11. 10th Anniversary All Japan Embu Taikai
The Tenth Anniversary All Japan Embu Taikai was held on March 23, 1958. The event was a great success, with more than 6,000 kenshi participating and 6-7,000 spectators attending. This was at a time when there were just over one hundred branches and Doin, and the number of kenshi was on the verge of 60,000.
At the time visiting practitioners would travel to Hombu at their own expense to learn techniques. They and Hombu Doin practitioners were constantly trading places at the dojo for practice time and for the visitors to sleep on the floor. As the organization grew larger, the task of organizing matters came to require more and more time. So these practitioners would help make identification cards, take care of the details of regular grading examinations, and handle general paperwork. No formal secretarial office had been established till this point, but on the occasion of the 10th anniversary, the organization and its structure were established.
Kaiso had clearly laid out the various reporting requirements from the very outset, and had repeatedly reminded the branch masters to perform them accurately and properly, and there was a reason for this. The reason was, first and foremost, that Kaiso saw the reports as serving each kenshi training earnestly at the various branches.
One time, Kaiso warned a branch master who was too loose with his reports, leaving membership applications and monthly attendance reports backlogged for months at a time. In a panic, the branch master apologized in shame, "From now on I promise to be very careful and make sure not to inconvenience Honzan and Kancho Sensei." *
Suddenly, the expression on Kaiso's face changed. "You still don't get it, do you? When membership and grading examination applications are late, it's not Honzan or I who suffer. It's the kenshi in your Doin. If one or two half-hearted Doin break up, that would actually be a relief. The people you need to apologize to are the kenshi at your place. Go back now, and apologize to your kenshi from your heart: tell them that you're sorry and that from now on you'll be careful."
All the reports in Shorinji Kempo are an expression of this spirit.
(* The core of Kongo Zen Sohonzan Shorinji Kempo is called "Honzan," and the name of the officer representing Honzan at that time was "Kancho," in which capacity Kaiso served.)