Shorinji Tekken Ryu Renmei

I apologize for the length of this post….I hope you enjoy it!

My next publication, “The Iron Fist Today, The Korean Influence” is being prepared as we speak!

This book covers the core of the inherited system and therefore, I have taken time to cover elements of Korean history during the timeframe that Master Kim lived there. I have historical photographs taken in Seoul and the surrounding areas from the late Joseon era (1880’s to 1900’s) that will be included in this publication...Kim was born in 1880.

My goal is to make Kim more of a “person” rather than simply just a name on a list.

He lived through some of the most historic moments in Korea’s history! He lived through the Japanese occupation, the Korean War, he saw the devastation of his homeland, the destruction of his Korean culture and yet, when you read the writings handed down through our system, he expresses a heart towards the betterment of mankind through the teachings of his Iron Fist system.

Included below is an excerpt section from my first book. I was going to include smaller excerpts but as I looked back on this part I felt like it was missing something, so I am including the entire writing below to keep everything in context.

WARNING!
For light hearted readers you may want to skip to the bottom.

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“Master Kim wrote the following line as the last line in the Soden (Scroll of Hidden Information). “Your Chuan hits deep to your foe’s center like Iron. This is my last gift, the last secret of Temple
Chuan Fa.”

Through the generations this system has maintained the “Iron Fist” name in one form or another. The Iron Fist name conjures up visions of raw, external power. If we examine the name of this system and examine the written line above the obvious answer seems to lead one to conjure up elements of power in both name and action. But in this case, the obvious answer is not the obvious answer.

A few excerpts of Kim’s system Laws of Tekken Ryu (Iron Fist System) are listed below:

Become as nature intended. The center of all is at the chord of life. The chord of life is the point of all power. The heart is pure and linked with the chord of life. Treat all men kindly and smile in the face of the evil ones.”

The Tekken Ryu system has directives that clearly reach out to mankind in a respectful and honorable way. With that in mind…where is the “Iron” way? Where is the raw power and mindset that goes along with it?

When Kim stated that “your chuan hits deep to your foe’s center like Iron,” Kim was stating something obvious that is not obvious. In the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory about our life energy, the center of life is the Lower Dan Tien. This is where all internal energy is stored and directed from for the body.

The term “chuan” is often associated as “chuan fa” which would be defined as “fist way or method.” Chuan is often used as a type of a short hand description in documents. In a martial system, the fist way encompasses much more than a mere physical fist. It also encompasses the tenets, the methods, the mindset of the training art’s teachings. So, when we apply the “fist method,” the chuan, the implied system mindset goes along with it.

Therefore, when you apply your chuan, as stated by the Laws of Tekken Ryu, you will be applying those same internal laws to your opponent’s life (deep to his center) to ultimately seek out the proper solution.

I looked up the qualities of the metal iron. Amongst other details, iron is a metal that can easily be formed, it is malleable. This is a perfect description of what our training spirit should be like. Willing to be formed and malleable to the training methods. It is also a metal that is found in BOTH the inner and outer core of the earth. This system is classified as an internal, soft-hard system. We exhibit methods that span both the internal and external methods of training.

Therefore, the TRUE power of the Iron Fist system is the internal training and malleable spirit of the system’s practitioner! The “Iron” of this system IS the internal training! And it is with this spirit, this “Iron,” that we apply towards our own life as well as an opponent’s center (of life). So, when Master Kim was making what seemed like an obvious statement about striking the foe’s center like iron, he was not talking about the raw power and physical strength we associate with an iron fist method, he was speaking about the TRUE Iron of Tekken Ryu! ...our internal spirit and malleable heart to face life and its challenges...

That is the true secret of Tekken Ryu!
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What I want to accomplish with my second book....
I want this next book to be as much about Kim as it will be about his teachings as I have interpreted and am teaching them.

I have a website dedicated to the Korean teachings that will be built up over time. Please visit it and let me know how you like it.

www.cheolkwon.com

I will be posting follow up writings about the book and also the teachings.

Take care!

Official Korean Iron Fist Website The Official Sorimsa Cheol Kwon - Korean Shaolin Iron Fist System website.

I am going to share an excerpt from my 1st book (Shorinji Tekken Ryu - The Chinese Connection) and then share the latest advancements within the Tekken Ryu Hombu dojo.

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Tekken Ryu Certification Program

The Tekken Ryu Certification Program, Reiken (Spirit of the Fist), uses a traditional martial teaching licensing structure to promote the inherited art. The foundational system, Saulin Szu Chin
Ba Quan fa, was established during a martial era where the modern belt ranking (kyu/dan) structure had not yet been created. In order for the martial disciple to teach the art in which they were training, a series of licenses were awarded as they advanced in their knowledge of not only the actual application of the system methods, but also the philosophical/internal aspects as well.

Soke Church stated that students could advance in Kamishin and never directly train in Tekken Ryu but in order to train in Tekken Ryu you must have advanced in Kamishin.

Instructors are only eligible for training within Tekken Ryu after receiving a recommendation from a hombu appointed Renmei representative.

Tekken Ryu Curriculum

The Tekken Ryu curriculum consists of three primary levels which lead the Iron Fist disciple to experience the system's major training influences, Chinese, Korean, Okinawan and Japanese,
based on direct teachings, writings and research from and about Master Kim.

The structure of the Tekken Ryu curriculum is designed to cohesively introduce the student to the system's martial applications and the cultural philosophies that are pertinent to the system's training as well. It is the current Head Family's desire that the Iron Fist training disciple has a
strong foundation of understanding about the culture from whence the system was created.

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I want to announce that two of our senior instructors and students, Jacob Emard and Xander Mitchell, have been awarded the license certification of “Menkyo Shoden” (1st level license) within the Tekken Ryu - Reiken licensing structure.

This is a phenomenal accomplishment for both of these students!

Congratulations!

I have posted on my personal FB page a bit ago about my new hard copy book on Amazon.

Someone asked me post a full cover view.

Check it out if you haven't already!

I produced an eBook about the Iron Fist system that I teach a couple of years ago or so now, that's been on Amazon the entire time.

I have now produced a hard copy version...updated for the new format. I will also have a Kindle version available in a week.

I received the link to the book's page from Amazon....I know it is going through the final review process....but just wanted to share it now!

It has been an honor to have been involved in and to have taught this ONE art for over 50 years now! And still going strong! I have another publisher that I'm getting personal hard copies from so that we can distribute them to our extended instructors in various states and also students here at the hombu dojo.... and of course, family and friends. :)

Thank you all for your kind support and I am looking forward to the production of the second book in this series of three.