13. The construction of Hombu Rensei Dojo
Inside of current Rensei Dojo
In the history of Shorinji Kempo, this was one of the most defining moments, and the kenshi of the day all watched with rapt attention, scarcely able to wait for the construction of Sohonzan and the Hombu Rensei Dojo. The actual construction began in January 1965, 18 years after Shorinji Kempo was established.
The Hombu Dojo had become crowded by then, but beyond that, Kaiso was aware that construction was a major factor in the expansion of the organization. When the time comes, he used to say, a bucket of water will only hold a bucket full, so if the container is small the contents will always be small as well. The organization was growing phenomenally, so it was only natural as Kaiso looked forward to future growth that he would want as big a container as possible. At the outset of February, the construction moved on to preparing the ground. Kaiso put in bulldozers to carve out a cliff in the mountainside, and set himself to the task of guiding the project.
In December of 1966, as the year waned, the long-awaited Rensei Dojo was finally completed. Under a clear blue winter sky, on a plateau in the southern side of Toryo Park, the new building revealed itself as a modern temple-style edifice blending Chinese and Japanese elements. A steel and concrete 2 floor building, it held 12,000 square meters of floor-space. The first floor also contained a dormitory for students coming from afar, and the second floor held a dojo that could accommodate 600 people.
With the completion of the Hombu Rensei Dojo, it became possible to welcome large numbers of kenshi at once, and so the bonds between Hombu and kenshi around the country grew even stronger. The number of university Shorinji Kempo clubs attending Hombu training camps leaped upward. When the 1967 Spring Hombu Training Camp began on February 22, the number of schools participating had already reached 30, and the large numbers carried through to April 12.
Of course, Kaiso performed the lectures for the camps. Even after the heart attacks had begun to occur frequently, several times a week he would be sure to come up to the Rensei Dojo in Toryo Park and lecture. In one of those lectures, he spoke of his expectations to these university students who were poised to become the core of society, "Shorinji Kempo has its significance as the foundation of a movement to build people and to build the country, of a movement in which you both learn Shorinji Kempo and pass it on. From you, what I hope for is that you become upstanding young people with confidence, courage, and hearts of compassion."