Date founded 1933 | Country of origin Japan Ancestor arts Jujitsu | |
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Current head Yasuhiro (Takehiro) Konishi | ||
Shindo Jinen Ryu (神道自然流) is a form of karate that was founded in 1933 by Yasuhiro Konishi (康弘小西, Konishi Yasuhiro).
Contents
The Naming of Shindo Jinen Ryu
Konishi believed that if one lives a moral life, then one is naturally following the divine way. Extending this idea, he posited that, if training in karate in a natural way leads one to mastery of one's body, knowledge and experience are vastly increased and the foundation for naturally living a moral life is established.For this reason Konishi named his own style Shindō jinen-ryū ("godly, natural style, complete empty-handed way").
Characteristics
Shindo Jinen Ryu training has three main elements: kihon (basics), kata (forms or patterns of moves) and kumite (sparring). It incorporates elements of karate, aikido, jujitsu and kendo in its curriculum and also emphasizes both philosophy and education. The strong influences of both Gichin Funakoshi and Kenwa Mabuni are apparent in the style. The catalog of stances and techniques is equally broad, subsuming methods from both Shotokan and Shito-Ryu. There is a strong focus on practicality and an approach that often combines entering strikes with finishing takedowns.
Kata
Shindo Jinen Ryu has a large repertoire of kata, incorporating variations on the Shotokan catalog, a number of Shito-Ryu forms and a number of kata that are exclusive to Shindo Jinen Ryu. Kobudo is also part of this element of the style's curriculum.