14. Tale of "Sanmonshu", the Mountain Gate Crew
The Mountain Gate building (or "Nio-mon," main red entrance gate of the Shorinji Kempo headquarters) was completed in front of the Hombu Rensei Dojo entrance in the summer of 1967. Because it held the dormitory on its second floor, most of the male full-time staff and practitioners living in at Hombu came to be called the "Sanmonshu" (literally, the Mountain Gate Crew).
Among those who practiced at Honzan/Hombu, one group received a salary and were full time staff, and they instructed the students and handled paperwork, as well as performing 'samu,' an all purpose term meaning tending to shrubbery, cleaning and otherwise maintaining the facilities. When the Mountain Gate of the Rensei Dojo was completed, the single men among those hired as staff came to live in the Mountain Gate (Sanmon).
Distinct from the full time staff, there were those who had saved up money for their living expenses and stayed at Hombu for a set period to focus solely on their training. These live-in practitioners had previously slept in a room off to the side of the Hombu Dojo butsudan, a room shaped long and narrow like an eels' sleeping chamber. After the construction, however, they slept in the Mountain Gate and at some point began to be called the Mountain Gate Crew. Kaiso would pay close attention to how they conducted themselves, and in time some of the more promising ones were hired as full time staff.
From time to time, the full time staff and the practitioners would be summoned by Kaiso's call to gather, "Shugoh!" Then Kaiso would critique them for various things such as how the Hombu clerical staff were doing their work, or for their attitude as Hombu staff. Usually these were lectures based on some mistake made by one of the staff, but even when it was just one person's error, he would gather everyone and tell them all. This was based on Kaiso's theory that a single punishment could teach a hundred lessons. Kaiso's words were not simply preaching or casual conversation. Rather, he spoke from the experiences he had lived through and from the depths of Shorinji Kempo's meaning, ranging from the broadest sense of how they should pursue practice down to the tiny nuances of human feeling. Thus, the mountain gate crew say that Kaiso's sudden calls to gather became the most meaningful part of their training.
At night, the full time staff and the mountain gate crew would train at Hombu Doin. Also, there was a group of kenshi at Hombu Doin who called themselves the Dekasegi Gumi (approximately, the Migrant Labor Crew). This enthusiastic group of kenshi would each have moved from various regions to Hombu's location in the town of Tadotsu where they performed regular jobs in the daytime so they could fulfill their desire to practice at Hombu Doin in the evenings. From Hokkaido to Okinawa, from new entrants to 4th and 5th Dan kenshi, wave after wave, and thus many came to "knock at the gate."
At every event, the male full time staff, the live-in Mountain Gate Crew, the Migrant Labor Crew living in town, the Hombu Doin kenshi, and the Tadotsu Industrial High School Shorinji Kempo club members served as the Hombu troops. The 12,000 square meters of Honzan and Hombu, and especially the dojo always had to be polished to a gleam. If trash were left lying or the shrubbery withered, before you knew it Kaiso would let loose his thunder. Behind the thunder was the message, prepare the place so the kenshi who come to Hombu from all over could think with pride, "That's our Hombu alright - look how well it's cared for.