July Issue of
White Crane Snow Tiger
White Crane Snow Tiger News July 2006
Shaolin Monks Do Battle
at Nine Dragons Temple - Fujian, China
Yamazato New Releases
Los Angeles Seminar
Black Belt Festival of
Martial Arts
ISKKF Camp
Nine Dragons Martial
Art Tours-China
China & the Origins of
White Crane - Part I & II
Greetings
fellow martial artistes! Hope everyones summer is grand. Looking forward
to some exciting events. Upcoming are Black Belt Festival of Martial
Arts, ISKKF Summer Camp, and a trip to China. See more below. In this
issue is the next installment of China & the Origins of White Crane
Kenpo. Ive also included Part I (which was included in the last issue)
to give the piece a bit more continuity. Enjoy. George Alexander
New Titles from Yamazato Productions:
Finally!
In Search of Shaolin
In Search of Shaolin
is a unique documentary that takes you
on a journey to the birthplace of the martial arts and lets you discover
the real history of the Shaolin Temple. The legend of Shaolin is well
known but there were two Shaolin Temples, a northern temple and a
southern temple. The Southern Shaolin temple until recently was thought
to exist only in legend. But you will discover and visit this temple.
The southern temple is the one that had the most influence on karates
development. You will find out how the Shaolin tradition and the
legendary monks of Southern Shaolin influenced modern karate and see how
these arts are practiced today! You will see amazing techniques
performed by Shaolin Warriors! Learn this and more on In Search of
Shaolin A One-of-a-Kind DVD that lets you experience this journey of
discovery! You will be fascinated and come away with a richer and
broader understanding of the roots of the martial arts! A must for the
serious Martial Artist! Rated *****60 min.
$29.95 each FREE SHIPPING!
Call 1-888-299-YAMA (9262) or
www.yamazato-videos.com
Other New Releases!
Coming Soon!
Boxing I,
II & III Advanced Bo Vol II
Legendary Masters of Goju Ryu Karate
Advanced Bo Fighting Vol II
Chinen Shichayanaka no Kon. & Chatan
Yara no Kon.
Advanced Sai Jutsu!
Tsukenshitahaku & Tawada no Sai Plus more fighting techniques.
Aikijujutsu Grand Master
Gerardo Cantore, 10th
Dan
Great Events Coming Up!
Seminar Los Angeles!
Instructor: George
Alexander, Hanshi 10th Dan
.
Traditional
Okinawan Karate - White Crane Kata & Techniques.
Date
Wednesday,
July 26th
Time - 7:00 pm. - 9:30pm.
Location 5145 East Los Angeles
Ave.
Suite 6A and 7A
Simi Valley,
CA 93063
(805) 527-8885 Office / (805) 527-4445
Fax Simi Valley, CA
Contact
Sensei Tony Calvino 1-877-773-2790
Register today!
2nd
Annual
Black Belt Festival of Martial Arts
Dont miss this one!
July 28th & 29th
for more info.
www.festivalofmartialarts.com
International Shorin Ryu Karate Summer Camp
Come
Join The Fun!
Come and
join the fun at this year's martial art's camp to be held at the ISKKF
World Headquarters located inReliance, TN 37369 (Just east of
Chattanooga)>>more
Nine Dragons China Tour
- Nov 7th
Nov. 15th,
2006
Join us for the martial arts
adventure of a lifetime! Training, Excitement & Fun. You will train in
China with masters and Shaolin monks and experience the real martial
arts firsthand.
>>more
Nine Dragons
China Tour 2006
Day 1&2: Tuesday, November 7 & Wednesday November 8, 2006
Travel from Los Angeles via Hong Kong to Quanzhou, China
Day 3: Thursday, November 9
Conference Begins:
Tour of Luoyang Bridge (Bridge of Security)
Kaiyuan Temple Quanzhous largest Buddhist
Temple. Also
known as the Nine Dragons Temple and home of
the Southern
Shaolin monks. Temple dates back to 636 A.D. Demonstration
and training with monks.
Day 4: Friday, November 10th
Conference and Competition
Day 5: November 11th
Conference and Competition
Day 6: Sunday, November 12th
Morning Training with Monk Yao Fun National
Southern
Shaolin Champion
Day 7: Monday, November 13th
Morning training with head Monk Tai (aka The
Smiling
Monk) at mountain top temple.
Visit Qingyuan Mountain. Scenic mountain park with
waterfalls and caves. Former home of mountain
recluses and
Taoist priests.
Lao Tse stone statue. Chinas oldest Taoist
sculpture.
Day 8: Tuesday, November 14th
Tour Mazhu Island. Beautiful and intriguing
island
paradise. Many Buddhist temples, etc. Wear
tennis shoes
and be prepared for a full day excursion.
Day 9: November 15th
Depart for USA.
For more on
China & Okinawa Tour: contact:
Nine Dragons Martial Art
Tours.
alexyama@mindspring.com
The fourteen-day trip of a lifetime! Cost $3,500. Covers Airfare, Food,
Lodging, transportation and training in China with the Shaolin monks and
the masters of Okinawa.
China and the Origins
of
Okinawan White Crane
Kenpo
Part I
The martial arts of Southern China have been
the source of much of Okinawas martial art culture, especially its
emptyhand system known as Naha-Te. Another unique martial art system
known as Shuri-Te (Shorin Ryu) was also influenced by Chinese martial
arts but it has its own history and evolution distinct from Naha-Te. The
white crane system of Southern China has in fact defined Naha-Te.
The people responsible for the importation of
Naha-Tes kata from Southern China include but are not limited to Kanryo
Higashionna, Nakaima Kenri, Bushi Sakiyama and Arakaki Seisho. The kata
they learned from various teachers in China were absorbed into Okinawan
karate. The Okinawans have transformed these kata to some extent and
added their own cultural touch to them. For example, Kanryo Higashionna
changed sanchin kata from an open-handed kata to a kata that uses
closed fists. He did this to reflect the Okinawan preference for the use
of the fist. Additionally, Chojun Miyagi (1988-1953) created the
tensho kata. He used the concept of rokkishu (six wind hands)
from the Bubishi, a Chinese marital arts text, as a guide for the
hand manipulations and the sanchin kata as the three-step
embusen or pattern of footwork. Other kata such as sochin,
niseishi (nijushiho) and unshu (unsu) are
additional Naha-Te kata brought to Okinawa by Bushi Sakiyama and Arakaki
Seisho (Kamadeunchu). This was in the mid-nineteenth century. Arakaki
(1840-1920) was known to have performed in a demonstration for Chinese
dignitaries visiting Okinawa in 1867. Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1953), the
founder of Shito Ryu karate passed these three kata down to the current
generation. He was a collector of kata and had the vision and
intellectual candlepower to preserve these kata. In fact, Mabuni
standardized the techniques within the kata so that they would be
performed universally throughout all the kata. He had a repetoire of
fifty-four kata. These included what he had learned from Arakaki and
Higashionna and twenty-three swift fists or kata he learned from Anko
Itosu. Shotokan karate includes these three kata in its curriculum
[derived from Mabuni] but they have been modified from the original
Okinawan forms.
The modern styles of Naha-Te include Uechi
Ryu, Goju Ryu and Ryuei Ryu. Uechi Ryu, originally called Pangai noon
meaning half hard and half soft, was a Southern Chinese white crane
tradition. Interestingly, Kanbun Uechi (1877-1948) in March of 1897
traveled from Okinawa to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, China to learn
martial arts and to avoid conscription into the Japanese Army. He
studied there with a monk named Shu Shi Wa (1874-1926) (Chinese: Chou
Tzu Ho/Zhou Zihe) and learned the Southern Chinese tiger style embodied
in the kata sanchin, seisan and sanseiryu.
Incidentally, these kata are common to Goju Ryu and Ryuei Ryu as well.
After ten years of study he earned a teaching license and began to teach
in Nansoue, a town about
250 miles
west of Fuzhou. He taught there for almost ten years but closed the
school because a man was killed because of a misapplied Shu family
technique. Uechi felt responsible for the incident and because of this
and other legal problems left China. He returned to Okinawa in 1910
vowing never to teach martial arts again and became a farmer. In 1924 he
left Okinawa for Wakayama, Japan. He opened a dojo there in 1924 and
began teaching again. He only taught the three kata sanchin,seisan
and sanseiryu. (See: Japanese Martial Arts Dictionary, Alexander
and Jespersen). According to one source Kanbun never referred to his
style by name but simply called it Pangai noon. This means that
the original Uechi Ryu style or Pangai noon as he called it was a
pure white crane (or perhaps more accurately Tiger/Dragon and Crane
since this system incorporated movements of all three animal styles)
style of Southern Chinese Kung Fu uninfluenced by Okinawan karate.
Another style of Naha-Te is called Ryuei Ryu.
This literally means the style in honor of master Ryu. The system was
founded by Nakaima Kenri (1850-1927) and was perpetuated by his son
Nakaima Kenchu (1856-1953). This family tradition was further carried on
and perpetuated by his son Nakaima Kenko (1911-1994). The style was kept
a family secret through three generations of adherents. The grandfather,
Nakaima Kenri supposedly studied in Fuzhou under a teacher by the name
of Master Ryu Ru Ko (Xie Zhongxiang). This is the same teacher claimed
by Kanryo Higashionna. In addition to using Naha-Te strength-building
kata such as sanchin, the style incorporates seisan and
sanseiryu as well as niseishi. Additionally, Ryuei Ryu has
six unique kata namely anan, ohan, pachu, paiku,
heiku and paiho (See: Okinawa Island of Karate,
Yamazato Publications). The style didnt actually go public until 1971
when its current headmaster Tsugo Sakumoto popularized it by becoming a
world kata champion using the unique anan kata in competition.
Prior to this the karate master Teruo Hayashi studied Ryuei Ryu under
Nakaima Kenko and added the six unique kata of Ryuei Ryu to his Shito
Ryu style.
The Elusive Ryu Ru Ko
(1852-1930) Arakaki Seisho (1840-1920) Higashionna Kanryo (1851-1915)
The Goju Ryu style of karate is no doubt the
most widely practiced Naha-Te style throughout the world. Its founder
and designer was Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953). Miyagi carried on the
traditions of his teacher Kanryo Higashionna (1853-1915). Higashionna
studied under Arakaki Seisho at age
15. In
March of 1873 he left for Fuzhou to study martial arts. There he studied
for six or seven years under Ryu Ru Ko and Waishinzan, Master Ryus
assistant instructor. Apparently, Higashionna studied other styles as
well in China. After Higashionnas death in 1915, Miyagi went to China to
find Ryu Ru Ko. He only found the dojo, which was destroyed and
abandoned. Some years later [in the 1930s] he returned to China with the
white crane master Gokenki (1886-1940) and together they searched for
Miyagis lost roots and the elusive Ryu Ru Ko. But because of the
political climate (Japan was at odds with China over the occupation of
Manchuria) he was unable to conduct the research he wanted to [since he
was Japanese he was not allowed to leave his hotel room]. Legend has it
that on his first trip Miyagi actually discovered Ryu Ru Kos grave and
other information about him such as the location of the temple he
studied in outside of Fuzhou in the mountains. Ryu Ru Ko had eventually
opened his own school in Fuzhou and developed the Whooping Crane style
of Chinese kenpo. Unfortunately, the information Miyagi gathered on his
first trip was destroyed during the bombing of Okinawa in 1945 during WW
II.
Its interesting to speculate as to why neither Uechi, Higashionna and
Nakaima ever referred to their styles by their Chinese names. Uechis
style was a tiger/dragon /crane system, and both Higashionna and Nakaima
studied whooping crane alla Ryu Ru Ko but none of them ever
referred to their respective arts as a crane style. Perhaps they were
content to simply establish their own traditions melded with indigenous
Okinawan martial arts once back in their homeland.
Miyagi was an innovator when it came to karate. He was from a wealthy
family who imported herbal medicine from China. Therefore, he had the
luxury of time to practice and dedicate himself to martial arts. He
designed a number of exercises to help the beginning student become
stronger and to prepare him for the more advanced kata. He introduced
three new kata gekisai ichi, gekisai ni and tensho. In 1933 he
officially named his style Goju Ryu meaning hard/soft style borrowing
this concept from the Eight Poems of the Fist contained in
the Bubishi.
In an effort to unravel much of the mystery of hakutsuru or the
white crane influence on the styles of Southern China and on Okinawan
karate the Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo Association (OHKA) was formed. This
research group was created to preserve not only the southern Chinese
white crane martial art but also its evolution and development in
Okinawa. Iken Tokashiki sensei of Okinawa has done much research on this
subject as well. The kata syllabus reflects elements of the kata of Goju
Ryu, Ryuei Ryu and Uechi Ryu as well as original Chinese influences. The
tensho kata in OHKA is practiced exactly the same as in Goju Ryu.
This is to honor Miyagi sensei for his brilliance in creating the kata
and for his dedication to karate. Sanchin is practiced in OHKA as
two kata, hakutsuru so and ton or white crane
number one and number two. These kata reflect more of the Chinese origin
without Higashionna senseis changes. They are derived from Gokenki the
Chinese white crane master who lived in Okinawa from about 1910. The
thrusting movements of these sanchintype kata are performed with
open hands. The kata are also performed with an artificial or forced
breathing method similar to Goju Ryu but without as much intensity. In
China sanchin is practiced with an artificial breathing method
similar to Goju Ryu but with shallower breathing and with a more
staccato breathing rhythm. Within the curriculum of OHKA the beginning
movements of the kata seisan and sanseiryu are performed
with open hands similar to Uechi Ryu. This again is a reflection of
their Chinese origins.
OKINAWA
HAKUTSURU KENPO
ASSOCIATION
Kata Syllabus
& Rank Requirements
Shodan Hakutsuru So (sho) (Sanchin)
Hakutsuru Tan (ni) (Sanchin)
Tensho (Revolving Hands)
Fighting Kata Shodan
Nidan Paipuren (Happoren)
Eight steps breathing &
Energy kata.
Seisan
Fighting Kata Nidan
Sandan Matsumura Rohai (Crane standing on a rock.)
Sanseiryu
Fighting Kata Sandan
Yondan Nipaipo (28 steps)
(Pressure points &
knockout fighting
techniques.)
Niseishi (Twenty four
steps)
Godan Arakaki Sochin
(Tranquil Force)
Rokudan Unsu kata (Cloud hand)
Nandan Kumemura Hakutsuru (Highest level kata-
internal and external
energy in one kata.)
Hachidan Additional requirements: Kyusho
jutsu and a
knowledge of the 48 Techniques of Kenpo
from the Bubishi.
Kudan Honorary
Judan Honorary
On my last trip to China I saw many people performing sanchin
(Chinese: sam chien) kata. Members of the Yong Chun Village white
crane tradition such as Mr. Su Ying Han and others performed sanchin
as well as practitioners of the Wuzu Quan or Five Ancestor Fist style
(See: Black Belt Magazine, TheShaolin Path, July 2006). Although
I saw no one demonstrate seisan or sanseiryu.
Oftentimes this type of fieldwork and historical research raises more
questions that it answers. Perhaps much of the information and the
transmission of the lamp so to speak is lost in the mists of time.
Richard Kim once said, The kata are a teacher forever! There is no
question that the more one practices the kata the more insightful one
becomes. The kata are a living record of history and through their
practice their essence is revealed. I plan to return to China in
November of 2006 to conduct more research and of course to train with
the Shaolin monks.
Anyone interested in membership in the Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo
Association as well as seminars and training please email me and I
will send you an Instructors Guidebook, etc. Presently, we have DVDs
with many of the kata and explanations on them. For more on this see
Mastering White Crane Karate at
www.yamazato-videos.com
China and the Origins
of
Okinawan White Crane Kenpo
Part 2
The foundation of Okinawan white crane kenpo and its Chinese origins are
embodied in the kata or quan handed down over the generations in
the Fujian region of Southern China. Three of these forms stand out as
the most widely practiced and ubiquitous forms. They are sanchin
(three battles), seisan (thirteen) and sanseiryu (thirty
six). A number of different styles of Southern Chinese martial art
traditions have used these forms as part of their repertoire of kata.
This includes white crane, tiger, dragon, monk fist, dog style and
five-ancestor fist style. These forms are an integral part of all the
Naha-Te styles as well. Sanchin, meaning three battles,
emphasizes dynamic tension and is an isometric range of motion exercise
used for strength building. Its movement is simplistic and concentrates
on treading or stepping and thrusting. Sanchin is also the basic
building-block kata or three-step pattern and is used as the basis for
many other kata. The uniquely Okinawan kata used by shorin ryu and other
styles different from the three-step pattern have an embusen that
usually starts to the left and the overall pattern forms an H.
Supposedly this pattern is based on Okinawan court dance where it was
used to salute the four corners of the court. In any case, the
Higashionna sanchin uses closed fists whereas the Chinese version
uses open hands. Additionally, the Chinese sanchin uses thrusting
with both hands simultaneously whereas the Okinawan version thrusts with
one hand at a time. The Higashionna sanchin begins with three
steps forward then turns 180 degrees to the left and proceeds with three
more steps to the rear and then turns to the left again 180 degrees and
ends with mawashi uke (roundhouse block) and culminates in
a tora guchi or tiger-mouth posture (also known as black tiger
posture). Interestingly, Miyagis sanchin uses three steps forward
and then three steps back without turning. This is the same pattern as
the Chinese version. Paipuren (eight steps) is also an energy and
breathing kata based on the sanchin model. It advances three
times forward using palm heel thrusts then turns forty-five degrees to
the left front and right front and finally retreats straight back to
close the form.
Sanchins
beginnings are rooted in Daoism. Certainly the Chinese propensity for
numerology and numerical representations for the names of the kata is
well represented here. The Chinese have used for millennia mathematical
interpretations of the cosmos that include the concept of yin and
yang and the five-element theory to explain the universe and the
forces of nature. Most of this theory is derived from the Book of
Changes or I Ching. However, the numerical representations as
names of the kata have been interpreted to mean the number of steps in a
kata or the number of techniques contained in the form. But the actual
meaning has been lost. Perhaps long ago in China the numerical names had
significance with respect to the number of steps or techniques performed
but over time and since the forms have changed the original meaning has
vanished. In ancient times Daoist monks and mountain recluses used the
sanchin kata as a qigong and health exercise. In China Mountains
are revered as a special place of spiritual power and as espoused by
Daoism, a place where immortals dwelled. Daoists were known to combine
martial arts practices with breathing exercises with the intent of
enhancing strength and even to acquire magical powers. In addition,
Shaolin monks added martial arts applications to the sanchin
form. Sanchins breathing methods were adopted from yoga and were
used to stimulate the mind and body. Beginning in the first century B.C.
there was an immigration of Indian monks from India to China. Their
quest was to spread the teachings of Buddhism and Indian philosophy to
China. Certainly, Bodhidharma (c.
520 A.D.) the legendary founder of the martial
arts and the first patriarch of Zen at the Shaolin temple was not the
first monk to travel to China. Many of these traveling monks learned not
only meditative skills but were exposed to the Indian kshatriya
warrior class and learned combative skills as well. Through their
migration these skills were transmitted to China.
Seisan
kata uses sanchin as its foundation and after three forward steps
a series of palm heel strikes are delivered at face height. These palm
heel strikes are deliberate strikes to the face of an opponent but they
can also be interpreted to be a distraction technique as well. Indeed a
poem written on an old scroll preserved by the Uechi Ryu style contains
a Chinese character representation that translates as, A flash in the
eyes. This is no doubt a reference to this palm heel strike sequence
used as a distraction technique against an adversary. The next movement
in the kata turns 180 degrees to the left and proceeds with three
blocking and thrusting movements. Typically, the form then turns 90
degrees and a blocking, punching and kicking combination is executed.
The next sequence of movements is to turn 180 degrees and a kicking,
thrusting and blocking movement is executed culminating with the tora
guchi or tiger mouth posture. The form is a perfect example of the
evolution of kata from sanchin to a more complex form using
sanchin as its base.
Sanseiryu
kata again uses the sanchin model as the basis of its embusen
or pattern of movement. In the same fashion as the other three-step kata
this form begins with three steps forward then two escape movements are
performed followed by a flying kick and an elbow strike punch
combination. The movements of the kata then continue with a combination
front kick, elbow strike, punch combination performed three more times
thus covering the four cardinal directions. Then a series of juji uke
or X-blocks are performed from shiko dachi. The form continues
with a series of two double strikes and finishes with an inu gamae
or dog posture that is a signature posture of the kata. In Goju Ryu the
form typically ends here but in the hakutsuru kenpoversion
a final beak thrust is executed before finishing the form.
Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953) Nakaima Kenchu (1856-1953) Kenwa Mabuni
(1889-1953)
Arakaki Seisho and Bushi Sakiyama taught the kata sochin,
niseishi and unshu in Okinawa in the nineteenth century.
These older kata have been passed down by Kenwa Mabuni
(1889-1953)
in their most unadulterated forms. Sochin meaning tranquil force
[also, monks of peace] is a relatively simplistic kata although still
considered an advanced form. It uses the three-step method as its base
and delivers three punches while stepping forward in a cat stance three
times. It is typified by a series of two double punches that are
delivered simultaneously. This is a technique that is a way of dealing
with two opponents simultaneously and reveals its Chinese origins. The
form finishes with a classic crane stance at the end. The crane posture
is used as an enticement to get the opponent to attack. Once he attacks
his fist is grabbed and a front kick is used as a counter. A similar
technique also occurs in unshu kata. Sochin has a feeling
of slowly building power and then culminates with a final series of
explosive punches and the classic tora guchi posture.
Perhaps this kata was originally done with open hands in its beginning
movements and later changed [by Higashionna] to the closed fist as is
the case with sanchin. One can only speculate regarding this.
Niseishi meaning twenty-four starts with an open-handed block (osae
uke, pressing block) while simultaneously punching with the right
hand. It also uses a series of elbow strike/down block/reverse-punch
combination techniques. The form ends with the classic mawashi uke
and tora guchitiger posture. Finally, Arakakis last kata
is unshu (also, unsu). Unshu katas character
representation means cloud hand or hand in the clouds. It is no doubt
one of the most advanced crane kata. It is characterized by one-finger
thrusts, going to ground as an evasion technique and attacking from the
ground with two back kicks. Although these techniques represent the more
orthodox version of the kata the form has been modified. Shotokan karate
includes this kata in its syllabus but has modified the form as
originally taught by Mabuni sensei. It uses two round kicks executed
from the ground as opposed to the more orthodox back kicks.
Interestingly, this modification is actually taught in a number of
jujutsu ryu. Its intention is to avoid an opponents lunge by dropping to
the ground then kicking his knee joint to disrupt his balance followed
by a round kick to the ribs. In the hakutsuru kenpo version as
well as the shito ryu version two back kicks are delivered from
the ground. This has the effect of defending against an opponents attack
from the rear. By dropping to the ground and delivering a solid kick to
the
Shu Shi Wa (1874-1926) Kanbun Uechi (1877-1948) Kanei Uechi
Gokenki Gokenkis Students Chojun Miyagi (L) c.1905
Rare photos of Kenwa Mabuni from his 1937 book Karate Do Kenpo
midsection the opponent is caught unaware. Unshu also includes
rapid changes in direction and a technique similar to that employed by
sochin where the assailants arm or fist is grabbed and then a
front kick is delivered as the coup de grace. Oddly, even though
Higashionna learned sochin, niseishi and unshu from
Arakaki, Miyagi didnt include them in his kata syllabus for Goju Ryu
karate. Although Miyagis gekisai is reminiscent of niseishi
and some of the movements may have been derived from this kata.
Nevertheless they have been preserved in Shito Ryu.
Additionally, the above-referenced kata have been preserved in karates
tradition and within the curriculum of hakutsuru kenpo. However,
these kata have vanished in Chinathe place of their origin. None of
the Okinawan goju or white crane type of kata seem to be practiced there
other than sanchin. Pieces of the Okinawan kata and techniques
can be seen in the Chinese forms but their prototypes seem to have been
lost over time and all but disappeared. No doubt over time the kata have
changed not only in China but in Okinawa as well. In addition to the
forms themselves, another obvious physical manifestation in karates
evolution is the difference in technique used in the Chinese forms and
the Okinawan forms. The Chinese styles such as arhat or monk fist
boxing I witnessed first hand in China seem to use extended arm slashing
or chopping as opposed to power-oriented thrusting or punching. The
Chinese say the Okinawans are too stiff but the Okinawans say the
Chinese are too soft. No doubt the stockier Okinawans apply more power
in their techniques by virtue of their size. But why do the martial arts
of Southern China emphasize open-handed techniques more so than the
closed fist? My theory on this is predicated on simple physics. The
reason for the emphasis on one technique versus another is caused by a
difference in bio-type. A lighter man cannot generate as much
destructive force as a heavier built man. The Chinese emphasize
thrusting with open hands or penetration techniques more than the
Okinawans do while the Okinawans use closed fists or punching more to
accomplish dispatching an opponent. Indeed the makiwara board is
the favored method in the islands [Ryukyu Islands or Okinawa Island] to
develop crushing punching power. This is evidenced by many older
gentlemen walking around the island with heavily callused knuckles. The
concept of ikken hisattsu or a one-punch kill is inherent in the
esoteric fringe of Okinawan martial art theory and further bears out
this preferred methodology. Perhaps the reason for this difference in
emphasis is simply one of size. The Okinawans being a heavier built
ethnic group are able to deliver more power with a punch while the
Chinese being of slender build are not. It goes back to physics. The
highest impact can be calculated by the formula MV2. In other words,
mass times velocity squared. Therefore, speed is most important but
without mass it has little of or no effect. This is why the Chinese
emphasize spearhands and penetration techniques. Punching without
sufficient mass behind it cant generate enough force but a spearhand or
penetration technique [especially to a vital point] can. Its the
difference between a lightweight and a heavy weight boxer. You dont see
a lighter weight boxer knockout a heavyweight. It just doesnt happen. A
spearhand, unlike a punch that spreads the impact over a large area,
concentrates its force on a very small area. In this way a lack of mass
can be compensated for. The Bubishi, a manual of Southern Chinese
kenpo dating from the seventeenth century, also reiterates this
concept. The text explains the use of a penetrating hand to activate
pressure points more effectively than a closed hand technique such as a
punch. It is also necessary to penetrate muscle tissue in order to get
at a nerve center or nerve plexus.
There is also some empirical evidence to draw on from the historic
context to justify this theory. During the eighteenth century, a Chinese
military envoy known as Kusanku visited Okinawa. It was in the year 1756
when Kusanku visited Kume Village, Okinawa. His techniques ultimately
became the genesis of the Kusanku kata. Kusanku was a highly skilled
kenpo master and was famous for his fighting ability. He is also
credited with the introduction of a type of kumite (kumiaijutsu) or
sparring to Okinawan karate. Further information on Kusanku indicates
that although he was a man of slender build, he was able to defeat many
heavier built Okinawans due to his excellent style and techniques (See
Okinawa Island of Karate, G. Alexander, Yamazato Publications, p. 41).
Perhaps the techniques that are referred to incorporate spearhand or
thrusting with penetration type techniques (and slashing or chopping
with knifehand techniques to vital points), therefore making Kusankus
techniques more effective against larger opponents. Getting back to
physics for a moment, it is very difficult for a lighter man to injure a
bigger man with a punch especially if the heavier man has body
conditioning. Conversely, a lighter man can use speed to his advantage
in attacking vital points such as the eyes, groin, temple or solar
plexus, etc. These areas are almost always vulnerable and are difficult
to condition. In fact, this is the basis of the crane style i.e., to use
Speed and Evasion to attack vital points.
China has been the origin of many martial
arts styles especially in the Fujian area of Southern China. Even today
many areas of Fujian are still like the Wild West. This lawless society
produced a need for self-defense and personal protection against
marauders and bandits. Incidentally, Fujian is the birthplace of the
Triad gangs and other secret societies. Therefore, it is no wonder that
China has been the origin of so many empty-hand styles including white
crane kenpo that not only influenced the development of karate but many
other Asian fighting arts as well. These styles developed in an era when
combative reality and self-defense skills were a practical part of
everyday life. Furthermore, it is important to note that the techniques
contained in these forms were never intended to be used by a
professional soldier on the battlefield but only as self-defense
measures by civilians against an untrained person. One might ask, What
is the value today of these arts and the kata that evolved from them?
The answer is simple. They represent martial arts that have proven
self-defense applications and whose continued practice preserves a
martial arts history and tradition. Furthermore, these arts are a way of
enhancing ones own self-discipline and awareness. I plan another trip to
China in November of 2006 to learn more about China and the origins of
white crane kenpo.
Anyone interested in membership in the
Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo Association as well as seminars and training
please email me and I will send you an Instructors Guidebook, etc.
Presently, we have DVDs with many of the kata and explanations on them.
For more on this see Mastering White Crane Karate at
www.yamazato-videos.com
For more info on the China Trip: contact me at: Nine
Dragons Martial Art Tours.
alexyama@mindspring.com
The martial arts trip of a lifetime! Cost $3,500. Covers Airfare, Food,
Lodging, transportation and training in China with the Shaolin monks.
Sincerely,
George W. Alexander, President
Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo Association
International Shorin Ryu Karate Kobudo
Federation
Yamazato International
180 Yellow Jacket Drive
Reliance, TN USA 37369
Tel. 423-338-4972
Toll Free 1-888-299-YAMA (9262)
Fax 423-338-5651
www.yamazato-videos.com
www.worldbudokan.com
alexyama@mindspring.com
