Through employing a well-organised technical course outline, Shorinji Kempo aims to help the practitioner "establish oneself" and to promote "mutual comfort".

[citation needed] The embu is occasionally performed wearing a black robe, called hōi (法衣), for example at an opening or closing ceremony of a taikai (大会, convention/tournament).

Dōshin Sō claimed to have inherited the title of the 21st master of the Giwamon-ken (義和門拳) system (in Mandarin: Yihe Mén Quán) which is believed to have been used during the Boxer rebellion of 1899 to 1901.

Dōshin Sō claimed to have been much impressed to see paintings on the wall of Byakue-den (白衣殿) chapel at Shaolin Temple, although there is no evidence that ever visited it.

The so-en emblem is put on the training uniform (keikogi), belt (obi), and the hōi, a black robe worn by high-ranking practitioners during exhibitions.

Doshin Sō, birthname Michiomi Nakano, was born in Okayama Prefecture and spent his youth in northern China, first with his grandfather and then as an intelligence agent of the occupying Imperial Japanese Army to collect military information during the war.

Wen would take in Nakano as his student at the Shaolin Temple, at Henan, and passed onto him the title of grandmaster in that specific style of quan fa.

According to his book, the nature and quality of the person is extremely important since politics, law, and day-to-day living are all conducted by human beings.

He established Shorinji Kempo to take the concept of ken-zen ichinyo by following Bodhidharma and made use of techniques he had learned in China (source: the book "Hi-den Shōrinji Kempō" (秘伝少林寺拳法) written by Dōshin Sō, published by Kobun-sha Kappa Books).

By practicing Shorinji Kempo techniques and learning its philosophy, it is believed to develop a firm body like a pair of standing Vajradhara (金剛神: Kongō-shin or 金剛力士 Kongō-rikishi) and the never-give-up spirit of Bodhidharma (菩提達磨: Bodai-daruma).

", said that he pursued his revelations and the development of the fighting technique of Bodhidharma known as the Arakan no ken (阿羅漢之拳) or the Arhat fist.

There are qualifications for 1st degree black belt (1st "dan") in order to achieve the steps of body and spiritual training: These are bukai, hōkai, and sōkai.

Examples of bukai (武階 martial rank) and corresponding hōkai (法階 philosophical rank): After having 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree bukai qualifications, kenshi practicing at doin will automatically have Jun-kenshi, Sho-kenshi and Chu-kenshi in hokai qualifications, those kenshi practicing at branches will have these corresponding hokai after joining the training at Shorinji Kempo headquarters in Tadotsu town in Kagawa prefecture in Japan.

8 Gō-hō techniques: tsuki-waza (突技) uchi-waza (打技) kiri-waza (切技) keri-waza (蹴技) kari-waza (刈技) fumi-waza (踏技) taigi (体技) bōgi (防技)

gyaku-waza (逆技) nage-waza (投技) katame-waza (固技) shime-waza (締技) hogi (捕技) ōatsugi (押圧技) nukite-hō (抜手法) nukimi-hō (抜身法) shu-hō (守法) baku-hō (縛法)

fumikomi-ashi (踏込足) maeyose-ashi (前寄足) kumo-ashi (蜘蛛足) kani-ashi (蟹足) chidori-ashi (千鳥足) sashikomi-ashi (差込足) sashikae-ashi (差替足) tobikomi-ashi (跳込足)

furi-mi (振身) sori-mi (反り身) hiki-mi (引身) ryūsui (流水) han-tenshin (半転身) gyaku-tenshin (逆転身) han-tenkan (半転換) zen-tenkan (全転換)

mae-ukemi (前受身) ushiro-ukemi (後受身) ōten yori okiagari (横転より起き上がり) (also in the Kyohan as tombo-gaeri とんぼ返り) dai-sharin (大車輪) Embu is a combination of hokei (organised patterns of goho and juho techniques) which has 6 sections.

In these patterns one kenshi takes the part of attacker (kōsha 攻者) and one acts as defender (shusha 守者); they then change roles and repeat the technique.

[5] In 2010, the British Shorinji Kempo Federation (BSKF) split from the WSKO, in response to the latter's announcement on March 3 that it was dissolving the former.

Shorinji Kempo Unity opposed the application, but the IPO found that SKU had not demonstrated genuine use of its registered trademark.

Judge Warren found that Shorinji Kempo is a generic term, which simply describes a martial art, and even if this were not the case, there is no possibility of confusion of the BSKF's mark with that of the SKU.

[10] In 2015, the International Kempo Association (IKA) was formed (and incorporated in the UK), as an umbrella organisation and loose collective for several ex-WSKO groups.

It currently includes member organisations from Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and UK (BSKF).