Shorinji Kempo
Post-war Japanese martial art blending Zen philosophy with hard strikes, joint locks and pressure-point attacks.
👥1 per team🌤indoor
What is Shorinji Kempo?
Shorinji Kempo is a Japanese martial art founded in 1947 by Doshin So, blending Zen Buddhism with a technical repertoire of strikes (goho), joint locks and throws (juho) and pressure-point attacks. It is trained cooperatively rather than for tournament combat — the main format is paired embu (form) demonstrations judged for accuracy and power.
Quick facts
Category
Combat Sports
Type
Individual
Players
1 per team
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇯🇵 Japan
Estimated origin
1947, Kagawa, Japan (Doshin So)
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
Sources & provenance
Last verified 2026-08-24.verified