Kung Fu in Japan

[mickey]

Greetings Brothers,

Does anyone know of any media that documents Japanese practitioners of Chinese martial arts before the Japanese invasion?

mickey

[sing fu]

Chin Gen Pin, a chinese monk who arrived in Japan in the 1700s, is accredited with passing on chinese fist methods (kenpo/kuenfat) to three ronin - with each forming their own school. The most prevailent of the three schools was Yoshin-ryu, and although exinct today included striking to vital points and some medical treatment practices.

Just what extent Chin Gen Pin had on martial arts in Japan is up for debate though, as some researchers have a theory that he was only a monk, and showed the ronin what he had seen/done as a kid. Sneaky monk. :p

Or are you talking more modern times?

[mickey]

Hello sing fu,

I am referring to that slim period after the Boxer and before the Japanese Invasion. Any info would be appreciated.

mickey

[sing fu]

Mickey,

Most of the Japanese practitioners who claim contact with Chinese martial arts were active from Japan's occupation of Manchuria and China - I think Japan's militaristic imperialism dominant at the time wouldn't have opened too many Chinese kwoon doors for Japanese in those days.

Even so, you have Japanese martial artists like Iwai Kenji of Taikiken who studied Yiquan, So Doushin who created Shorinji Kenpo (a tribute to Shaolinquan) and Takamatsu Toshltsugu and Ueno Takashi of Ninjutsu fame, who claim to have studied some chinese arts in Shanghai, and a number of korean arts, before the war. Even so, I think the extent the later three men above studied or were exposed to with regard to Chinese martial arts was minimal, and probably limited to one or two months in any art at best. Iwai was different though, in that he studied the full curriculum of Yiquan before returning to Japan. HTH!

[blooming lotus]

I think a book , although it would obviously be contraversial, detailing the evoultion or journey of kungfu from counrty to country to date would be a good tool...does anyone know of a reputable one with references? Then again, pride and ego are bi*ches so maybe it's big ask ...

[mickey]

Thank you both for sharing,

I would love to see an exhibition that focused on the dissemination of Chinese martial arts in America.

mickey

[Shaolinlueb]

i know Master Hu deals with a wushu team in Japan.