Shaolin Ape-Monkey Fist

[Sal Canzonieri]

Hi;

Does anyone have any factual (people, places, and things) information about Shaolin Yuan-Huo Quan?

it's practiced in the Dengfeng region (I learned it long ago), and it is a short set

Here's what I know so far, if anyone can please add to it, that would be great, thanks!

The Ape-Monkey fist (Shaolin Yuan-Hou 猿猴 Quan; also known as Shaolin Hou Quan) has a long history at Shaolin as well. Most of the attacks are aimed at the knees, groin area, throat, or eyes of the opponent and hand strikes are normally either open handed slaps or clawing with a semi-closed fist called the monkey claw. Besides the palm, it does use a clenched fist knuckle punch. But, even though the name of the routine is Ape-Monkey Fist, there is not a lot of funny monkey like movements as seen in modern Monkey Boxing routines, although today Shaolin has some of these theatrical monkey sets. (The theatrical Monkey boxing that is often seen in demonstrations and competitions today traces back to the Emei region in Sichuan, where it was taught by the famous "Monkey King" Xiao Yingpeng and others.)

Yuan-Hou Quan movements instead seem to be related to the Wen County Henan martial arts, such as the Hong Quan / Taizhu Chang Quan, Tongbei Quan, Jingang Quan, etc., which also mean that they are similar to the movements of Rou Quan and Chen Taiji Quan as well. The first section of this generally short set is very similar to the first section of Taizhu Chang Quan 32 Postures, Rou Quan 36 Postures, Taiji Yi Lu, and other related routines that have basically the same movements in their first section as these sets. The Yuan-Hou set also has a posture called Single Whip occurring in the same point of the sequence as in these other sets; also it performs a "Jingang Pounds Mortar" movement named "Ya Shou Su Shen - Press down hand and shrink body".

The question is which came first? It was mentioned in General Qi Jiguang’s Ming dynasty era book, and he places it as part of the Taizhu Chang Quan related material of 6 Step Boxing, Glorious (Hua) Boxing, etc. This set has also always been considered one of the routines that Zhao Kuangyin practiced as part of his family style (perhaps because of General Qi’s book?). Also, this set is considered very old, from pre-Song dynasty times. This is one of the rarest sets in Shaolin Quan, where is not even practiced anymore, but it can be found in the Dengfeng area, where (Zhao Kuangyin’s) Lao Hong Quan and Rou Quan 36 Postures sets are practiced.

[ginosifu]

Sal,
I do not have any info but If you get any I would be interested in this set. My Sifu John Ervin says he has some old white ape stuff but it seems to be related to the tong bei system. Let me know what you find out.

ginosifu@shaolininstitute.com

Thanks
Gino

[Sal Canzonieri]

Sal,
I do not have any info but If you get any I would be interested in this set. My Sifu John Ervin says he has some old white ape stuff but it seems to be related to the tong bei system. Let me know what you find out.

ginosifu@shaolininstitute.com

Thanks
Gino

I can tell you now if you do this set you will love it.

There's something amazing about it, I can't pin point why.

It makes all the other stuff like Hong Quan, Taizhu Chang Quan, Chen Taiji, Rou Quan, all make sense.
I feel like it is some missing piece to a grand puzzle.

I just spend the last 3 weeks writing a 100+ page paper on this puzzle!

[SharkyT]

Hey Gino,
White ape refers to Tongbei . It is Shi style of tongbei , named Baiyuan Tongbei. It is similar to piqua chuan, I think it is related or in the piqua family.

[r.(shaolin)]

Yes there are Hou Quan sets in the Shaolin I practice as well. Our oral tradition say that these were developed at Shaolin by its monks. During the Song dynasty, a golden monkey often came to Shaolin Monastery to get food. Encouraged by the abbot, the little monks befriended the animal.

These monkey imitation sets were taught mainly to young monks at Shaolin.
In our lineage we have 6 sets (they are not called Hou Quan, but rather Yuan Hou -猿猴).
The second longer hand set is called:
小小猿猴 Yuan Hou
and three staff sets:
猴子棍 and 五花猴棍

r.
ps
The first hand set is short, the other is long, all are done in a typical Shaolin 'roads' (left to right) fashion. In our case the movements do resemble the actions of the monkeys.
However, having said this, when my treacher first saw the modern 'wushu' monkey when the Bejing wushu team first came to New York in the late '70's(early 1980??), his comments where, "Their monkey looks like monkey form but they have no fighting application." Basically traditional Shaolin monkey sets look like monkey actions but have obvious fighting applications.
In our monkey sets as well there is a number of "- Press down hand and shrink body" movements not unlike what Shi Dejian does in some of his sets.
The legends about our sets suggest that monkey sets have been at Shaolin for a long time and says, " In every dynasty some people learned this style resulting in many sets and names for these techniques." Our tradition says, like Hong Quan Quan, there sets were introduced to Shaolin during the Song period.

[SharkyT]

r. Shaolin,
Great answer. I didnt know Shi Dijen was doing Shaolin monkey from what I have seen in video clip. He is amazing

[Sal Canzonieri]

Yes there are Hou Quan sets in the Shaolin I practice as well. Our oral tradition say that these were developed at Shaolin. During the Song dynasty, a golden monkey often came to Shaolin Monastery to get food. Encouraged by the abbot, the little monks befriended the animal.

These monkey imitation sets were taught to the young monks at Shaolin
In our lineage we have 4 sets these sets, not called Hou Quan, but rather Yuan Hou:
Two hand sets
小猿猴 Yuan Hou (lian quan jiao)
and two staff sets:
猴子棍 and 五花猴棍

r.
ps
The first hand set is short, the other is long, all are done in a typical Shaolin 'roads' (left to right) fashion. In our case the movements do resemble the actions of the monkeys.
However, having said this, when my treacher first saw the modern 'wushu' monkey when the Bejing wushu team first came to New York in the late '70's(early 1980??), his comments where, "Their monkey looks like monkey form but they have no fighting application." Basically traditional Shaolin monkey sets look like monkey actions but have obvious fighting applications.
In your monkey sets as well there is a number of "- Press down hand and shrink body" movements not unlike what Shi Dejian does in some of his sets.
The legends about our sets suggest that monkey sets have been at Shaolin for a long time and says, " In every dynasty some people learned this style resulting in many sets and names for these techniques." Our tradition says, like Hong Quan Quan, there sets were introduced to Shaolin during the Song period.

I think that is the set I am talking about, yes.
It is monkey like, but no where near as silly as modern monkey sets are done.
It is a lot like Hong Quan sets, there are indeed in this set, "press down hand and shrink body" postures.
Well ANY kind of factual information anyone can provide about this set, let me know thanks!

Any vidoes?

The set is only 26 postures long.

[tattooedmonk]

How do I learn/ get copy of these sets??

[Sal Canzonieri]

How do I learn/ get copy of these sets??

I can teach the Shaolin Ape-Monkey set, I know it very well, and have taught it in my classes here in NJ.

I'm available for seminars, I give all the applications, and show how the movements are related to those in Taiji Quan and other stuff.

[tattooedmonk]

I can teach the Shaolin Ape-Monkey set, I know it very well, and have taught it in my classes here in NJ.

I'm available for seminars, I give all the applications, and show how the movements are related to those in Taiji Quan and other stuff.

Hey Sal , Thanks . I wish I lived closer. ( in calif) If I am ever out your way or get enough students to have a seminar I will definately hit you up. I would like to add that I have been rereading all of your articles ( on your site and the mags I kept over the years ) and I must say you are a wealth of information and highly knowledgable in CMA . Thanks for all that you do to promote what we do and keep ing it real. TTM

[Sal Canzonieri]

Hey Sal , Thanks . I wish I lived closer. ( in calif) If I am ever out your way or get enough students to have a seminar I will definately hit you up. I would like to add that I have been rereading all of your articles ( on your site and the mags I kept over the years ) and I must say you are a wealth of information and highly knowledgable in CMA . Thanks for all that you do to promote what we do and keep ing it real. TTM

Thanks.

I am doing a seminar this weekend in Valencia, Spain.
Teaching the Luohan 13 Gong material, both the qi gong set and the martial art version of the set.
I was there a year ago and taught the 6 Harmony Gong and the Chan Yuan Gong sets.

[TenTigers]

Sal, you mentioned Shorinjikempo. I recall reading that the founder was Doshin So, who visited the Shaolin Temple, and upon seeing the frescos on the wall of the Shaolin Monks practicing, he was inspired to create Shorinji Kempo. This was all in the twentieth century, so I would be somewhat skeptical on its authenticity in regards to a real connection to Shaolin.

[GeneChing]

...I had made a comment on the universality of liniments on the Muay Thai tiedajiu thread.

I've always been at odds with westerners truncating the term ditdajow to jow. Jow on it's own means 'wine'.

[TenTigers]

my Chinese teachers have always used the term, "Jow" for dit da jow.
What bothers me is hearing "westerners" calling it,"dit."
That makes me cringe.
I also cringe when I here people call WCK 'The Chun," refer to Gung-Fu as "the Fu,"etc.

[Sal Canzonieri]

Sal, you mentioned Shorinjikempo. I recall reading that the founder was Doshin So, who visited the Shaolin Temple, and upon seeing the frescos on the wall of the Shaolin Monks practicing, he was inspired to create Shorinji Kempo. This was all in the twentieth century, so I would be somewhat skeptical on its authenticity in regards to a real connection to Shaolin.

yes, correct that specific person did do that, I meant it in a more general sense, in that there is documented evidence (names, dates, etc.) of people from Japan that had visited Shaolin in previous centuries (Ming and Qing) that brought back Shaolin KF to Japan. I called this material, for lack of a better name, Shorinjikempo, but you are right that is a specific style, while i meant it more as a general way of saying Japanese Shaolin derived KF.