Kids Web Japan

The school dominates the town's skyline.

he white building on the left is the school.

The school occupies a corner of the Headquarters of the Shorinji Kempo Group. It is located in the town of Tadotsu in Kagawa Prefecture, next to the hilltop Toryo Park where some 2,500 cherry trees bloom each spring. It is a quiet and beautiful setting, surrounded by nature.

The school has three main divisions: a high school offering general education, specialized program for martial arts training, and another for business administration. The high school opened in 2002, and it is now attended by 26 tenth graders and 35 eleventh graders. The students come from all over the country, including the northern island of Hokkaido and the southern island of Kyushu. They are well mannered both in the classroom and in daily life, and the atmosphere is very friendly. There is close interaction not only among the students but also between students and teachers. Around 90% have studied Shorinji Kempo before coming to the school, but there are some who began learning the martial art after enrolling.

Students follow an education based on Shorinji Kempo.

History

Zenrin Gakuen was originally called the Shorinji Kempo Academy of Japan when it was established in 1956. It was renamed Zenrin Gakuen in 1968, when it was granted the status of a legally incorporated educational institution. When the nation's school system was revised in 1976, it was classified as a vocational school, and a high school offering general education was set up in 2002.

It took many years to establish the high school. Mr. Yamasaki Hiromichi, the principal, says, "I want to increase the number of classes where students actively participate in the learning process."