History of Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo
Kosho Shorei Ryu was founded in 1245 A.D. by a monk who according to legend, spent many seasons praying and meditating to God under an old pine tree and received a spiritual message from God in regards to True Self-Defense. The monk came to realize that in true self-defense there is no body contact and was taught how to escape from attackers to avoid conflict. The monk chose a name for his art to reflect its spirit and origins Kosho Shorei, which means “Old Pine Tree Spiritual Calling”.
In 1916 grandmaster Mitose was sent to Japan to learn his ancestral arts at the age of five. As written, he studied at the Shaka-In temple, west Koyazon, Kumamoto, Japan which was constructed in 799 A.D. by it's founder, Chozen Daishi. It is called Kinkaizan Dionkyo-ji or Pokuri-ji temple. As the 21st inheritor of Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo, James Masayoshi Mitose moved from Kyushu Japan to Hawaii in 1936 and taught his art from 1942 until 1946. He had five students that reached black belt status, Thomas S.H. young, Arthur Keawe, Bobby Lowe, Paul Yamaguchi, and William Chow. It is from these early teachings that much of what is known today as Kempo has developed.
In 1977, the current Kosho Shorei Ryu successor, Mr. Bruce Juchnik, met Professor Mitose through one of his student’s, Guro George Santana, and studied with Mitose Sensei until his death on March 27, 1981 at 9:00 p.m. Before his death, Professor Mitose passed the responsibility for keeping his family art alive to Mr. Juchnik and he became the "Hanshi" of Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo.
Today, Bruce Juchnik is the President of the Sei Kosho Shorei Kai International, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the teachings of the late James M. Mitose, and the Martial Arts Collective Society (MACS) developed to promote the unification of the arts throughout the world. His martial knowledge occupies many styles and systems and his experiences have enjoyed the direct friendship of many of the pioneers of the systems still in existence today. He has authored three books, starred in over 200+ instructional media recordings, and is currently in demand for teaching martial arts seminars worldwide.
Sensei David's comments:
As practitioners we need to embrace the compassion and the spirit set forth by the pioneers of the arts. In their quest to create, implement and maintain structure for the various techniques of their styles/systems, we are reminded that the foundation for existence is the same. Therefore, we must look for the similarities amongst them in order to appreciate their existence. The concepts and principles that govern motion and movement are the focus of Kosho Ryu, and therefore it is important for the practitioner to have an understanding of body mechanics and the application thereof.
In closing, I am grateful to our 22nd Inheritor of the Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo system Hanshi Bruce Juchnik for his continued journey in uniting the Arts throughout the world. As Hanshi Juchnik has written, "Kempo is study, constant study. Kempo is the study of martial, cultural, and healing arts, the study of practice and blending and getting along with others....of the very thing religions are based upon, how to survive in harmony with our society." I believe this says it all!
To the practitioner...enjoy your journey!
Sensei David Greco