Finnish Gasshuku 2016 & Shorinji Kempo Extended Family

Today is a great and sunny day in Jyväskylä, Finland. Today is the first official day of Finnish Gasshuku 2016. That means a big international Shorinji Camp right here in our own city. I have trained Shorinji Kempo for 16 years now. But Shorinji Kempo has been a part of my life for a lot longer. As many of you know, my father and his brothers started to train in the 70's. So when I was a small girl, Shorinji Kempo was always present. At the time we lived in Kajaani, 300km North from here, and we also had camps and visitors.

One January we got a visitor from Japan. He was a young exchange student. He stayed in my house and thought me Japanese. Little did I know that he would be my friend for a lifetime. That his family would host my family in their family's home in Kyoto for many, many times. And that he would send my son his first training suit, his dogi.

Last night we met again, when he and his brother came to visit and teach us along over 70 kenshis from 8 different countries, right here in our home in Jyväskylä. With this post I would warmly like to welcome the senseis Kazuhito Morikawa and his brother Hirohito from Rakuto-doin, back here once more.

(c) Timo Mäki-Kuutti

Please welcome also all the kenshis from abroad to study Shorinji Kempo for this weekend and enjoy Jyväskylä! The thing about this martial arts that I train is... That the people over the years, become your family. The bonds of sweating and running and punching and pain together, are ones which carry these friendships forever. That is why Shorinji Kempo surely is more than a sport. It is a way of life.
  

/Ja Suomeksi: Tänään alkaa iso kansainvälinen Shorinji Kempo -leiri Jyväskylässä. Olemme saaneet sitä opettamaan kaksi vanhaa ystävää Japanista, joista toinen vierailiji täällä jo ollessaan itse vaihtarina Ruotsissa. Minä olin silloin vielä ihan pikkuinen tyttö... Ja täysin tietämätön siitä, että näistä ihmisistä tulisi joku päivä minun laajennettua perhettäni. Tervetuloa senseit Kazuhito ja Hirohito Morikawat ja kaikki muutkin reilut 70 kenshiä 8 eri maasta tänne meidän kotikaupunkiin!