shintoism were separated by law, and Omononushi became the chief god along with the deified Emperor Sutoku who had been enshrined here in the 15th century. Yet "kompira Worship" continued to flourish, for the Hindu deity had already enshrined himself deep in the hearts of the Japanese people.
There are 785 stone steps to climb before one reaches the Main Shrine. Fortunately its route consists first of a colorful street of souvenir shops and of a quiet promenade lined with gardens,shrines and museums. The number-less granite lanterns, fences and tablets bordering the approach were all dedicated by Kompira worshippers nationwide, as were the stone steps themselves.
Many of the shrine treasures in the Homotdukan Museum ①, the Gakugeikan Museum ②, Omote-shoin and Oku-shoin Art Museum ③, were offered by gameus artists, poets, lords of Provincds and characters of historical renown.In the 17th century the Tokugawa Shogun, too,dedicated a stipend of 330 koku to the shrine, augmentinf its prosperity.