STYLE
STYLE AND HISTORY
The Style was founded in 1955 by Soke Isamu Tamotsu, 10. Dan. He was born 29 November 1919 and he died 31 May 2000. Isamo Tamotsu started to practice Judo when he was young, and reached in Judo the 3 Dan rank, the teacher being Tadao Nakahara. In his boyhood, Isamu Tamotsu established fights, and noted quite soon that a man can manage well with Judo against one man, but if there are more opponents, one is not necessarily anymore victorious.
With 13 years, Isamu Tamotsu started to practice Taiwan Kempo under leadership of Roshi Shi. Isamu Tamotsu circled even as a young boy in various places, because he lost his father when very young. His father drowned in a heavy storm. His mother, who was a weaver, had two small sons to support, which was a reason for many movings. This was also a contributory cause why he got influences from many martial arts.
During the second world war he spent two years as a young pioneer in China´s Mantshuria. During this time he got interested in Chinese Kempo, and his teacher was O Shi Hei.
After the war Isamu Tamotsu returned to Kagoshima , where he practiced Daito-ruy and Hakko-ruy –Jujutsu and Kenjutsu. In the early 50s he got an idea to found a new Karate style. Isamu Tamotsu wanted to have such katas to his style which had the possible longest history and traditions. For this reason he travelled to the island of Okinawa to practice with Zenryo Shimabukuro, who was a student of the famous Karate Master, Kyan Chotoku. Isamu Tamotsu learned the katas of the Style from Zenryo Shimabukuro and Joen Nakazato. Joyen Nagazato is the only living student of the Master Kyan Chotoku. He continues to train - in spite of his 92 years of age (2005)- Karate at his dojo in Okinawa.
When Isamu Tamotsu started to instruct the style in Kagoshima , he had 5 students. His son Iwao Tamotsu recalled, that always after practices the family circled in dishing in restaurants to get money for food. His reputation as a Karate instructor spread rapidly around Japan , and he got many members also from other styles. Isamu Tamotsu was the first Karate instructor who was invited by the Chinese Ministry of Education to a training and exhibition trip to China .
Practitioners of Shorinji-ryu Renshinkans can be found today for example in the United States, Philippines, China, Panama, in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, India, Sweden, Russia, Japan and Finland.
When Soke Isamu Tamotsu died 31 May 2000, there were alone in Japan 1000 dojos and 350 000 students. The Chief Instructor and the heir of the style is Soke Iwao Tamotsu, 10 Dan Hanshi, born 6 November 1948. He started to practice Karate when 3 years old, and was his father's student till his death. Isamu Tamotsu is responsible for training in each member country, and he goes around in them regularly to train Karate. Practitioners of Renshinkan amount to about 500,000 in global terms.
Karate has been the way of life to Soke Iwao Tamotsu. From his childhood he has been the head of the so called "family style". Almost all of the Karate styles have been family styles, but over the years, the power has shifted to the near students of the masters, due to the lack of heirs, the follower being normally the eldest son of the family.