The Formulation of Shinshin Ryu Karate-Jutsu

  

   Shinshin Ryu Karate-Jutsu is a traditionally-based Okinawan/Japanese Karate system developed from the martial arts of Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Karate and Shorinji Tetsu-Kempo*.

   The late Albert C. Church, Jr., Dai-Soke, began training in Shorinji Tetsu-Kempo (at the time in Korea known as Sorim Sa Cheol Kwon Bup), during his two year deployment to Korea during the Korean war.

   After returning from the Korean War in 1952, Church Sensei began and continued teaching this system of Kempo to his students until he connected with the HMAF (Hakko-Ryu Martial Arts Federation), and also began teaching Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Karate in the early 1960s. One of the students of these systems was my teacher, and Master Church’s Soke-Dai (inheritor elect), Harold Martin. Martin Sensei met Church Sensei in late 1962. In 1967, Church Sensei turned his school over to Martin Sensei and left for Japan to once again train under his teacher, Tai-Sijo Wang. During Church’s 2-year stay in Japan, Martin continued to teach Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Karate, Hakko Ryu Jujutsu, and Church Sensei’s personal teachings of Jujutsu under The Hakko Ryu Martial Arts Federation (HMAF) at Church’s school.

   In Japan, Church Sensei personally trained with the late Shogo Kuniba, Soke, and Teruo Hayashi, Soke (Dairi) in Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Karate. Church Sensei eventually earned a Godan (5th Degree Black Belt) and Shihan License in Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Karate under both instructors. Kuniba Sensei issued a Scroll and Kanban of recognition of Church’s inheritance of the Shorinji Tetsu-Kempo, as well as Church’s position within the Seishinkan Sogo Budo Renmei as Kaicho (President) and United States Seishinkan Representative.

   After returning to the United States in 1969, Church Sensei began teaching the Motobu Ha Shito Ryu Karate as well as beginning the formulation of Kamishin (Shinshin) Ryu Karate-Jutsu, combining the Motobu Ha Shito Ryu with Karate/Kempo like elements from his Shorinji Tetsu-Kempo system. This formulation continued evolving until in 1977/78, he finished his 10-year commitment with Kuniba Sensei to teach Motobu Ha Shito Ryu. The teachings of the Kamishin Karate-Jutsu continued under the leadership of Harold Martin, Soke-Dai. In 1977, he was positioned as Kaicho-Dai (President-in-waiting) of the Nippon Kobudo Rengokai which oversaw the advancements of the Kamishin Ryu Ryugi of Karate-Jutsu and Jujutsu. During this time, Church Soke was formulating his own “Kanda Ha” system of arts that was considered a consolidation of all of his arts he had trained in during his life.

  The current version of Shinshin Ryu Karate-Jutsu is the culmination of the evolution of the traditional Okinawan/Japanese Karate-Jutsu waza taught to Church sensei over the span of his life, and put together in a cohesive system of traditionally based techniques, principles, and concepts by Martin Sensei. I am honored to have trained personally under the late Harold Martin, Sensei, for over 15 years, and chosen as his direct inheritor of these systems. I work consistently to ensure that these direct inherited teachings will continue into the next generation as closely as possible as I was taught them, all the while continuing to advance the teachings along the way.

 

*The inherited Chinese based art was known in China as Shaolin Su Tie Chuan Fa (Young Forest Temple Iron Fist Method). This same art in Korea was called Sorim Sa Cheol Kwon Bup (Do) and in Japan was called Shorinji Tetsu-Kempo.

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