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WWW.MEIBUKANMAGAZINE.ORG No 6 December 2005House of the Pure Martial Arts

MEIBUKAN MAGAZINETHE INTERNATIONAL WEB BASED MARTIAL ARTSMAGAZINE AS A PDF DOCUMENT No 6 DECEMBER 2005

House Of The Pure Martial ArtsMEIBUKAN MAGAZINE

History of Northern Shaolin, Part 2Joe Swift: Taking the Journey

The Cutting EdgeDangers of Static Stretching

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The Kenpo of Kume

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MEIBUKAN MAGAZINENo 6 DECEMBER 2005House of the Pure Martial Arts

Meibukan Magazine is published several times a yearin an electronical format with an attractive mix ofsubjects and styles. Each issue of at least twelvepages is published as pdf-file for easy printing. Publishededitions remain archived on-line. We have chosen alow picture resolution for easy downloading.

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Editor in chiefLex Opdam

Executive editorJeroen Verhoeven

Editorial BoardMatthew Jones

Iwan MeijMark Hemels

ContributorsJoe Swift

Lex OpdamMarc van DamMark HemelsScott Sonnon

Mathieu Ravignat

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ColumnSpecial Editions

FeatureThe Kenpo of Kume villageIn 1392 Thirty Six-Families emigrated from China to the Okinawan village ofKume. By the late 19th century a strong martial culture had developed there.Joe Swift reconstructs the curriculum of original Nafadi (Naha-te).

InterviewJoe Swift: Taking the JourneySwift compares his training experiences in both the East and the West: “In theWest, we often have a tendency to place our Japanese/Okinawan teachers onpedestals. We need to start thinking critically and taking a look at the big picture.”

ReviewMartial Musings by Robert W. Smith.The Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia by Donn F. Draeger.Karate-do: My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi.

FeatureThe Cutting EdgeHow could the compassionate spirit of Zen Buddhism ally itself with somethingas horrific as warfare? There’s a lesson to be learned from those who soughtadvice on the matter of life and death.

Physical HealthThe Dangers of Static StretchingScott Sonnon: “If you rely on tissue elasticity for flexibility, you’ll lose it. Youmust master the regulation of selective tension in order to gain dynamic strength.Tendons do not need to be maximally stretched to be torn.”

HistoryNorthern Shaolin: From the Nationalists to the present dayIn this second and final part of the History of Northern Shaolin, Ravignat revealsthe modern developments of Northern Shaolin. The state of the Shaolin Templetoday is ‘an interesting mix of very positive and negative events’.

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The Kenpo of Kume VillageSpeculation on the Original Nafadi

In 1392 the legendary Thirty-Six Families emigrated from Chinato the Okinawan village of Kume. By the late 19th century astrong martial culture had developed there. From a wealth ofresources Joe Swift reconstructs the curriculum of originalNafadi (or Naha-te), the Kenpo of Kume. He discusses the

various teachers, events and kata that make up the history ofthis tradition of early Okinawan karate.

- by Joe Swift -

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The 36 families and the Establishmentof Kuninda1

The first mention of Ryukyu in Chinesehistorical records appears in the Sui Shu,which was written in 629. About 6 cen-turies later, in 1296, a force of 6,000 soldiersfrom Yuan China attempted to invadeRyukyu, but this adventure ended in failure.However, it was not until 1372 when Ryu-kyu and the Middle Kingdom establishedformal ties with each other. In this year,the Zhu, Cheng, Wang, Ye and Huai familiesfrom China all settled around Shuri Castle2.It has been speculated that they may haveintroduced the Quanfa that formed theseeds of the modern Sui-di (Shuri-te) streamof karate-do.However, the date that concerns us themost is the year 1392, because it was inthis year that the so-called Thirty-Six Familiesemigrated from Min’an in Fuzhou, toRyukyu. They are believed to have establi-shed a community at Naha’s Kuninda. Manyspeculate that the number thirty-six refersnot to a specific number of actual families,but as a euphemism for a large number.In addition to artisans, shipbuilders andother cultural experts, it has been speculatedthat Quanfa was also brought by the origi-nal Thirty-Six families or their descendents.In either case, a strong martial cultureseems to have developed within Kunindaby the late 19th century. In fact, it is saidthat the Zheng family, including YiyiZheng, were responsible for introducingthe Quanfa that would form the roots ofNafadi, but again this remains speculation3.Having established the background againstwhich Fujian martial culture may havebeen introduced into the Ryukyu Kingdom,

let us now turn our attention to two promi-nent martial artists from Kuninda, who arebelieved by some researchers to havetaught a young man named HigaonnaKanryo.

Two Great Bujin of Kuninda: Iron FistKogusuku and Aragaki the CatOne of the most famous names in thehistory of Naha’s Kenpo traditions isprobably Taite Kogusuku (Kojo) (1838-1917). His Chinese name was Cai Ru Yi,and he worked as an official interpreterfor the Ryukyuan Royal government. Hisfist is said to have been so strong that hecould drop a Ryukyuan bull with two blows,this earning him the nickname TekkenKogusuku (Iron Fist Kojo).With regards to his teacher, there are twotheories, although neither of them has beenproven to any satisfaction. The first stemsfrom the writings of Funakoshi (1922,1925 and 1935), who wrote that a certainKogusuku studied under the Chinese masterIwah. The second possibility is given bythe Kojo family themselves, who say thatTaitei learned not only empty hand fighting,but also archery and cudgel fighting fromWzi Xinxian4.Although there is very little known of theexact curriculum Taite Kogusuku taught,noted Japanese Budo historian ProfessorRyozo Fujiwara states that Gichin Funa-koshi learned Suparinpei/Pechurin fromKogusuku before going on to study Ku-

“Kogusuku’s fist is said to have been sostrong that he could drop a Ryukyuan bullwith two blows, this earning him the nick-name Tekken Kogusuku (Iron Fist Kojo).”


WWW.MEIBUKANMAGAZINE.ORG No 6 December 2005House of the Pure Martial Arts 3

shanku under Anko Asato and Nai-fuanchi under Anko Itosu5. We may beable to assume from this that he probablyalso taught Sanchin.Karate historian Tsukuo Iwai also saidthat Funakoshi learned under TaiteKogusuku, but later left to study with AnkoAsato. He was apparently rather cheerful,rare for a native of Kuninda, and hated“training secretly in the back yard” preferringinstead to teach on a wide-open beachfront.Kogusuku is said to have been the first toactually openly teach the Southern Boxingthat was transmitted in Kume, and KanryoHigaonna was said to have been a verydevout student of him6.If anyone was more famous than Kogusukuin pre-Higaonna Nafadi, it must have beenSeisho Aragaki (1840-1920). Perhaps bestknown for his participation in the demon-stration of martial arts in front of the lastSappushi, Aragaki is also said to have beenthe first teacher of Kanryo Higaonna7. Funa-koshi has stated that Aragaki’s teacher wasthe Chinese master Xinxian Wai, but thisremains uncorroborated.The curriculum of Aragaki included at leastSesan, Chishaukin, Sochin, Unshu andNiseishi, according to various historicalrecords and writings by his student KenwaMabuni. More recent research has poin-ted to the idea that he taught Sanchin, San-seru and Suparinpei/Pechurin as well8.According to Mabuni, he was also proficientin Ryukyu Kobudo, which is corroboratedby the historical record of his demonstra-

tion in 1867 (see below).Professionally, Aragaki worked as anofficial interpreter for the Ryukyu Royalgovernment. Indeed, it is said that whenhe left for China on official business in 1870,that he left his young protégé Kanryo Higa-onna in the capable hands of his friend andsenior Taite Kogusuku9.

The San-Ru-Chu DemonstrationThe very last Sappushi to visit Ryukyu,Xin Zhao, stayed for a total of five months,between 1866 and 186710. In April 1867,a celebration was held that marked theformal severance of political ties betweenthe two ancient nations. This celebrationwas called San-Ru-Chu Narabini ShogeiBangumi or the “Show of 3–6–9 and theArts” and featured not only various per-forming arts, but also demonstrations ofthe local Chinese-based fighting traditionswhich would later become known the worldover as karate-do and Ryukyu kobudo.The ten items of martial arts demonstratedat this event are as follows11. Althoughmany modern Japanese writers haveoffered interpretations of what thesemean, they usually end up saying the samething. Hence, this article will mainly usethe explanations given by noted martialarts historian Tsukuo Iwai12 in his 2000publication entitled Motobu Choki &Ryukyu Karate and by Akio Kinjo13, notedOkinawan karate researcher, in his 1999publication Karate Den Shinroku.

1. Tinbei by Chikudun Maesato Pechin.The Tinbei is the art of using a shieldand short spear or a machete-like sword.This art is preserved in several Okina-wan kobudo systems. Iwai believesthat this Chikudun Maesato Peichinis none other than Ranpo Maesato14.

2. Tesshaku & Bojutsu by ChikudunMaesato Pechin and Tsuji AragakiPechin.Tesshaku (iron ruler) is more common-ly known as the sai in Okinawanmartial arts. This demonstration seemsto be of a sai vs. bo prearranged fightingexercise. Tsuji Aragaki Peichin is thesame Seisho Aragaki described in theprevious section.

3. Sesan by Tsuji Aragaki Pechin.Here, Seisho Aragaki performed Sei-san kata.

4. Bojutsu & Toudi by Chikudun Mae-sato Pechin and Tsuji Aragaki Pechin.

(Ranpo?) Maesato and Seisho Aragakiperforming what is probably unarmeddefenses against a staffwielding oppo-nent.

5. Chishaukiun by Tsuji Aragaki Pechin.This demonstration by Aragaki is thesubject of some curiosity among re-searchers. Some believe that this maybe Shisochin kata.

6. Tinbei & Bojutsu by ChikudundonTomimura Pechin and Aragaki TsujiPechin.This demonstration was of the shieldand short spear vs. the staff. TsujiAragaki Peichin has already beenidentified as Seisho Aragaki, but Chi-kudundon Tomimura Peichinremains unknown.

7. Tesshaku by Chikudun MaesatoPechin.Maesato performing what appears tobe a solo saijutsu kata.

8. Koushu by Chikudun Maesato Pe-chin and Tsuji Aragaki Pechin.Maesato and Aragaki demonstratingwhat appear to be two-person empty-handed fighting exercises. Interestinglyenough, the term koushu (Chn.jiaoshou) literally means crossinghands, a term identified in modernkarate-do as kumite.

9. Shabo by Shusai Ikemiyagusuku15.It is unknown at this time what exactlya shabo (lit. wheel staff) is, but Iwaihas speculated that it could be eitherthe shape of the staff used, or a certaintype of technical feature of whirlingthe staff in circular patterns.

10. Suparinpei by Chikudundon Tomi-mura Pechin.The previously mentioned Chikudun-don Tomimura Peichin performingthe Suparinpei kata. Although theactual identity of Tomimura is notknown, it has been speculated that hewas a student of Aragaki.

Although not related to the martial arts, itis also nonetheless interesting to note that

“The record of the San Ru Chu celebra-tion tells us, without a doubt, that there wasa version of Sesan and of Pechurin/Su-parinpei which were performed in 1867,when Higaonna Kanryo was a mere lad of14 or 15, long before he ever traveled toFujian.”

Kenwa Mabuni, a direct student of KanryoHigaonna, performs Suparinpei.

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a certain Kogusuku Peichin performedon the Biwa (a kind of Japanese lute) aswell as read poetry at the same celebration.

The “Original”(?) Curriculum of NafadiWhat exactly did the original Nafadicurriculum consist of? Unfortunately, aconclusive answer to this question maynever be determined. However, we canmake some educated guesses based uponthe evidence and data that we do have.First of all, the record of the San Ru Chucelebration tells us, without a doubt, thatthere was a version of Sesan and ofPechurin/Suparinpei which were per-formed in 1867, when Kanryo Higaonnawas a mere lad of 14 or 15, long beforehe ever traveled to Fujian. Although wemay never know exactly what “versions”these were, for the sake of this article,we shall assume that they are the precur-sors to the modern Goju-ryu/Shito-ryu/Tou’on-ryu versions.Second, we can compare the kata curriculaof Higaonna’s two most prolific students,Chojun Miyagi and Juhatsu Kyoda, asillustrated in tables 1&2.From the above, we can see that only thefirst four kata, i.e. Sanchin, Sesan, San-seru and Suparinpei/Pechurin are thesame. Whereas Kyoda’s other two kata areclearly identified as to their source, theremaining kata of Miyagi are assumed tobe from Higaonna, but there is no clearevidence to either support or deny thisassumption. However, with the historicalrecord described above, as well as usingsome simple comparative analysis withregards to the kata, we can make somedeductions.We can refer to testimony of other directstudents of Higaonna, such as Chogi Yo-shimura, Higaonna’s first student, who tellsus that he learned Sanchin and Pechurinunder the master. A complete translation

kata.” Ura himself apparently specializedin Sanchin and Sesan.Finally, a simple technical analysis of thevarious Goju-ryu kata tells us a lot. Wecan immediately discern that the four katacommon between Miyagi and Kyoda’s curri-cula are indeed from a common source.Some of the major features that distinguishthese kata from the others are listed below.

1. All start with the typical Sanchinsequence of middle level blocks andreverse punches.

2. Sanchin and Sesan end in the pos-ture known as tora-guchi (a.k.a.Mawashi-uke), whereas Sanseruand Pechurin/Suparinpei end in thedouble crane beak posture.

the body for the major signature tech-niques, they seem to be unrelated toeach other with regards to their majorcharacteristics.

The Uechi-ryu ConnectionLet us now turn our attention to Uechi-ryu. It is commonly believed that KanbunUechi learned some form of Tiger Boxing,probably with elements of Crane Boxing,from the famed Zihe Zhou in Fuzhou.However, looking at the three kata thatKanbun Uechi is said to have brought backfrom his time studying in China with ZiheZhou, we see the names Sanchin, Sesanand Sanseru. Interestingly enough, oraltradition in Uechi-ryu circles states thatin the original Quanfa style that Kanbun

Uechi studied, there was a kata calledPechurin or Suparinpei, but Uechi neverlearned this form.However, the kata names are not the onlysimilarities. The Uechi-ryu Sanchin,although performed with open hands, ishighly reminiscent of the Higaonna version.Indeed, oral tradition maintains that Higa-onna originally taught Sanchin with openhands. The first half of the Uechi Sesanis also suspiciously similar to the Higaonnaversion. Although more research is neces-sary to determine what this actually means,it is entirely possible that Uechi was expo-sed to the classical Nafadi through hisstudies at the Kogusuku Dojo in Fuzhou.

SanchinAlthough many modern martial arts writerswould like to attribute Sanchin’s roots tothe original exercises that Bodhidharmasupposedly taught to his acolytes at China’slegendary Shaolin Temple, this remainsnaught but uncorroborated speculation atthis time. In spite of this myth, the Okinawan

Table One: Chojun Miyagi’s Goju-ryu karate-do kata curriculumSanchin – Kanryo HigaonnaSesan – Kanryo HigaonnaSanseru – Kanryo HigaonnaSuparinpei/Pechurin – Kanryo HigaonnaSaifa – Kanryo Higaonna16 (?)Seiunchin – Kanryo Higaonna (?)

Shisochin – Kanryo Higaonna (?)Sepai – Kanryo Higaonna (?)Kururunfa – Kanryo Higaonna (?)Gekisai Dai-Ichi – Chojun MiyagiGekisai Dai-Ni – Chojun MiyagiTensho – Chojun Miyagi

Table Two: Juhatsu Kyoda’s Tou’on-ryu karate-do kata curriculumSanchin – Kanryo HigaonnaSesan – Kanryo & Kanyu Higaonna17

Sanseru – Kanryo Higaonna

Pechurin – Kanryo HigaonnaJion – Kentsu YabuNepai – Kenki Go

“A simple technical analysis of the variousGoju-ryu kata tells us a lot. We can imme-diately discern that the four kata commonbetween Miyagi and Kyoda’s curriculaare indeed from a common source.”

3. All are asymmetrical with regards tothe major techniques, meaning thatalthough the signature techniques areperformed in all directions, they are allperformed with only the right side ofthe body.

In contrast, the remaining Goju-ryu kataall seem to exhibit dissimilar characteristics.For example:

1. Although Shisochin begins with thefamiliar Sanchin sequence, albeitwith open hands18, it is symmetricalin that the major techniques are per-formed with both the left and the rightsides of the body.

2. Although Saifa and Kururunfa bothend with tora-guchi, they lack theSanchin sequence, and the majortechniques are performed on both sidesof the body.

3. Although the remaining Goju-ryu kataare all symmetrical, with regards to theuse of both the left and right sides of

of this record will be presented later inthis publication. Soki Ura also stated in aninterview with prominent Goju-ryu andTomari-ti teacher Iken Tokashiki, that“Higaonna only ever taught three or fourkata. Modern Goju-ryu has too many



versions of Sanchin all have their originsin the Quanfa traditions originating fromFujian Province, where many, if not most,empty hand fighting traditions have a formby this name. In fact, the term Sanchin(the Chinese ideograms of which looselytranslate to “three battles”) seems to befound exclusively in Fujian-based Quanfasystems19.Many researchers and writers, especiallyfrom the Goju-ryu tradition, credit KanryoHigaonna for bringing back Sanchin fromhis studies in China. However, there is alsoa train of thought that states Sanchin hadexisted in Okinawa since before Higaonna’svoyage to Fujian and was passed down inthe old Chinese settlement in Naha’s Kumevillage. It is speculated that Higaonna learnedSanchin from Seisho Aragaki (1840-1920),who is said to have been Higaonna’s firstteacher.Higaonna’s teacher in Fujian is believedby many to be Zhong Xiang Xie, founderof Whooping Crane boxing, although thereis also much vigorous opposition to thistheory. Higaonna is believed to have learnedthe Happoren form from Xie, which issaid by some to be the basis for the modernGoju-ryu version of Sanchin. If Xie wasindeed Higaonna’s teacher, then Higaonnaprobably integrated concepts from Happoreninto the Sanchin he learned under Aragaki.When practicing Happoren alone, thebreathing is silent.In either case, Higaonna had his studentsspend several years on Sanchin alone beforeallowing them to move on to the other katahe taught. Higaonna apparently taught San-chin as an open hand kata at first, withfast breathing20, but later changed it to a

slower, closed fist version. Others giveChojun Miyagi credit for closing the fistsand slowing down the breathing.One provocative account survives about theimportance of Sanchin in Kanryo Higaonna’steachings. An Okinawan man named SaburoKinjo wrote an article on Kanryo Higaonnafor Hiroshi Kinjo’s Gekkan karate-do ma-gazine. The following excerpt relates howsevere the practice of Sanchin was underthe venerable old master21.

“I think our motivation for going toSensei’s dojo as children was probablyto catch a glimpse of his gallant figureas he performed his Toudi. However,no matter when we went to have a look,we saw not Sensei Higaonna’s gallantfigure, but rather his students practicingthe Sanchin no kata… Whenever wewent, all we saw was his students perfor-ming Sanchin. …Sanchin is, as everyoneknows, the basic kata of Toudi, whichone performs half-naked, breathing inand out, moving back and forth. Theteacher stands behind, slapping theshoulders with both palms and fixingthe posture as the student goes backand forth. At Sensei’s dojo, this basic Isaw the students gripping sand-filledjars that were about 2 feet tall withnarrow mouths, and holding themhorizontally as they moved back andforth, back and forth, I thought to my-self how difficult Toudi really must be.”

The three battles of Sanchin are oftendescribed in English as the battles betweenmind, body and breath. Other descriptionsrefer to attack and defense on the threelevels, i.e. the upper, middle and lowerlevels. The three important points ofSanchin have also been described as thestance, the breathing method and the spirit,and if any one of these three are lacking,one will not be able to master Sanchin.Kanryo Higaonna’s Sanchin features twoturns, and only one step back. In order toremedy the lack of backward stepping, itis said that Chojun Miyagi created ashorter version of the kata, featuring noturns, and two steps backwards. It shouldbe noted, however, that in many schools,notably Tou’on-ryu, the practice of Sanchinis also performed by walking up and downthe entire length of the dojo floor, severaltimes, and is not necessarily relegated toa fixed number of steps.

SesanMeaning 13, some people refer to it as 13hands, 13 fists, or 13 steps. Customarilytaught in both Tomari and Naha, this katais one of the most commonly practicedtraditions in Okinawan and Japanesekarate-do.It is unclear exactly what the number 13represents. Some think it was the numberof techniques in the original kata; somethink it represents 13 different types of“power” or “energy” found in the kata;some think it represents the number ofdifferent application principles; some thinkit represents defending against 13 specificattacks; and some think that it is thenumber of imaginary opponents one faceswhile performing the kata.Out of all these theories, this author mustdisagree with the last, as it is highlyunrealistic that kata teaches one to handlesuch situations. On the contrary, kata wasdesigned to teach the principles needed tosurvive more common self-defense situa-tions, rather than a long, drawn out battleagainst several opponents.Sesan begins with three Sanchin reversepunches, then proceeds into a series of uniqueknife-hand or palm-heel strikes often descri-bed as “the cat washes its face.” A seriesof knee strikes and finger thrusts are followedby a low side kick to the knee. Scoopinghand blocks, double and triple punches,uppercuts and more low side kicks follow,and the kata ends with a strong pull, frontkick, reverse punch and a tora-guchi fromthe cat stance.There is a fascinating story told about KanryoHigaonna when he was teaching the stomp(fumikomi) after the last kick in this katato Chojun Miyagi:

“One of the characteristics of the NafadiSesan can be found in its kicking tech-niques, and I believe that Sensei Kyodareceived strict instruction in this methodfrom his teacher Sensei Higaonna.

Chojun Miyagi performing Sanchin shime on a student.

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“Many researchers and writers, especiallyfrom the Goju-ryu tradition, credit KanryoHigaonna for bringing back Sanchin fromhis studies in China. However, there isalso a train of thought that states Sanchinhad existed in Okinawa since before Higa-onna’s voyage to Fujian and was passeddown in the old Chinese settlement in Naha’sKume village.”

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Sensei Kyoda was especially strict withme when teaching this kick. It also seemsthat Sensei Kyoda’s brother disciple,Goju-ryu founder Chojun Miyagi, wasalso greatly influenced by Sensei Higa-onna’s instruction in this kicking tech-nique. When Sensei Higaonna himselfdemonstrated this technique, there wasa loud cracking sound. The next daywhen Sensei Miyagi visited SenseiHigaonna’s house, Sensei Higaonnawas separating the floorboards. Hesaid ‘there seems to be something wrongwith the floor. Go take a look.’ WhenSensei Miyagi went under the house tohave a look, one of the large supportingbeams under the floor was broken cleanlyin two, and the floor was sinking downbecause of this. This means that whenperforming that kick in Sesan, one mustuse that much power.22”

Akio Kinjo, noted Okinawan karate re-searcher and teacher who has traveled toChina, Hong Kong and Taiwan well over100 times for training and researching theroots of Okinawan martial arts, maintainsthat this kata originally had 13 techniques,but due to a long process of evolution, moretechniques were added to it. He also main-tains that the Okinawan Sesan kata is deri-ved from Yong Chun White Crane boxingfrom Fujian Province in Southern China.It is unsure who brought this kata to Okina-wa, but we do know that in 1867, SeishoAragaki (1840-1920), a master of the Chi-nese-based fighting traditions (Toudi)demonstrated this kata (among others) infront of the last Sappushi, Xin Zhao. Themain lineages that include Sesan includethose passed down from Kosaku Matsu-mora, Chotoku Kyan, Seisho Aragaki, Kan-ryo Higaonna, Kanbun Uechi, and NorisatoNakaima, among others.The “Master Seishan Theory,” which claimsthat the kata was brought from China toOkinawa by a Chinese martial artist namedSeishan (or Sesan) is uncorroborated mythat best, probably propagated by well-meaning, but not-so-well-researchedAmerican Karate instructors. This legendcannot be found in any of the literaturecoming out of Okinawa or Japan.

SanseruSanseru means 36, with different groupsadding the Chinese ideograms for “hands,”“steps,” or “fists” at the end, much like

Sesan. Also like Sesan, the actual meaningof the name is unclear at present. Severalstyles of Fujian Quanfa use a form called“36,” but to date, there has been no formof this name that is identical to the version(s)used in modern Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu orTou’on-ryu.Sanseru, like Sesan, also begins with threeSanchin steps, but then proceeds intoreleases from a wrist grab, a leg-scoopingthrow, a series of kicks, elbow strikes andshort reverse punches, then performs twodouble punches and ends in the doublecrane beak posture. It is the first kata inthe original Kume Kenpo curriculum thatteaches the use of the same series of tech-niques in the four principle directions. Thisis often described as the “four gates.”There is some contention with regards toSanseru between the Tou’on-ryu and theGoju-ryu histories. Although the acceptedversion of Goju-ryu history states thatMiyagi learned all of the classical kata ofGoju-ryu directly from Higaonna, it shouldbe noted that Juhatsu Kyoda was adamantthat only he was taught Sanseru by theirteacher. It would seem that Kyoda wastaught this kata while Miyagi was away inKumamoto on military service. Meitoku Yagirecalls the following:

“After Sensei Miyagi had passed away,I took Toguchi (Seikichi) with me to OitaPrefecture, where we met Sensei Kyoda,who was a year older than Sensei Miyagi.I had heard from Sensei Miyagi thatSensei Kyoda had practiced Sanseruwhile Miyagi was away in the army.Although not the purpose of my visit, Iasked him to check my Sanseru kataand correct any errors, to which he hadreplied that my kata was not wrong.”23

However, it is also evident from a simple

the kata from Higaonna at a later date, orfrom another student of Higaonna, andmodified it to suit his interpretation ofkarate. Of course, the same can also besaid for Kyoda. Unfortunately for resear-chers, the Kyoda Sanseru has never beenpublished in full24.

Pechurin/SuparinpeiOften referred to as the highest level katain Nafadi, Pechurin/Suparinpei alsobegins with the three Sanchin reversepunches before breaking off into its ownunique movement patterns.After the three Sanchin steps, both handsthrust out to the sides before launchinginto a series of tora-guchi, hooking blocksand finger thrusts to the four gates. Aftera series of three tora-guchi while retrea-ting in the cat stance, the kata continueswith double punches and simultaneous downblocks/reverse punches to the four gates.Stepping to the diagonal in a sumo posture(shiko-dachi), a series of middle blocks,one knuckle punches and double downblocks are then performed. After a hookinghand block, front kick, elbow and backfist combination, the kata then turns aroundwith a series of scooping and hooking blocks,a spinning crescent kick, a double front kick,elbow, back fist combination, a fingertipthrust to the rear, and ends with the samedouble crane beak found in Sanseru.Because Pechurin/Suparinpei introducesthe four diagonal directions in addition tothe four principle directions, it is often saidto teach the so-called “eight gates of attackand defense.”It is often said that the name Pechurin andthe name Suparinpei are interchangeablewith each other. However, a story told byJuhatsu Kyoda’s senior-most survivingstudent, Shigekazu Kanzaki, tells us adifferent story.

comparative analysisthat the two versionsare clearly related,although there isgreat difference inhow they are perfor-med between the twostyles. The Tou’on-ryu version, for exam-ple, uses no front kicksthroughout the entirekata. It is always pos-sible, however, thatMiyagi had learned Seko Higa with his students Akamine and Kinjo,

demonstrating postures from the Okinawan Bubishi.

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“I had always been under the impressionthat Pechurin and Suparinpei were thesame kata, under different names. Once,I had the chance to observe a demonstra-tion of karate, during which a Goju-ryuteacher performed Suparinpei, and wassurprised at the differences. When Ireturned and told Sensei Kyoda of thesedifferences, he got an upset look on hisface, and said that Sensei Higaonna hadonly ever called this kata Pechurin.”25

Much like Sanseru, although there aretechnical differences between the Goju-ryu Suparinpei and the Tou’on-ryu Pechu-rin, they are essentially the same kata, andcan be thought of as variations on a theme26.With regards to the actual names, Suparin-pei is often translated as “108 steps,” where-as Pechurin is often described as “100consecutive steps.” Noted Okinawan karateresearcher Akio Kinjo has an interestingtheory. According to Kinjo, the correct Fujianpronunciation for Suparinpei shouldactually be Soparinpai, but this pronuncia-tion has been bastardized into the current Oki-nawan pronunciation over the generations27.However, with regards to the term Pechurin,Kinjo has another theory. Although thecommon translation for this kata is “100consecutive steps,” Kinjo states that hehas not found any extant kata with thisname in Fujian. Kinjo argues that this kataname may be an Okinawanized pronun-ciation of the kata Bagirin, which is aYongchun White Crane form meaning“100 consecutive techniques.”28

Shisochin – The Eternal MysteryShisochin is an enigma. It indeed starts withthe three Sanchin steps, albeit with openhands. This, according to the oral traditions,is the old way that Kanryo Higaonna taughtthe Sanchin kata, as well. It is also a factthat a kata with a similar name, Chishau-kin, was performed by Seisho Aragaki atthe 1867 demonstration in front of the lastSappushi. It also follows the pattern of thefour gates, as exemplified in both Sanseruand Suparinpei/Pechurin. Is it possiblethat Shisochin was also a kata from theoriginal Kuninda Kenpo?The major problems with this theory, how-ever, lie in the fact that Shisochin is symme-trical, with regards to the major techniques.Also, the order of the four gates differs fromthat of either Sanseru and Suparinpei/Pechurin. In the latter two kata, the fourgates are performed in the order of front,back, right and then left (from the performer’sperspective). In Shisochin, the four gatesare performed to the rear, the front, theleft and then the right. It is also true that,unlike Sanchin, Sesan, Sanseru, Supa-rinpei/Pechurin and Seiunchin, nowritten evidence regarding the Shisochinkata29 can be found prior to 1938.Although none of these are strong enoughevidence for supporting or refuting claimsthat Shisochin was indeed an originalNafadi kata, it does open up interestingpossibilities for future research. To closeout this section, let us look at Akio Kinjo’stheories on the etymology of this uniqueform.

Chojun Miyagi teaching a group of students in 1933.

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According to Kinjo, Shisochin is repre-sentative of the movements of a cricket and/or preying mantis. The opening kamae(posture) and nukite (finger thrust) inShisochin are thought to show the mantishooking its prey and devouring it. In contrast,the forward stance with the arms extendedis indicative of the cricket spreading itswings. He argues that the name Shisochinshould be pronounced Shisauchin in Fujiandialect, which would be roughly translatedto mean Cricket – Battle30.

AfterthoughtIn closing, there is one very important pointthat this author would like to touch upon.That is: what is the source of the additionalNafadi kata as embraced by modernGoju-ryu and Shito-ryu. Although beyondthe scope of this article, this point ispresented here as food for thought and atopic for future research. If indeed theoriginal curriculum of Nafadi consistedonly of Sanchin, Sesan, Sanseru andPechurin/Suparinpei, then from wheredid the remaining kata used in modernGoju-ryu actually come from? NotedJapanese martial arts researcher NobuyukiHirakami suggests three possibilities:

1. They were brought to Okinawa fromKanryo Fuzhou by Higaonna.

2. They were also ancient kata passeddown in Naha from days of old.

3. They were added by Chojun Miyagifrom alternative sources.

If we take Goju-ryu’s “creation legend”at face value, then of course we will getnumber (1) above as the true history. Ifwe look for evidence for number (2), aswe saw above, the kata Shisochin mayhave been demonstrated alongside Sesanand Suparinpei, as early as 1867. Andfinally, with regards to number (3), it isinteresting to note that in the pre-warbooks on karate, none of the other Goju-ryu kata seem to have been mentionedin writing prior to 1934, with the exceptionof Seiunchin31 and possibly Shisochin.Unsure of what all of this means, this authorand others continue to search for keypieces of the puzzle. Unfortunately, mostof these pieces have either been twistedhorribly out of shape by those who wouldforce them to fit with the other pieces in ahurried attempt to complete the picture,or have been lost behind the sofas and

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Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China fortraining and research. He trained with Seko Higaof Goju-ryu and others.14 Ranpo Maesato (1838-1904) is a legendaryfigure in Okinawan martial arts but painfully littleis known of him.15 A shusai was a “…Kume village keimochi(aristocratic) boys who would ultimately receive agovernment stipend to study in China and laterhold an official position in the service of the King”(McCarthy, 1999).16 Tetsuhiro Hokama states that Chojun Miyagicreated Saifa around 1940, but it is clearly listed in1938 as a Higaonna-lineage kata by Mabuni andNakasone (1938).17 Modern Tou’on-ryu only preserves the KanyuHigaonna version of Sesan. Kanyu Higaonna isbelieved to have studied Chinese boxing underSeisho Aragaki and Xinxian Wai, but was morenoted for his skills as a talented musician. His son,Kanjun Higaonna, was a well known scholar ofRyukyuan history, anthropology and culture.Kanjun wrote a bit on karate, including a forewordin Gichin Funakoshi’s first book entitled RyukyuKenpo Karate, published in 1922. For more onKanyu Higaonna, please see the article “MartialArtists of Okinawa” contained in this publication.18 It should be noted that this is how Sanchin isbelieved to have been practiced before Higaonnachanged the kata to a closed fist. Shisochin shall bediscussed in more detail later in the article.19 According to Akio Kinjo’s 1999 publicationKarate Den Shinroku (True Record of Karate’sTransmission), published by Okinawa ToshoCenter in Naha.20 Much like the Uechi-ryu Sanchin is practiced.21 See the complete translation of this article inthis publication.22 As told by Katsumi Murakami in his 1991 publi-cation Karate no Kokoro to Waza, pp. 93. Thistale is also recounted by Morio Higaonna in his1995 publication The History of Karate: Gojuryu,pp. 39.23 This story is recounted in Yagi’s autobiographyentitled The Life Drama of the Man, Meitoku, pp.173, which was privately published in Japanesein 2000. With the obvious differences between theGoju-ryu and the Tou’on-ryu versions of Sanseru(in spite of their similarities), we are left to specu-late why Kyoda told Yagi that his kata was correct.24 Eizo Onishi, in his 1986 book Kenpo-gaku,included what he called Tou’on-ryu Sanseru, butShigekazu Kanzaki confirmed that this was notthe way Kyoda taught the kata.25 As found in Akio Kinjo’s 1999 publicationentitled Karate Den Shinroku, pp. 320.26 Pechurin was published in Katsumi Murakami’s1975 work Karatedo to Ryukyu Kobudo, although,again according to Kanzaki, with some variation fromhow Kyoda actually taught it.27 Kinjo (1999), pp. 242-244.28 Ibid, pp. 244-245.29 Sanchin, Sesan, Sanseru and Suparinpei/Pechurin are all mentioned in Funakoshi’s earlybooks, namely Ryukyu Kenpo Karate (1922) andRentan Goshin Karatejutsu (1925). Seiunchin wasmentioned by Choki Motobu in his 1926 book entitledOkinawa Kenpo Karatejutsu Kumite-hen.30 Kinjo (1999), pp. 234-236.31 Choki Motobu mentioned Seiunchin in his 1926and 1932 publications.

under the carpets of history, like a jigsawwhose box has been carelessly kickedaround the room…

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1 Kuninda is the native Ryukyuan pronunciationof Kume-son (a.k.a. Kume-mura or Kume Village).2 According to Tetsuhiro Hokama’s 2001 publi-cation Karatedo Rekishi Nenpyo, pp. 16.3 Ibid. pp. 164 See, for example, the 1977 Seisetsu OkinawaKaratedo by the Uechiryu Karatedo Association,or Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop, the second,updated edition of which was published in 1999by Charles E. Tuttle Publishing.5 In his 1990 publication entitled Kakutogi noRekishi, Tokyo: Baseball Magazine. Unfortu-nately, Fujiwara does not cite his source for thisinformation.6 In his publications Koden Ryukyu Karatejutsu(1992) and Motobu Choki to Ryukyu Karate (2000),both published by Airyudo in Tokyo.7 According to several researchers, including PatrickMcCarthy, Tetsuhiro Hokama, Mario McKenna,Shoshin Nagamine, Iken Tokashiki, Tsukuo Iwai,etc.8 According to Iwai and others.9 According to Iwai. However, no record of a TsujiAragaki Peichin (the title for official interpreters)on any ship from Ryukyu to China in 1870 hasbeen found by this author to date, even after anexhaustive search in Seiki Akamine’s 1988 bookDaikokai Jidai no Ryukyu, which details therecords of the ships in and out of Ryukyu overseveral centuries. However, this does not precludethe possibility that Aragaki’s position was nothigh enough to be recorded in this abbreviatedversion of the records.10 According to Ryusho Sakagami, in his 1978book entitled Karatedo Kata Taikan, published inTokyo by Nichibosha.11 Author’s note: This program was first introducedin English by noted karate historian Patrick McCarthy.See, for example (McCarthy, 1999) for his translation.For this article I have chosen to retranslate the materialfrom alternative Japanese sources.12 Tsukuo Iwai is a teacher of Motoburyu Karate-jutsu in Gunma Prefecture, where he also teachesTakenouchiryu jujutsu and associated weapons arts.13 Akio Kinjo is an Okinawan karate teacher andresearcher who has spent immeasurable time in

Joe Swift is a 4th degreeGoju-ryu blackbelt. After 9

years of studying Isshin-ryu inthe US, he moved to Japan

where he has studied Goju-ryusince 1995. He is currently an

assistant instructor at theMushinkan Shoreiryu Karate

Kobudo Dojo of SenseiUematsu in Kanazawa, Japan

and is Shibucho of its Tokyobranch.

Meibukan Magazine is searching for serious andreliable submissions for theirSPECIAL EDITIONS


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Meibukan Magazine wants to presentarticles related to a main subject in everySpecial Edition. We are looking out forsubmissions which have a diversity inarticles that vary from history, leadingpeople, masters, philosophy, science,interviews etc. which should give the

reader insight and information on the mainsubject and are applicable to our mission

statement.The author(s)/organisation(s) who provide

the submission for a special subject arealso welcome to promote their

organisation/school and are welcome tosubmit an article about their organisation.Such an article must be strongly related to

the main subject. After submitting thearticles as described above, and after anagreement with Meibukan Magazine forpossible publication in a Special Edition,the author(s)/organisation(s) are welcometo submit promotional material like book/DVD reviews (from the publisher or anindependent known writer). In principlethere is no limit towards the number of

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http://www.geocities.com/mushinkan_dojo_tokyo


Joe Swift has lived in Japan since 1994. He currently acts as assistant instructor at theMushinkan Shoreiryu Karate Kobudo Dojo in Kanazawa, Japan. Swift tells of his training years

and compares his experiences in both the East and the West. "In the West, we often have atendency to place our Japanese/Okinawan teachers on pedestals. We need to start thinking

critically and taking a look at the big picture."- By Lex Opdam -

Taking The JourneyInterview with Joe Swift

Mr. Swift, could you share with us some-thing from your background as a profes-sional translator/interpreter, researcherand martial artist?First of all, please let me clarify that althoughI currently do not work as a professionaltranslator/interpreter, I had been employedas such in the past. Of course, translatingand interpreting is still part of my currentjob, I am no longer a full-time translatorby profession. I currently work as a meteo-rologist specializing in aviation weather ata large, Japan-based global weather com-pany. I am also considering opening akarate club at the company, time-permitting.

I began training in karate-do in the summerof 1985, at the age of 12. I had been fasci-nated with the martial arts that were

shown in the local TV station on Saturdayafternoons, when they ran old Hong Kongkung-fu films. Anyway, after my firstlesson, I was hooked. I think that it wasprobably a combination of the art and theteacher. My first teacher was a man namedSteve Wren, who taught Okinawa Isshin-ryu karate-do in Waverly, NY. It was alsoSensei Wren who whetted my appetite tolearn more and more about the history,philosophy and techniques of classicalOkinawan martial arts.I continued training in Isshin-ryu until thesummer of 1994, when I moved to Japan.

What was the reason you moved to Japan?I majored in meteorology in university, andmy minor was in Japanese studies, inclu-ding language. This was the impetus for meto go to Japan in the first place, to finish myminor at a Japanese university.I spent a year in Osaka in university, whereI trained in Shorin-ryu karate-do and Ryu-kyu Kobujutsu. In the autumn of 1995, Imoved to Kanazawa, and found myself atthe Mushinkan Dojo of Yoshiyuki Uematsu.Although not a famous teacher in a famouslineage, it was nonetheless under SenseiUematsu that I studied the kata of Okina-wan Goju-ryu. In addition to his karate,Sensei Uematsu is also a teacher of Iaidoand classical Jujutsu, and a licensed apprai-ser and dealer of antique Japanese swords.

Do you also study Iaido and classicalJujutsu under Sensei Uematsu?I do not study Iaido formally, but I was groun-ded in the basic techniques of the stylethat Sensei Uematsu teaches, Shinkage-ryu. I have studied classical Jujutsu underSensei Uematsu (Kyoshi, Hachidan, 8thdegree black belt), with the purpose to streng-then my understanding of the karate kata.

The style of Jujutsu that he teaches is calledMubyoshi-ryu, and stems from the Kagaprovince (where the present-day Kanazawais located).

Sensei Uematsu also urged me to lookbeyond what he had to offer, and actuallyencouraged me to seek out older teachersof the Okinawan martial arts, to furtherimprove my understanding. Thanks to hisopen-mindedness and my own initiative,as well as kind introductions from severalclose karate friends such as Patrick McCar-thy, Mario McKenna and Wade Chroninger,I was able to meet and train under suchteachers as Katsumi Murakami (Shorin-ryu and Ryukyu Kobudo: NaifuanchiShodan and Shushi no Kon), MasaakiIkemiyagi (Goju-ryu Meibukan: Sanchinand Sesan), Tetsuhiro Hokama (Goju-ryuKenshikai: kata applications, Tuifa-jutsuand Ekudi), Kanenori Matsuo (MotobuUdundi: Tuidi/grappling), Hayashi Shingo(Kojo-ryu: grappling principles) and Shi-gekazu Kanzaki (Tou’on-ryu: Sanchin), just

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“Sensei Uematsu urged me to look beyondwhat he had to offer, and actually encoura-ged me to seek out older teachers of theOkinawan martial arts, to further improvemy understanding.”

to name a few. Of course, I would be remissif I did not cite the major influence on myresearch and translation work in thespecific field of karate-do – Mr. PatrickMcCarthy. His groundbreaking publicationswere what truly inspired me to undertakethe arduous journey of historical researchin karate-do. Over the past several years,his continued advice and introductions haveopened doors that I would have neverimagined being opened for me.Uematsu Yoshiyuki, head of the Mushinkan

Honbu Dojo.

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Could you tell us in what way you havereceived instruction the first 9 years underyour first teacher Steve Wren who taughtyou Okinawa Isshin-ryu karate-do?My first 9 years under Sensei Wren wereinstrumental in my development. SenseiWren was a consummate perfectionist whenit came to basic techniques and kata. If any-thing, he instilled in me a work ethic in mytraining that has stuck with me to this day.

Training was mainly in group classes, withan emphasis on basics and the first kata,Sesan. This lasted until I was promoted to6th Kyu (green belt in that particular lineage).From this level, much instruction was one-on-one or one-on-two, as the intermediatekata were taught and kobudo training alsobegan. Kumite training was almost alwayscompetition style, although after class, someof the guys would stick around and justwhack on each other without timers orstopping for points. This was an excellentlearning opportunity.

Several times a year, we would performdemonstrations at local festivals or competein tournaments, and the training duringthose periods would focus on performanceof the kata, and point sparring. We also oftenfocused on practical self-defense against amyriad of common attacks (lapel grabs,wrist grabs, bear hugs, etc.). Many of these

principles and techniques, not surprisingly,can be found inside the various classical kataof Okinawan karate. Unfortunately, no onewas able to connect the dots for me at thattime. It was not until much later that I beganto realize that they were inter-related.

Whenever I visit the USA, I try and meetwith Sensei Wren, to reminisce about old ti-mes, discuss karate issues, and just shoot thebreeze. After all, even though I have movedaway from Isshin-ryu, I do still, and alwayswill, consider him to be a Sensei of mine.

Did your way of practice and interpretationof the martial arts, except its technical dif-ferences, change since you moved to Japan?Well, I had originally come to Japan with

the hopes of finding the “old ways” or the“classical” version of karate still beingpracticed. Unfortunately, in most instances,this was not the case. I found that muchof the karate I had encountered, especiallyin my first year in Osaka, was much likethat I had studied in the USA: competitive-based sport karate.

As the readers probably already know,there is enough technical ambiguity inkarate already, so I will leave aside thespecific technical differences in how mypractice has changed over the past decadeof residing in Japan. I will say that I do thinkmy practice has gone from one of beingmaterially goal-oriented (i.e. get a new rankor a trophy at a tournament) to one of harshphysical and mental training imposed uponmyself. I have found that I get moresatisfaction out of a great training sessionthan passing a grading examination.

Also, I find that my practice has changedto include much more body conditioning(such as kote-kitae, hojo-undo with equip-ment, kakie, etc.) and partner drills torecreate self-defense principles throughspecific scenarios found within the karatekata. This is in direct contrast to the sportselement that I was exposed to in both theUSA and my year in university in Osaka.The impetus for such a shift in practicemethods came from several sources, suchas my teacher Sensei Uematsu, the histo-rical and application research by Sensei

"I had originally come to Japan with thehopes of finding the "old ways" or the"classical" version of karate still beingpracticed. Unfortunately, in most instan-ces, this was not the case."

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Mario McKenna and Joe Swift with Shorin-ryu and Kobudo master Katsumi Murakami in Fukuoka.

Joe Swift with Tou’on-ryu master Shigekazu Kanzaki in Beppu.

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McCarthy, and my liaisons with localmentors in mainland Japan and Okinawa.

Could you tell us something about SenseiUematsu’s Goju-ryu background and themain influence he had upon you concer-ning Goju-ryu karate and particular practicemethods you received?Well, I know that he said he learned Goju-ryu from his uncle, Mori Goho, who wasthe head abbot of a Zen temple in SagaPrefecture. Mori was apparently also welltraveled when he was serving in themilitary. The closest we can determine isthat he learned from an Okinawan colle-ague (his name until this day is unknown)in his travels. In addition to karate, Moriwas also a practitioner of Iaido.

Sensei Uematsu is my primary teacher ofGoju-ryu, and it was from him that I learnedthe kata. As far as particular practice me-thods, perhaps one of the most important wasthat he teaches various breathing methodswith Sanchin. He is also a very big proponentof utilizing the JU aspect of Goju-ryu.

explained with words, however, as I am sureyou can imagine!

Could you tell us when the Mushinkanwas founded and explain to us what themeaning of Mushinkan is?The Mushinkan was founded in 1975. Thename itself is comprised of three kanji orSino-Japanese ideograms: MU (roughlymeaning nothingness), SHIN (meaningheart or mind) and KAN (meaning hall orbuilding). It was named after the Zen principleof Mushin.

personal interpretation of the arts. However,it is my contention that they are far morethan merely ritualized physical violence.While the physical prowess is necessaryto carry out the self-defense techniques,I do think that there is more to learningkarate-do than merely practicing how topunch and kick the opponent into oblivion.However, what that “something more” is,I think, will differ from person to person.To me, it is about overcoming human weak-ness, the journey within, so to speak. Without

Works by Joe Swift

Translated books:• The Secret Royal Martial Arts of Ryukyuby Kanenori Matsuo (translation published2005).• 100 Masters of Okinawan Karate by Tetsu-hiro Hokama (translation published 2005).• Timeline of Karate History by TetsuhiroHokama (forthcoming, possibly 2006).• The Kata of Okinawan Goju-ryu Karateby Harunori Sakugawa and Tetsuhiro Ho-kama (forthcoming, possibly 2006).• Karate Kenpo (1933) by Mizuho Mutsu(forthcoming, possibly 2007).• Bojutsu: Classical Okinawan WeaponArt by Katsumi Murakami (forthcoming,possibly 2006).

Major pre-2005 translations• Karate in the Imperial Capital by GichinFunakoshi, 1929.• Karate-den by Hoan Kosugi, 1930.

Own works:• The Essence of Naha-te (forthcomingpossibly late 2006).• The Pre-History of Isshin-ryu Karate(forthcoming, possibly early 2007).

(Joe Swift has also translated a considerableamount of portions of books/articles forprivate use that are not publicly available).

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Could you tell us what kind of variousbreathing methods Sensei Uematsu teachesand in what way the soft aspect of Goju-ryu is utilized?Well, in addition to the “standard” Goju-ryu breathing pattern of inhaling once andexhaling once, he sometimes has us inhaletwice and exhale once, inhale once andexhale twice, etc. Other times, we breathea bit like the Uechi-ryu practitioners whenthey practice Sanchin.

The so-called “soft” aspect of Goju-ryu isutilized in the Mushinkan a lot in deflecting/trapping/parrying techniques (uke-waza).Sensei Uematsu often calls this the principleof “Ryusui” (flowing water). The standinggrappling aspects, especially throws thatuse joint locks as their emphasis for projec-ting the opponent, are also strived for with-out using too much “extra” power, but toutilize the opponent’s power and momentumagainst himself. This is easier shown than

Kanji MU SHIN KAN

Uematsu Yoshiyuki, Wade Chroninger, Butch Spain,Joe Swift and Wade's students in Okinawa after a semi-nar on grappling techniques in Okinawa in 1999.

"The so-called "soft" aspect of Goju-ryu isutilized in the Mushinkan a lot in deflecting,trapping and parrying techniques. Theyare strived for without using too much"extra" power, but to utilize the opponent'spower and momentum against himself."

Do you hold a certain position within thedojo of Sensei Uematsu?I received my “shihan” teaching license fromSensei Uematsu in 2004. My certificate wasnumbered “1.” I serve as an assistant instruc-tor (Yondan, 4th degree black belt) whenI am in the Honbu, but my official positionis Tokyo Shibucho (the chief instructor forthe Tokyo branch of the Mushinkan).

You have said that you are considering ope-ning a karate club at the company. Wouldthat be a specific style dojo and could youdescribe your wish in establishing one?Well, if this idea goes as planned, it will bebasically a Goju-ryu club, as it will be underthe auspices of the Tokyo Mushinkan. Mywish in establishing the club is that ourcompany is currently placing a lot of emphasison risk management, and I think that one ofthe most important parts of such an idea boilsdown to the personal level of each employee.It is my hope that a martial arts club in thecompany will help contribute to the healthand welfare of the employees.

What kind of responsibility do you see fitfor yourself in being a karate-do teacher?This is a difficult question, I think, but basi-cally I feel responsible for not only searchingout and preserving the old ways, but to alsofoster students who are productive membersof society, and who will hopefully one dayalso take up the teaching of karate-do.

What is your personal interpretation ofmartial art?Well, first of all, in many ways I still consi-der myself a student and not ready for a

first overcoming our own weaknesses andegos, we will forever be battling with others,so to speak. If we can overcome our ownweaknesses and egos, then I believe that

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Yoshiyuki Uematsu in a posture from Seiunchin kata in his Mushinkan Honbu Dojo.

the need to resort to physical violence canbe reduced to almost nil. Of course, I do notbelieve that a teacher of karate has to be apreacher. Much like the physical aspects ofkarate, it is up to the teacher to point thestudent on the correct path, but it is up tothe student to actually take the journey.

You mentioned Sensei McCarthy had a majorinfluence upon your research and transla-tion work concerning karate-do with focusupon historical and application research.In what way did his influence shift yourhistorical and application research?Well, simply put, it was Sensei McCarthywho basically taught me to look beyondmerely blindly following the oral traditionsin the history of karate-do, while at thesame time not ignoring it. In addition, hisgroundbreaking translations and historicalwritings had shattered many of the oldmyths of karate-do that I know many ofus grew up hearing. It was these publi-cations that actually made me want tostudy and research the unabridged historyof karate.

As far as applications go, a few hands-onsessions (including an impromptu one in thetrain station at Yokohama!) as well as hisvideo series, have urged me to look beyondwhat can be described as applications basedon the rule-bound competitive format. Youknow, like the applications found in mostkarate texts that focus on defending against

a cleanly executed lunge punch to the jawfrom zenkutsu or the roundhouse kick to thehead.This is another point where I think that under-standing the history of karate would helpin our search for the physical and technicalaspect. If karate was indeed an art of self-defense for the upper classes as well as anarrest method by the local law enforcementin the old Ryukyu Kingdom, then SenseiMcCarthy’s application theories and prac-tices seem to jive with those goals.

You have talked to many masters and othermartial artists, read and investigate thehistory and the actual status of karate-doand practicing and reflecting karate-doover the last 20 years. Would you say thatto this day the gross of people in Japanincluding Okinawa, but also in the West,are still following blindly the oral traditions?I would say that this issue is predominantin both worlds, but due to different reasons.In the west, we often have a tendency toplace our Japanese/Okinawan teacherson pedestals, just by virtue of their nationa-lity. In mainland Japan and Okinawa aswell, the classical Confucian educationalprinciples often discourage people fromquestioning the teacher and in many extremecases, even daring to think outside the box.

I think that before we fall back on the oldstandard, “well, Sensei said such and such,”we need to start thinking critically and takinga look at the big picture.I also think that in the west, there are more

people who know a lot more about thehistory of karate than there are in Japanand Okinawa. I think this is due, in part, tokarate being such a big part of the Okina-wan culture, they perhaps don’t take aninterest in such aspects. I mean, it has alwaysbeen there, and always will. In the west,classical karate is a foreign import, and peoplemay be taking an interest above and beyondwhat their Japanese and Okinawan counter-parts might. The same is true in reverse,as well. Perhaps there are a lot of Japanesebaseball players who know more aboutthe history and traditions of the game thanan American player might!

That being said, however, there are alsomany in Japan and Okinawa who havespent the time, effort and expense toundertake a serious and in-depth study ofkarate’s history and traditions. Such peopleinclude Kinjo Hiroshi, Tokashiki Iken,Kinjo Akio, Hokama Tetsuhiro, NakamotoMasahiro, Otsuka Tadahiko, FujiwaraRyozo, Iwai Tsukuo and others.

Could you explain to our readers thoseclassical Confucian educational principlesthat often discourage people from ques-tioning the teacher, and to what extent yousee the influence upon Western martial artschools?Well, to be fair, I hope that the original Confu-cian educational principles did not encouragethis, but in addition to an almost unques-tioning reverence for elders and seniors,there seems to be a great emphasis on “me-

"To me, karate is also about overcominghuman weakness, the journey within, soto speak. If we can overcome our ownweaknesses and egos, then I believe thatthe need to resort to physical violencecan be reduced to almost nil."

Yoshiyuki Uematsu demonstrates an applicationfrom Shisochin against a knife-wielding opponent.

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morizing the classics,” over truly “under-standing” them. To this day, in Japaneseeducational systems, a vast majority of stu-dents learn the material by rote memorizationthat they then regurgitate when they taketheir examinations. From those who havetaught in the Japanese school system, I havebeen told that even when they open thefloor for questions, almost no one raises theirhands. To take this to an extreme, I haveheard horror stories from martial arts schoolswhere asking questions was actually discou-raged, and not just during the training sessionswhen they were supposed to be working!

I think that in recent years, the progressiveWestern learners have begun to thinkmore critically about their martial artspractice. The old adage, “train harder andmaybe one day you’ll come to understand,”does not seem to hold water anymore. Inthat regard, there have been many greatstrides in historical as well as technicalresearch into the martial arts in the Westthat are very rare (to say the least) in Japanand Okinawa. So, I think that for a greatmany Western martial artists, these Japa-nese ideals of learning by rote memorizationand not questioning the teacher, havebecome outdated in a search for moreknowledge and technical ability.

You have translated and written manyarticles about karate especially concerningkarate’s history. Do you have any new pro-jects we might expect in the future?Well, time permitting, I have several booktranslations on the back burner, includingHokama’s Timeline of Karate History, Sa-kugawa and Hokama’s Kata of OkinawanGoju-ryu Karate, Mutsu’s 1933 classic Ka-rate Kenpo, among others. Hopefully I willbe able to finish the first two over the next3-4 months and have them published andavailable sometime around mid-2006.

I also have several articles that I am planningon the Goju-ryu kata, including possible ety-mology and historical origins; and a majorarticle on Itosu Anko and his campaign torevitalize karate at the turn of the 20th century.

Lex Opdam, Editor-in-chief ofMeibukan Magazine

interviewed Joe Swift inOktober 2005.

The Weapons and FightingArts of Indonesiaby Donn F. Draeger

182x258 mm, 256 pp, 185photos, many illustrations

available atwww.mikado.nlwww.amazon.com

THE WEAPONS AND FIGHTING ARTS OFINDONESIA

The Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesiaconsists of a variety of combative forms andempty-hand techniques, and also include suchweapons as spears, whips, knives, and the krisdagger. The author shows how the forms arerelated to those on the Asian mainland as wellas to European techniques, and describes thecombat methods of the fierce Menangkabauwarriors, the Alefuru headhunters, and theCelates pirates.Indonesian martial arts are intricately linkedwith cultural attainments, especially with music,dance, and art; they are also closely related tomarriage customs, tribal law, and native my-thology. Well supplemented with over 400illustrations, this exiting book is the definitivework on Indonesian weapons and fighting arts.(About the author see Meibukan Magazine nr.4, January 2004)

Contents: 1. Preliminary Background • 2. Javaand Madura • 3. Sumatra, Nias, Mentawai Islands,and the Riouw Archipelago • 4. Bali • 5. TheLesser Sundas • 6. The Celebes • 7. The Molucca.

By Marc van Dam

Karate-do: My Way of lifeby Gichin Funakoshi

110x182 mm, 148 pp,7 photos


KARATE-DO: MY WAY OF LIFE

Much has been published in Japanese about thegreat karate master, Gichin Funakoshi, but thisis the first translation in English of his auto-biography. Written not long before his deathat the age of ninety, he describes in succinctdetail his own life - his childhood and youngmanhood in Okinawa, his struggle to refineand popularize the art of karate, his prescriptionfor longevity, and he reveals his unique persona-lity and his somewhat old fashioned way ofviewing himself, his world and his art. Throughthis volume the follower of karate-do will gaingreater insight into the master's own way ofliving and thinking and, as a consequence, asharper understanding of the art of self-defensethat he brought to a state of such high perfection.There are innumerable delightful anecdotesabout this extraordinary man, many of whichhe recounts himself in these pages.Funakoshi will perhaps emerge as somethingof an eccentric, but he was merely followingthe moral and ethical code of his ancestors, acode that existed long before there was such athing as written history in Okinawa. MasterFunakoshi was a splendid example of a man ofhis rank born at the beginning of the Meiji pe-riod, and there are few men left in Japan todaywho may be said to observe a similar code.

Contents: Entering the Way • No Weapons •Training for Life • Recognition • One Life •Important Points • The Past, The Future.

By Marc van Dam

Martial Musingsby Robert W. Smith

162x236 mm, 400 pp,over 300 photos


MARTIAL MUSINGS

In every century there are unique individualswhose fate makes them standing symbols ofunique merit and accomplishment. Robert W.Smith’s Martial Musings stands out as the soleliterary work which offers readers a special per-spective of martial arts as they evolved duringthe 20th century. Smith personally escorts thereader on a martial arts tour. He starts with hisown initial involvement in the arts, then laun-ches outward, across the nation, over to Asia,and eventually home again. Some of the topicscovered in the book include martial arts theoryand practice, portrayals of leading Asianinstructors, profiles of Westerners who studiedthe arts and brought them back to their respec-tive countries, and a historical record of the

evolution of fighting arts in the West. In short,Martial Musings introduces the reader to theindividuals who shaped martial arts in the 20thcentury.Robert W. Smith may be known as a world’sleading authority on Asian martial arts, but thisbook shows he is much more than that. Hispioneering work in the field has inspired othersto follow, but perhaps none have brought suchdrive, stamina, and scholarly skills to such a monu-mental task. Smith has practiced, taught, andwritten on the Asian martial arts for more thanfifty years.

Contents: PART 1 (Introduction • Early Days •In The Marines • Boxing • Judo • CIA • Out toAsia • Broadbent • The Good Old Budokwai • E.J. Harrison • Donn Draeger • Jon Bluming •John Gilbey & His Correspondents • TakahikoIshikawav Masahiko Kimura • Bill Paul •Dermot M. “Pat” O’Neill • The LegendaryFairbairn • A Pause). PART 2 (Taiwan: A MartialWatershed • Return to America & Judo • Judoand Taiji • Back at CIA • To Teach is to Love &Learn: A Soliloquy • Xingyi & Bagua: The OtherInternal Arts • Rose Li: Cherchez la Femme • AWord on Weapons • My Writers: An Interlude• Zheng Manqing: The last Decade • Ben Lo:Modest Man. True Taiji • Guo Lianyin •Southeast Asia Revisited: Laoshi’s Other TopStudents • Zheng Manqing: A Summing Up •The Weird and Wild • The Bogus: Hollywood •Nothing Could Be Finer: Down to Carolina).

By Marc van Dam


http://www.mikado.nl

http://www.amazon.com






Although Zen Buddhism and the martial arts have nothing in common at first sight, both have along history of mutual understanding. But how could the compassionate spirit of Zen Buddhismally itself with something as horrific as warfare? There's a lesson to be learned from those who

sought advice on the matter of life and death.

- By Mark Hemels -

The Cutting EdgeThe Paradox of Zen and the Martial Arts

Bushido, the Way of the WarriorIn the political turmoil of Japan’s 17thcentury, the martial arts were the privilegeof a small class of samurai. These warriorsplaced their lives in the service of a warlordand maintained the moral code of theBushido, the Way of the Warrior. Besidesthe duty of respect for one’s parents, loyaltyto the lord, and a compassionate dedi-cation for the good in mankind, this Wayof the Samurai requires a constant readi-ness to die, and even the willingness totake one’s own life when honour is lost.In order to survive in battle, the samuraitried to master the art of the sword throughself-discipline and rigorous training.Tales abound in which samurai seek theinstruction of a Zen master to attain the rightstate of mind. For like no other, the mastersof Zen were at home in the practice of self-discipline and the matter of life and death.

In this more than two thousand year oldcollection of sayings, the mysteriouswarrior-philosopher Sun Zi writes:

“He who knows the art of the warriorhas no confusion about movement. Heacts and is therein unhindered. He whoknows himself and his enemy winswithout being in danger. He who knowsheaven and earth conquers all.”

Musashi decides to dedicate his life toreaching enlightenment by way of thesword. Perfect knowledge of one’s selfand one’s enemy, of heaven and earth,should enable him to act determined andfree as a human being and as a warrior.Takuan teaches Musashi it is not aboutentrancing the heart or being draggedalong by desire or hate. Accepting deathin every aspect of life does not mean draw-ing the sword in reckless blood thirst. Suchignorance only confuses the mind and tearsthe heart. The true art of the warrior isself-knowledge. This art is no differentfrom the Buddhist way of “no I”, the ab-sence of ego, of which master Dogen says:

“To study the way of the Buddha is tostudy oneself. To study oneself is toforget oneself. To forget oneself is tobe enlightened by all phenomenons. Tobe enlightened by all phenomenonscreates the withdrawal of one’s bodyand mind as well as others.”

Takuan wrote his letter Unmoving under-standing about this perfect knowledge.In these writings, he explains the connec-tion between Zen and swordsmanship.

Unmoving movementBuddhist teachings distinguish manyconsecutive steps of mental development.

One of those steps is ‘restraint’. This iswhen the mind concentrates on an objector attaches itself to a certain line of thought.This is the mental attitude that we normallyknow. In a sword fight, the attention focuseson for example the opponent’s sword, orthe mind is occupied by a predeterminedplan of attack. One’s watchfulness islimited to that one point of attention, losingthe many other options. The warrior is thenno longer a free master of his movements.He stands transfixed in the spell of a trulyimmobile opponent, who reveals no inten-tion or sign of weakness. The point is toconquer this ‘restraint’ by not allowing theheart to be entranced, and not allowing theattention to be distracted by focussing onlyon a single point. Master Sun writes thefollowing about the importance of a form-less empty mind:

“In martial arts, strategy must beinscrutable, form must be hidden andmovements unexpected so that nopreparations can be made againstthem.”

Japanese suit of armor, Edo period, 1615-1868.

"He who knows the art of the warrior hasno confusion about movement. He acts andis therein unhindered."

Arguably, the most famous story is that ofthe encounter between Zen monk Takuanand the legendary swordsman Musashi.This 17th century folk-hero from a familyof samurai had only one desire: to becomethe invincible master of the sword. ForMusashi, the inevitable battle in which thesamurai engaged himself was more than astruggle for survival. Musashi was not afraidof dying. Why be afraid of death whenyou know you have to die? Musashi didn’tjust want to survive; he wanted to gain defi-nitive victory, not in the least over himself.When his path crossed that of the monkTakuan, his fighting art would take on aspiritual dimension. Takuan suggestsMusashi read books on Zen, and ChineseTaoist classics such as Sun Zi’s Art of War.



The open-minded empty mind is receptiveto any possibility that occurs here and now.That is the only way it can freely adapt tothe other’s movements and react instantly.This ‘Unmoving understanding’ is not rigidand fixed; on the contrary, it is most flexible.It is able to move in any conceivable direc-tion without restraint.The unmoving understanding equals theBuddhist wisdom on not knowing, themental state of no-mind or Mushin. Themind is no longer blocked by the discerningsense causing one to doubt which side tochoose. The mind is singular, free of thedualism between eye and sword, one orthe other, life or death, unbothered by anythought of outcome or predetermined plan.The Zen saying: “There may not be asmuch as hair’s width” applies here, meaningthe immediateness of the response. Likea koan, a Zen riddle, when the student’sanswer must be immediate and withoutdeliberation, the warrior’s response mustfollow his opponent’s attack without ahair’s width difference. The warrior’s emptymind will steer the sword seamlessly andat lightning speed to the event of thatmoment. In this way, he turns the oppo-nent’s sword against its wielder. It is inthis non-duality that according to Zenmaster Takuan the perfection of swordsman-ship lies.

“Everything is void: you, the drawnsword and the arm wielding the sword.Even the thought of emptiness no longer

exists. And from this absolute voidsprings the wonderful unfolding ofaction.”

A historic connectionZen scholar D.T. Suzuki points out threereasons why Zen had such attraction tothe Japanese warrior class. Firstly, Suzukiwrites, Zen is a religion of will, teachingnot to look back once a certain path is chosen.According to him, Zen opposes theunstable intellect and follows the path ofdecisive intuition that is of a lot more useto soldiers. Secondly, the simplicity andself-consciousness of the ascetic Zendiscipline lies closer to a warrior’s mentality.Furthermore, Zen supplies the warriorwith stoical virtues, because both Zen andthe martial arts agree on overcoming thecontradiction between life and death.Finally, Suzuki points out that there is ahistorical connection between Zen andmartial arts. In Japanese society, youngmen from the higher social classes wouldbe raised either as a priest of the Zen Bud-dhist state religion or as a warrior. If theZen priests wanted to maintain their powerand status, they had to join the rulers ofthe people. Conversely, these warmon-gering rulers often sought out the Zenpriests’ advice.In fact, the connection between ZenBuddhism and martial art dates back tolong before the political unrest of the Japa-nese Middle Ages. According to tradition,Bodhidharma (approx. 470-543), the firstZen patriarch of China, taught his monksdefensive techniques based on breathingat the Shaolin Temple to be used in caseof need when travelling dangerous roads.Those exercises formed the basis of thepopular martial art Kung Fu. From an evenolder origin comes the already mentionedwarriors’ philosophy of Sun Zi, which iscurrently well read in the managementworld for business strategies. In the spiritof the Taoist masters Lao Zi and ZhuangZi (who are often quoted by Zen Buddhistmasters), he follows the Path of ‘winningwithout fighting’, of harmony and compas-sion for all living creatures. In the Bookof the Path and its Virtue (Daode jing)Lao Zi writes:

“Who aids a ruler with the Path, doesnot force the world with weapons, foracts of violence find their own retri-bution – where armies have lain, thistles

grow; great wars are followed by yearsof misery.Weapons are instruments of disaster,not tools of the enlightened. When theiruse is inevitable, it is best to be calmand free of greed and not to enjoyvictory. He who enjoys victory createspleasure in killing people. He whocreates pleasure in killing people, hiswill can not be implemented in theworld.”

Moving ZenThese days, the many martial and fightingarts are fortunately no longer used foractual battle, where most of them origi-nated. The spirit of Bushido is expressedin modern eastern martial arts as harmonyof body, spirit and surroundings. Althoughthe fighting element remains present, it isnot about violence (with the unfortunateexception of a malevolent karate-kick onthe street or the competitive element ofmartial sports).It is rather particular, though not reallysurprising when you think about it, that boththe zendo, or meditation hall, and the dojo,the martial arts practise area, carry thesame name: Place of Enlightenment. Afterall, both areas are used to engage battlewith one’s ego, the self, the I. A difficultbattle that demands a lot of effort, disciplineand patience, but eventually enables thepractitioner to lose his ‘self’ and overcomehimself. Am I myself – with my lust, hateand ignorance – not my greatest enemy?Only when the ‘I’, which continuouslydefines itself by the ‘other’, forgets itselfand dissolves, can both truly become one.It is this unity, the inextricable connectivityof all things and events, that Buddha taughtus.It is from this point of view that the mentalattitude on the cushion in the zendo is equalto that on the mats in the dojo. In bothcases, it is all about being nothing morethan the openness of the empty mind, inwhich each moment is experienced anew– an openness in which things continuouslyarise and disappear. It is about beingpresent at all times, being alert and atten-tive to all that happens around you. Inshort, living on the cutting edge. Martial

"Only when the 'I', which continuouslydefines itself by the 'other', forgets itselfand dissolves, can both truly become one."

Lao Zi riding an ox, by Zhang Lu, 1464-1538.



art then turns into living art in the spirit ofZen, albeit as moving Zen, moving intently.An expression of this ‘dancing art’ is kata,an exercise in the form of imaginary battle.According to the purists of the martial artsworld, kata as pure movement art formsthe highest expression of unity of body andmind. Awa, the master who initiatesphilosopher Eugen Herrigel in the modernclassic Zen in the Art of Archery states:

“Because you now express the ceremonyas a cult-like dance, your spiritualawakeness achieves its highest power.”

Path of non-violenceIt would be wonderful if martial arts wereindeed considered and practiced as non-violent exercises to harmonize the spiritand body; if the Art of War were to beread as the book on peace it really is; andif Bushido, the Way of the martial arts,was indeed followed as a compassionateeffort for the better of humankind. Ofcourse it is clear that this is not so. All themore apparent from the study Zen at Warby Brian Victoria, in which is outlined howoutspokenly the Japanese Zen worldconformed to the imperial war machine.

Zen master Daiun Harado Sogaku givesvoice to this:

“When given the order to march: stomp,stomp, or to shoot: bang, bang. That ishow the highest wisdom of enlighten-ment manifests itself.”

Is the Buddha wisdom of non-thoughthereby transformed into negation ofindividual responsibility, a denial ofindependent thought?

According to D.T. Suzuki, even thoughthe free, unbound and unprejudiced Zenspirit is only concerned with an immediateexperience of the reality of here and now,it would have no trouble conforming itselfto an ‘orders are orders’ mentality.

“Zen has neither teachings of its ownnor a philosophical system of rigidconcepts and logical rules. Its solepurpose is to try to free humankindfrom the chains of birth and death, byway of an intuitive understanding thatbelongs only to Zen. That is why it isexceptionally easy to adapt to nearlyany moral doctrine or philosophy, aslong as it’s intuitive training remainsintact.”

When Suzuki furthermore describes Zenas a religion of willpower, possessed withrevolutionary fighting spirit, it createsspace for a dangerous union with fascismor warmongering nationalism. But are wethen still addressing Buddhism, a life ofcompassion towards all living things,springing from the realization that we areall one?That the paradoxical union of Zen andmartial arts should result in a path of non-violence is nicely demonstrated by ananecdote about Bokuden, a swordsmanwho understood the true meaning of thesword, not as an instrument of death butone of spiritual self-discipline.

One day, Bokuden was crossing the BiwaLake by manner of rowing boat accom-panied by several passengers. Amongthem, there was a grim looking samuraidressed in full battle gear. Arrogantly hedeclared himself the best swordsmanalive. The other passengers hung at hislips; however, Bokuden ignored him andgazed dreamily ahead. This displeased the

"It is about being present at all times, beingalert and attentive to all that happens a-round you. In short, living on the cuttingedge."

Suggested literatureSun Tzu, The Illustrated Art of War.Shambhala 1998.Takuan Soho, The Unfettered Mind,Kodansha 1986.Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings.The Overlook Press, 1988.Taisen Deshimaru, The Zen Way to MartialArts. E.P. Dutton, 1982.Eugen Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery.Random House, 1981.Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Zen and JapaneseCulture. 1958.

Mark Hemels (Master of Artsin Philosophy) is Editor of

Meibukan Magazine.

This article was first published in theDutch Buddhism Quarterly

(Kwartaalblad Boeddhisme nr. 21,2000). English translation by Meibukan

Magazine Editor Matthew Jones.Tsutsui Jomyo and the priest Ichirai on the Gojo

Bridge, by Torii Kiyomasu, 1716.

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n.samurai intensely who asked him: “Youalso carry two swords, why do you notspeak?” Bokuden calmly replied: “Myart is not the same as yours; it exists ofnot conquering others, but also not tobe conquered oneself.”That really challenged the samurai.“To what school do you belong then?”“My school is called the School of NoSword.”“Why then do you wear a sword?”“The sword reflects the ego-less self,not the killing of others.”The samurai became enraged and roared:“Do you really dare fight me without asword?”“Why not?” said Bokuden.The samurai yelled to the boatman to headfor the nearest shore. Bokuden suggestedthat it would be better to row to a moredeserted island so as not to attract a crowdlooking for sensation. The samurai agreedand as soon as the boat reached the smallisland, he drew his sword and jumped offthe boat. Unconcerned Bokuden relievedhimself of his sword and pretended to getready to follow the samurai onto the island.All of a sudden, he grabbed the boatman’soar and shoved the boat forcefully awayfrom the island. As he left the samuraienraged on the island, he said laughing:“See here, my School of No Sword.”



Soviet scientist and physician Alexander Bogomoletz wisely said: "Man is as old as his connectivetissues". If you rely on tissue elasticity for flexibility, you'll lose it. You must master the regulation of

selective tension in order to gain dynamic strength. Tendons do not need to be maximally stretched tobe torn. Tears result from a special combination of sudden stretch and muscular contraction.

- By Scott Sonnon -

The Dangers of Static Stretching

Everyone has slipped on ice at some pointin his or her life. When you slip on ice yourbody is thrown off-balance. It reflexivelyattempts to restabilize the breach of stanceintegrity. The tissue that you stretch whenyou slip, say the hamstring or the groin,will contract to the original position. Voilà… Tear! It’s caused by a stretch from oneside and a simultaneous contraction on theother. This involuntary event is called the“stretch reflex”: a muscle that is stretchedby an external force too far or too fast willcontract to oppose the stretch.Before beginning dynamic strengtheningexercises in Circular Strength Training(CST) to develop plasticity, you must firstlearn to regulate muscular tension (in CSTparlance: “Selective Tension”). This is notas difficult as it sounds, but it requires a para-digm shift away from conventional methods.Someone once asked me the following:“CST seems so fluid and supple. Since Iam older and not as flexible, I fear that Iwill not be able to train in your system. Arethere exercises to improve my flexibilityso that I can begin to train?” Others havesaid, “I am highly involved in my sport andam concerned about my performancelevels. I fear a lack of connective tissuestrength. What can I do?”

Debunking the Stretching MythsThe answer is not simple due to the natureof the question. In CST, stretching is notconsidered a particularly high premiumhealth practice. Stretching has been a

buzzword for the past twenty or so years,but rarely has anyone been given the oppor-tunity to question whether increasing flexi-bility is a virtue for health and longevity.We have seen a significant deteriorationin connective tissue strength and pervasiveinjuries in every sport and at every agelevel due to the dangerous stretching prac-tices of the conventional fitness industry.There are important myths to debunk.Some of these myths are as follows:

1. Flexibility is the primary charac-teristic of health and sportive/combative performance. The moreflexible you are the better.

2. Flexibility is a form of injury preven-tion.

3. Injury results from insufficientwarm-up to increase flexibility.

4. Injury happens when tissue isstretched maximally.

5. Static stretching is safe and pro-ductive. Dynamic Stretching(mobility training and ballisticmotion) is unsafe and unproduc-tive.

6. Daily stretching is mandatory forflexibility maintenance.

7. Flexibility requires many yearsand is the first characteristic to belost.

8. (The most terrible) Flexibility isgained through elongating thetissues (deformation).

Flexibility vs. ElasticityLet’s first differentiate between the con-cepts of flexibility and elasticity. Flexibilityis a measurable range of motion in one speci-fic direction. To increase the flexibility ofa tissue you must apply a force pulling thetissue in an isolated range of motion untilthe stress causes a permanent deformationof that tissue, where it will not return to itsoriginal state.

Over the years we cause micro traumato our tissue from activity. The tissue heals,but only after scar tissue has formed. Inhealing, the scar tissues mends the woundtogether by pulling and shortening the tissue.Many people, in the conventional under-standing of physical culture, have madethe assumption that stretching after activitycan prevent the muscle from healing at ashorter length. However, should the stretch-ing manage to prevent shortening (whichis debatable), the connective tissues stiffens.Tendons and ligaments are composed of col-lagen (lending tensile strength) and elastin(lending elasticity, obviously). As we age ourtissues undergo an irreversible process ofdecreasing elastin and increasing collagen.Elasticity is a material’s ability to return toits original state following deformation afterremoval of the deforming load. To increasethe elasticity of a tissue you must apply aload to the tissue in a range of motion andremove that load after the initial stiffnessceases (discomfort, not pain), but beforethe tissue is permanently deformed, so thatthe tissue returns to its original state. Thisstress increases the capacity for storageof elastic energy.

Stored Elastic Energy and ViscosityThe ability to generate Stored ElasticEnergy (SEE) is proportionate to thetensile strength of the tissue. Tensile Strengthis the maximum stress that a material canwithstand before it breaks. Ductility (howmalleable a substance is) decreases as itreaches its tensile strength failure, andconversely the amount of SEE increasesas it reaches its tensile strength failure.This is the concept of Viscosity: the propertyof an object that demonstrates that a bodyat rest tends to stay at rest unless actedupon by an outside force. Many tissues ofthe human body exhibit constricting,congealing, and thickening characteristicswhen not exposed to outside forces. The

Circular Strength Training® comprisesmulti-joint, multi-planar movementswhich develop rotary and angular/diagonal strength to assist the primemovers. Athletes with this holisticstrength develop motor recruitmentpatterns that are both strong andfunctional. Without this completemovement paradigm, performancesuffers greatly and injury likelihoodsignificantly increases.

17



Viscosity of a tissue is its resistance to a force.The greater the viscosity, the greater the forceand time required to cause deformation.To understand this, pull a rubber band intwo opposite directions. The more that youpull, the harder it is to pull. For example, ifyou pull the rubber band one inch, it gains(say) 5 units of SEE. If you pull one moreinch, it produces 10 additional units of SEE(15 total). If you pull one final inch, it resultsin 20 more units of SEE (35 total). Theincrease is exponential. The farther thatyou pull the rubber band, the further it willfly when one side is released.

stretched beyond its limit. So prevent in-juries by elongating the muscles of theconnective tissues”.This assumption is a physiological false-hood. Tears do not happen because tissueshave been maximally stretched (as thestretching pundits would have you believe),but because of the special combination ofsudden stretch and contraction called the“stretch reflex”. The stretch reflex happenswhen tissue that is stretched by an externalforce too far or too fast contracts to opposethe stretch. When a stretch from one sidehappens simultaneous with a contraction

on the other - you have a tear. We have seenthis very frequently in the dance and fit-ness industries, and in the recent crazeinvolving the pollution of yoga (whereHatha yoga is erroneously associated withstatic stretching).

Viscoelasticity: Flexibility is SpeedSpecificAnother erroneous belief states that, if youmaintain a certain pull length on the rubberband for an extended time (say at 35 units),the rubber band will begin to deformpermanently and as a result lose SEE asit loses its degree of elasticity. This regionof training is known as Viscoelasticity,having a combination of viscosity andelasticity. Viscoelastic materials have time-dependent mechanical properties, beingsensitive to the duration of the force appli-cation. Such materials will continue todeform over a finite length of time even ifthe load remains constant, until a state ofequilibrium is reached (also known as“creep effect”).High temperatures increase the rate ofcreep and low temperatures decrease it.For the most effective use of this propertythe material to be deformed should bewarmed, and then have a sufficient loadapplied over a long period of time. Diffe-rent tissues respond differently to variousrates of loading. When loaded rapidly theyexhibit greater resistance to deformationthan if they are loaded slowly.This is why dynamic flexibility cannot begained through static stretches. Flexibilityis speed specific. The “stretch reflex”engages whenever a muscle is stretchedsuddenly or dramatically, or both. Thismechanism is controlled by the musclespindles, which are two special receptors

A muscle spindle and its sensory innervation.

The Stretch ReflexTissues adapt to boththe intensity and theduration of a stressplaced upon them. Ifthe tensile strength ofthe rubber band is 50units and you pull therubber band one finalinch (which shouldproduce 40 more unitsof SEE for a total of75), the tensile strengthof the rubber bandhas been exceeded.Failure results and itsnaps in two. Ultrahigh degrees of flexi-bility outside of thenatural range of mo-tion of a joint make‘snapping’ much morelikely. ‘StretchingGurus’ have used thisknowledge to makea leap in logic thatsays, “injuries occurwhen a muscle is

From

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Hierarchical structure of the tendon. Adapted from J. Kastelic, A. Galeski, and E. BaerThe Multicomposite Structure of Tendon,Connective Tissue Research, 1978, Vol 6, pp. 11-23.

TendonFascicleFibrilSubfibrilMicrofibrilTropocollagen

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Scott Sonnon, ChiefOperations Officer of RMAX

International, is a prolific fitnessand wellness author, publisher

of CST Magazine, and inventorof the patented Clubbell®. He isa former international champion

and USA National Coach ofthe Russian combat sport -Sambo, inductee into the

International Martial Arts Hallof Fame, the US National

Fitness Hall of Fame and anAppointed Physical

Conditioning Training Advisorfor the US National LawEnforcement and Security

Institute.

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that activate the stretch reflex. One ofthese is sensitive to stretch magnitude andthe other to speed and magnitude. Theprevalent static stretch may or may notreset the first receptor, but it is completelyineffective for the second receptor. As aresult, flexibility is speed specific.

Health Risks of Static StretchingThe usual practice of the fitness industryis to increase flexibility through staticstretching. This is a serious health danger.As we have seen, with age the collagen/elastin ratio changes in favor of collagen.As we grow older the connective tissueis more likely to snap because of the de-creased integrity of tissue elasticity.In our youth the ability to drop into astraddle split seemed like a desirable trick,but it has nothing to do with health andeven less to do with longevity. As we grow

few millimeters of a stretch. After sur-passing this initial short resistance there isa substantial reduction in the stiffness ofthe tissue. This is a temporary physio-logical phenomenon, not a permanent one.We should concentrate on overcomingSRS, but should not proceed to deforma-tion of the tissue. Static stretching is not ameans for permanently remaining flexible.Attempting to alter the mechanical proper-ties of our tissues may work when weare children, but it does not work indeveloped adults. The goal of allowing theorganism to be permanently flexible is metthrough the regulation of muscular tensionto govern the stretch reflex.

Plasticity ChangesPlasticity is at the far end of the spectrumfrom elasticity. It is a quality of a connec-tive tissue, such as a ligament or a tendon.When subjected to ballistic, prolonged, orsudden forces, that exceed the elastic limitsof the tissue, the tissue does not return toits original state after the deforming loadis removed. The “Anatomical PlasticRegion” (APR) of connective tissue isfound between 6-10% of the ligament ortendon’s resting length, and is at the verywall of failure (to the maximum tissuetensile strength).From Plasticity we learn that some tissuesare less injury prone when stressed rapidly.For instance, ligaments are composed ofwavy collagen fibers. Uncoiled, the fibersbecome taught and susceptible to injury.If taken into the APR, the ligament tears.Whereas slow loading uncoils throughtaking the slack out of the fibers, quickloading does not allow sufficient time toenter the APR.The properties of cartilage are equally lessinjury-prone when quickly loaded. Car-tilage decreases the stress in a joint bydecreasing the friction coefficient betweenbones, and through distributing load overthe surface of the joint complex. Cartilageis composed of 20-40% collagen and 60-80% water. Cartilage behaves with theproperties of water in a sponge. When itis compressed it decreases the protectionbetween bones. However, with rapidloading the fluid does not have sufficienttime to be squeezed out and shock absorp-tion is maximal.Discomfort is productive - pain is unpro-ductive. This is completely subjective, andso there must be a dialogue/feedback be-

tween you and your CST Instructor, or atthe very least between you and your journal/log.We do not stretch in isolation for its ownsake. We do not stretch in isolation (sinceisolation is the biggest myth!) to inducepermanent deformation of the tissue withthe goal of increasing flexibility. To beginincreasing the plasticity of the body, westretch locally until Short Range Stiffnessis removed. This is a very short and insig-nificant aspect of preparation. We thenmove to engage the organism through acomplete range of motion.There are simple biomechanics involvingone joint matrix (such as large arm circlesthrough the 135 degree range of motion),and there are complex ranges of motioncomprising multi-joint matrixes that requirelengthy text to describe (and must bemodeled and then experienced kinesthe-tically). These complex biomechanics arethe crux and cornerstone of CST. All ofthis boils down to the fact that the primarycharacteristic of maximal flexibility lies inthe regulation of the stretch reflex throughsensitivity to muscular tension, and in thecultivation of plasticity and viscoelasticityof tissues through Prasara Yoga™ andBody-Flow Biomechanical Exercise™.

older we realize that it is not how far in aparticular direction we can move but howstrong our tissues are, how quickly theyresolve deviations in movement and affordus mobile security.As a result, the first training emphasis inthe CST System is: To be flexible in motion(“real world flexibility”) you must coor-dinate range of mobility, eventually at youractivity’s velocity.

Short Range StiffnessMost people tend to feel ‘better’ whenthey go through a stretching routine. Theytend to feel loose and more relaxed. Thisis healthy, but it should be properly under-stood. Physiologically, when inactive weexperience Short Range Stiffness: amechanical property of the muscle tissuewhereby the stiffness is high for the first

Scott Sonnon executing a Prasara Yoga exercise.

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nnon

.

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After the Boxer Rebellion, the last battle the Temple fought was against Chiang Kai-Shek'sNorthern expeditionary nationalist forces. The nationalist forces were reportedly so angry that thefamed Shaolin would resist them, that, in 1928, they burned the temple down. Times were changing

ahead of the Temple. In this second and final part of the History of Northern Shaolin, Ravignatcontinues the history of the Temple right after the Nationalist's rise to power and reveals the

modern developments of Northern Shaolin. 'An interesting mix of very positive and negative events'.

- By Mathieu G. Ravignat -

History of Northern Shaolin, Part 2From the Nationalists to the present day

The NationalistsFortunately, with the nationalist forcescame a renewed interest in these variedfighting arts, which were considered, forthe first time, as a national treasure. Theterm Wu Shu (martial art), used for cen-turies, was replaced by the term Kuo Shu(national arts) to reflect the new nationalfervor and unity of China. National andprovincial martial arts organizations werefinally organized, such as: The NankingCentral Institute of National Boxing andPhysical Culture set up in Sichuan province;The Chinese Boxing Association, at Chung-king; and the Kiangsu Province BoxingAssociation, headed by the great Hsing-I,Pakua, and Tai Chi master, Sun Lu T’ang.In 1929, the National Government issueda circular ordering all administrative organs,district, village, municipal, and provinciallevels to set up Kuo Shu Institutes. Thisperiod also saw many famous schools crea-ted, like the Ching Wu Athletic Association,founded by the great Huo Yuan-Chia(1862-1910), a Mi Tsung-I (lost track)master, in 1909.

Gua Division), Fu Chan-Song (Li FarSpear division), Wong Shao Chu and Li ShanWu (Tam T’ui). These men were knownas the Five Northern Tigers. Other Mastersalso influenced the institute, including HuoYuan Chia (Mi Tsung- I Division), GeengDar Hai (Ta Chuan Division), Don Ieh Gieh(Yang Style Tai Chi Division), and ShunYu Fon (Northern Lo Han Division).These Five Northern Tigers were sent toCanton to create a southern Central KuoShu Association affiliated with the capitalsin Nanking. The Masters invited were LinI- Tan (Mou Cah Chuan), Tan San (ChoyLay Fut Division), Lin Yaw Kai (DragonStyle Division), Chang I Chuan (WhiteEyebrow division), Lin Shih-Zon (HungGar Division), and Wu Gsao-Jon (WhiteCrane Division). At this newly consoli-dated Central Kuo Shu Association, Nor-thern and Southern Styles were first taughttogether, and some were reportedly blended(though this is more of an effect of the ChingWu school than the institute), but moststyles today seemed to have remained in-dependent.

The CommunistsThe Invasion of Japan, in 1937, and theoutbreak of the Sino Japanese and Secondworld wars interrupted this formalization.After the war, the proliferation and know-ledge of these styles to the West was aidedby the British presence and immigrationof Chinese from Hong Kong to the West.Our understanding of the Chinese martialarts was greatly influenced by the accessto information that the British presencepermitted. This is why it is still safe to saythat the most popular traditional Kung Fustyles in the West today are those originally

20

taught in Hong Kong.To the contrary, on the mainland the Chi-nese martial arts became a mystery afterthe communist revolution and the defeatof Japan in 1949. The Cultural Revolutionin 1966, sparked by Mao Tse Tung’s increa-sing loss of power over the CommunistParty, was also quite a blow to the prolife-ration of traditional Chinese martial arts.

“The great obstacle to open and sinceresharing of the traditional Chinese martialarts, is the Taiwanese communist govern-ment, along with the state-sanctioned WuShu bodies.”

Portret of Huo Yuan-Chia.

The Nanking Institute proposed, for thefirst time, to bring masters together toconsolidate the old Wu Shu styles. How-ever, it must be remembered that this wasa governmental attempt at standardizationand institutionalization. The masters whoanswered this call included Ku Yu Cheong(Northern Shaolin), Won Lai Shen (Pa

Fortunately, many masters had movedalong with the retreating nationalist forces,escaping the Communist revolution toTaiwan. Contact with the Chinese martialarts there was, though difficult, still pos-sible. Robert W. Smith’s groundbreakingwork, Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods(1974) opened the West to the unfatho-mable resources of the Taiwanese martialarts.



Fortunately, today, Taiwan and the increa-singly Western orientated mainland, areslowly sharing their secrets with the West.With this opening, some of the traditionshave a better chance of surviving. Evensome traditional masters have been ableto teach their martial arts to foreigners, asvisits by foreigners to the mainland to learnfrom authentic masters are made withincreasing frequency. However, the greatobstacle to this open and sincere sharingof the traditional Chinese martial arts,including those of authentic Shaolin origin,is the communist government, along withthe state-sanctioned Wu Shu bodies.Following the revolution and the turmoilof the Sino Japanese War, the NationalistCentral Kuo Shu Institute disbanded in1948. After the successful Communist revo-lution, the establishment of the People’sRepublic of China was declared. In 1951,under the slogan that “comrades shouldnot fight comrades”, the All China SportsFederation convened a meeting to discussthe future of Wu Shu. In an overzealousattempt in 1954 to modernize traditionalChinese Wu Shu, this national body startedto change Wu Shu standards and practiceon the mainland forever. Because there wasno agreement amongst various masters,standardization became a difficult affair.For example, principles like self-defenseapplications, six harmonies, internalstrength, tzu-jan, wu wei, yin and yang, andso forth were not sufficiently considered.More modern and foreign western athleticviews and operatic aesthetic concerns

were included as standards. Gymnasticstandards began to dominate martial artspractice.This, in turn, negatively influenced thedevelopment of traditional systems inChina. In June of 1957, the first of the newcompetitions were held. The First NationalWu Shu Games followed the National WuShu exhibitions and competitions inSeptember 1958. The rules applied at thesegames promoted the development andclassification of newly arranged ChuanShu (empty-handed forms and sets), WuShu (weapon forms and sets), and ChangChuan (Long Fist) routines. Chuan, i.e.,not traditional forms arranged or selectedby the athletes themselves became themain routine of competitions. The traditionalroutines were pushed aside or forgottenby a new generation of “athletes”. Thestandard in 1959 became “great the difficulty,high the quality and smart the image.”

weapons, and other materials were de-stroyed. Senior traditional Wu Shu specia-lists were also physically hurt or badly treated- some were reportedly killed and exiled.In 1973, the scoring at competitions deve-loped using the decimal system. Additionalpoints of 0.1 to 0.4 for the faultless exe-cution of a routine were appointed, as wellas an additional 0.3 for the creation ofdifficult movements. These so-called diffi-cult techniques are those of jumping, tumblingand positions of balance. Gradually, fromthis point on, techniques with offensive anddefensive maneuvers were replaced withmore gymnastic maneuvers. Wu Shu, onthe mainland, was institutionally becominga dance, and the remaining free fightingaspect was slowly evolving into a form ofkickboxing (San Shou).This ‘sportification’ of the traditional martialarts is an international phenomenon, andhappened in almost every country, includingJapan and Korea. China, due to varioushistorical conditions, was one of the lastto do it. Whether or not the NationalistGovernment would have brought about thesame reforms to the martial arts as theCommunists is a question for pure, histo-rical speculation. However, we do knowthat the Nationalist government made anattempt at modernization and standar-dization from 1912 to 1949. Because ofvarious difficulties in the maintenance ofpower, it could not be done in a systematicway. What result this would have given isalso historical speculation. However, wedo know that there was a strong tendencyto emulate the West in nationalist policies,and that the government organized a visitto various sports facilities in the West. Thedelegates were reportedly very impressedand wanted to change things in Chinabased on what they saw in the West. Wealso know that for a long time, and untilrecently, Tae Kwon Do was taught to theTaiwanese military. As in this case, it gene-

“The standard in 1959 became ‘great thedifficulty, high the quality and smart theimage.’ This certainly does not reflect thetraditional standards that would probablybe something like, ‘great the efficacy, highthe ability and smart the practitioner. ’”

“The ‘sportification’ of the traditionalmartial arts is an international pheno-menon, and happened in almost everycountry, including Japan and Korea.”

Robert W. Smith’s ‘groundbreaking work:’Chinese Boxing Masters and methods.

Whatever that means is as good as any-body’s guess, but it certainly does not reflectthe traditional standards that would pro-bably be something like, “great the efficacy,high the ability and smart the practitioner.”By 1960, Professor Kang Gewu of theChinese Wushu Research Institute, acommunist government body, criticallyexplained in his Spring Autumn of theChinese Martial Arts 5000 years (1995),that the aim of these competitions, and thenational programs that supported them,became “[to] jump high and land stably...Elevation in jumps, degree of difficulty andaesthetics of posture had become the goalof Wu Shu training” (Gewu, 1995, p.98).The traditional understanding of good, solidKung Fu was partially if not totally laidaside.In 1966, the Cultural Revolution exploded,and “old culture, old customs and oldhabits” were prosecuted under a narrow,determinist, and historicist understandingof Marxism. China had to modernize inits head and regardless of the consequences,this was the new goal. Because of this,some traditional illustrated records, books,

rally seems that whenever a governmentgets its hands on a tradition, the traditionloses both its diverseness and its flavor.However, in Taiwan, there was no CulturalRevolution, and though a uni-party system



did dominate there until recently, at leastthe Masters were free to teach and practice.

Advantages of Government ReformDespite these occurrences, the govern-ment reforms to the martial arts on themainland and Taiwan are not completelynegative. A lot of research on the mainland,including video surveys and books, hasbeen dedicated to Wu Shu. In Shangtungprovince alone, the survey revealed over400 different Wu Shu styles. In mainlandChina, a national museum has been setup, and many antiques have been collectedin all areas, including books, charts, andweapons. It would also seem that in thelast few years, the Taiwanese military andpolice force have started practicing asynthesized form of Chinese Wu Shucalled Chung I Chuan, which is supposedto combine modern physical exercise,physiology, and sports medicine whilemaintaining the goal of self-defense.Fortunately for us, traditionally minded andforward-looking masters have continuedto practice and teach their arts and theirprinciples to a new, though admittedly small,generation. Contrary to some people’sbelief, traditional Wu Shu has not com-pletely died in China. But, according tosome great masters, they are in irreparableshape on the mainland and some styleswill unfortunately die with this generation.

traditional associations are increasinglybending to the will of this new pheno-menon. Perhaps this is the inevitablemarch of history.

The Shaolin Temple and Style TodayIn the midst of all this confusion andpolitics in Wu Shu, the government hadthe brilliant idea of rebuilding and reopeningthe Shaolin Temple, where it had laid indisrepair since 1927. For this, they createdthe Management Committee of the Sha-olin Temple. In 1985, the government andits committee then proceeded to name anew Abbot of the Temple called Yongxin.At 25, he is probably the youngest headAbbot ever to be appointed at the Shaolintemple. He replaced an older Abbot namedXingzheng who reportedly taught him theShaolin arts and scriptures.Today, due to government efforts, theTemple is fortunately open to all who wantto see it. Unfortunately, it is more of a touristsite than anything else, and its feel is moreakin to Las Vegas than a Buddhist monas-tery. Luckily, it is quite easy to train on thegrounds, though one must beware not tobe fooled, because many of these commer-cial schools around the temple are simplyteaching contemporary Wu Shu and nottraditional Shaolin. Nevertheless, for manyvisitors it was well worth the pilgrimage.Although the phoenix of Shaolin rekindled,unfortunately, not many great Shaolinmasters were left in the area. The Shaolinstyle was in a state of ancient confusion andhad to be recreated from its ashes. Today,fighting monks are active at the temple,though the grounds are badly kept, so one

wonders where all that tourist money isgoing, and what they do all day when theirtraining is over. Furthermore, these monksdo practice a form of Shaolin, and theirtraining is very hard keeping with tradition.But it seems to us that what they teach ismore of a blend of contemporary Wu Shubasics with traditional sets.Furthermore, contradicting stories existabout who taught them. Some have reportedthat the monks learnt from a peasant inthe area who is supposed to be a descendentof a monk, but the story is unclear and notwell documented (though it is pleasing tosee that this story is consistent with theflavor of Kung Fu folklore). Others keepto the official story of the succession ofAbbots. But more than likely, they soughtout some masters as well as recreated aform of Shaolin from old manuals andmodern research.

1995 Chinese Shaolin Temple Stamps

“Today, due to government efforts, theShaolin Temple is fortunately open to allwho want to see it. Unfortunately, it ismore of a tourist site than anything else,and its feel is more akin to Las Vegasthan a Buddhist monastery.”

“Be forewarned that if you are looking for apiece of truth of the authentic Temple style,there is none. It is impossible to recreate theoriginal Shaolin system, and the Monks todayare simply practicing a Shaolin variant.”

Portret of Shi Yongxin.

Effects of the Reform in the WestThe West has not been isolated to the refor-ming phenomenon, and in the last coupleof decades, an increasing amount ofContemporary Wu Shu has been intro-duced to Canada and the US. This hasincluded the appearance of real young WuShu athletes of various regions of China,(usually shaved members of a provincialor even regional Wu Shu team) and fakeBuddhist monks. Unfortunately, thephenomenon of ‘sportification’ is likely tohappen to the Chinese Martial arts in theAmericas as it has to karate and other arts.As the old guard retreats mainly of HongKong or Taiwanese origin, the existing,

The basic curriculum taught includes statesanctioned external basics, which reported-ly have their basis in Cha Chuan (a pre-dominantly northern Muslim style withpossible Shaolin roots), but which havebeen greatly exaggerated and modified,mostly by widening the stances. The setspracticed are from backgrounds that aremore traditional and come from the secula-rized Hong Quan (known as the red fiststyle) tradition (this is not to be confused withHung Gar, which is a Southern combinedShaolin system). Therefore, their curri-culum is very external and northern inflavor, and seems, at first glance, to justbe a stronger form of Wu Shu, i.e., theyseem to simply use more muscular strength,though their stances do seem narrower.

22



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Meibukan Magazine is pleased to submitviews, concerns and experiences on anysubject matter IF related to the missionstatement expressed by the Meibukan

Magazine. Therefore articles, photographsand illustrations are welcome, although

Meibukan Magazine is selective and cannot guarantee that submissions will be

placed. Submissions can be mailed to ourP.O. Box by floppy, CD or DVD, or can

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Meibukan Magazine is a non-profitperiodical. We do not generate financialfunds and therefore can not pay for any

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article, we offer you world wide publicityfor your name and biography. If you haveyour own website, we will be happy toadd your url to the pdf-edition in which

your article is published.

Don’t hesitate andfeel free to write us!

Mathieu G. Ravignatis the founder of the

University of Ottawa StoneLion Kung Fu School.

He has over seventeen yearsexperience in the Chinese

martial arts of Northern andSouthern Shaolin Kung Fu.

In the next issue, Meibukan Magazinewill publish a follow-up article by Ravig-

nat on Ku Yu Cheong's Northern Shaolin.If you would like more information,

please visithttp://www.stonelionkungfu.com/

Suggested reading• Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts.Robert W. Smith, Don F. Draeger• Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu. Dr. YangJwing Ming• Spring and Autumn of the ChineseMartial Arts. Kang Gewu• www.russbo.com/Shaolin_Temple.htm

Be forewarned that if you are looking forthe piece of truth of the authentic Templestyle, there is none. It is simply impossibleto recreate the original Shaolin system, andthe Monks today are simply practicing aShaolin variant. However, the Hong styleis considered by many to be the closest tothe original Shaolin system, though whythis is so is often unclear - it is probablybecause it was one of the only styles leftdocumented at the Shaolin Temple. Somesay that style encompassed only the basicsets taught at the temple, the advancedsets having been lost. Furthermore, thereasons why the government chose thisparticular style is, like everything elsesurrounding the rebirth of the Temple,intentionally shrouded.What is clear, however, is that the com-mittee officials, mostly ex- ContemporaryWu Shu coaches, compiled various redfists, chi-kung and weapons sets, andcreated an “authentic” Shaolin system.This style is taught at the official ShaolinWu Shu Guan near the grounds of thetemple. The government is now in thebusiness of selling this authentic style tothe West with shaved heads, robes, beadsand all, calling on the West’s taste forexoticisms. In my opinion, the sets theylearn have strong, traditional Kung Furoots. The new Shaolin empty handedcurriculum includes: Xiaohongquan (smallred fist), Dahongquan (big red fist), Zha-hongquan (middle red fist), Laohongquan(old red fist), Fenhongquan (pink fist),Taizuhongquan (first emperor fist), Erlu-hongquan (second form red fist), Guang-xihongquan (Guangxi province red fist),and Changshaohongquan (long and shortred fist).Nevertheless, it continues to be hard toknow where they found these sets andwho taught them to the new monks. Thisnebulousness is not about to changebecause martial arts history, in general, isunclear, oral and undocumented. Further-more, with the new openness and trade

initiatives with the West, Shaolin hasbecome a commodity, and the Chinesegovernment it is not ready to compromiseWestern thinker’s thirst for the system’sperceived authenticity. This is quite unfor-tunate because if these monks were moreforthcoming with their sources and theirrationale, many of us might be moreconfident and willing to learn from them.In addition, more traditional masterswould be more willing to respect them andtheir art and share their knowledge withthem. Without this, it will be very difficultfor the Shaolin Temple and its system toregain its former glory.Recently some of these state sanctionedmonks have moved or defected to the USAand various European countries. They areboth Buddhist missionaries (though theirspecific vows and their level of Buddhistknowledge remains to be revealed) andbusinessmen. Ven. Shi Guolin is in chargeof the USA branch. Other monks, like ShiDai Yang, have defected, and though beinggood Contemporary Wu Shu athletes, theydo not have the support of the Shaolintemple in their teaching activities. Manyof these defectors have sought the teachingof more traditional Wu Shu masters whohave been in the US for decades, in turngreatly improving their traditional skills andteaching. Others have stopped teachingaltogether, and are probably very happyto enjoy their new Western lives. Briefly,this seems to be the state of the ShaolinTemple today, an interesting mix of verypositive and negative events.





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