History
Shorinji Kempo was founded in 1947 in Tadotsu, Japan, by Doshin So, who had lived in China and drew on Chinese martial arts. He created it after the war as a way to train people with confidence and a sense of justice to rebuild society.
It combines striking and kicking (goho) with joint locks, throws and escapes (juho), always practised in pairs, together with seated meditation and philosophy.