Rare Shaolin Forms

[RenDaHai]

Hello Everyone,

I am very interested in exceptionally rare shaolin forms. I thought this might be a useful thread where we can exchange info on ones we are looking for.

There are two i want to find out about.

THe First one is Shaolin Tian Gang Quan:

Tian Gang (天罡) roughly translated is an archaic term for 'constellation'

The most famous tian gang quan is that of wudang mountain. But china has many others, including one interesting style where the form is done in one place, rather like a wing chun form.

However the one I am interested in is Shaolin Tian Gang Quan. Does any one have ANY information about this style, where it is practiced, who knows it.... Any names of people or places would be a great help.... Does anyone out there know it?

I beleive it appears in the old shaolin encyclopedia, around page 713 to my recollection (i don't have access to the books, and haven't seen them in a couple of years). Look in the contents for the characters 天罡. Look at the form. Does anyone recognise it?

It is a wonderful sequence that contains some unique moves.


THe second form i am interested in is Shaolin Shi tou Quan or 'stone fist'. I don't remember if this appears in the encyclopedia or not. It is a long form containing a lot of hook hands..... Again any info would be useful.

Thankyou.

[Sal Canzonieri]

Hello Everyone,

I am very interested in exceptionally rare shaolin forms. I thought this might be a useful thread where we can exchange info on ones we are looking for.

There are two i want to find out about.

THe First one is Shaolin Tian Gang Quan:

Tian Gang (天罡) roughly translated is an archaic term for 'constellation'

The most famous tian gang quan is that of wudang mountain. But china has many others, including one interesting style where the form is done in one place, rather like a wing chun form.

However the one I am interested in is Shaolin Tian Gang Quan. Does any one have ANY information about this style, where it is practiced, who knows it.... Any names of people or places would be a great help.... Does anyone out there know it?

I beleive it appears in the old shaolin encyclopedia, around page 713 to my recollection (i don't have access to the books, and haven't seen them in a couple of years). Look in the contents for the characters 天罡. Look at the form. Does anyone recognise it?

It is a wonderful sequence that contains some unique moves.


THe second form i am interested in is Shaolin Shi tou Quan or 'stone fist'. I don't remember if this appears in the encyclopedia or not. It is a long form containing a lot of hook hands..... Again any info would be useful.

Thankyou.

Hmm, you picked some doozies!

Well, on page 418 of the Shaolin Encyclopedia (older version) is a form called 夭罡, which the 夭 is not clear if it is the character for Yao (delicate). It's a pretty weird set.
If LFJ is around, he can translate the background information that is on that page.
This set is nothing like a Tian Gong set I learned once.
If you want to see (in English no less!) what is usually called The Shaolin Tian Gong Quan, step by step instructions, the drawings are of a famous Shaolin and TJQ master (but I forgot his name! oh, cover says Du Xilian or Li Tianji), then find this book (amazon often sells it):
A Guide to Chinese Martial Arts, ISBN 0-8351-2451-7 / ISBN 7-119-01393-9
The Shaolin Tian Gong set is this book is the same as what I learned once (so long ago that I hardly remember how to do it) and it is really a great set of movements, it compliments all the Top 10 Shaolin sets.
I think somewhere there was a video made of this set, the drawings were made from the videos.

It is very similar to this Wudang Tian Gong Quan set:
http://www.56.com/u41/v_MjY1MDM2OTQ.html
http://you.video.sina.com.cn/b/1211894-1256977671.html

As far as the origin of this set, well, there are some Wudang Tian Gong sets.
Also, the Da Hong Quan (Big Vast or Swan Fist) style was called this as a nickname in the post-Yuan eras. This Tian Gong is part of what is often called Shaolin Black Tiger Boxing.

-----------------------
少林石頭拳
The Shi Tou Quan is often known as the Meteor Fist set. It is on page 513 of the Shaolin Encyclopedia, and there is a lot of information about this set given. It's about 75 movements.

Liu Zhen Hai has a "Za Quan" Smashing Fist, set on page 86 of his Shaolin Da Lu book, that is similar to this Shi Tou Quan set.

Seems to be a book out from 1993 on just this set:
http://www.kingstone.com.tw/book/boo...rnado&partner=

This Chinese site has info on this set:
http://www.wulinjj.com/bbs/dispbbs.a...age=0&move=pre

[Sal Canzonieri]

雷光荣-天罡拳 is on youtube, which you can't access from China,
from what I see it is very much like the Tian Gong on page 418 of Shaolin Encyc..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PljfajTNWTU

Five Ancestors style has a form with this name as well.
of course, it looks like all the other Wu Zu sets, namely Nan Quan.

[Sal Canzonieri]

Here's a rare Shaolin routine:

Qinglong Chuhai Quan - Dragon Rising from Sea Fist

-------------------

[mawali]

One of my teachers (Huang Yu Chen) once stated that Tian Gang is more of method/synthesis than an actual form, though many present it as form only!
There are quite a few Tain Gang forms out there and it is not as rare unless you add a prefix or suffix to make it appear a Lost Form or some similar designation.

I see even more of this with Sal's work, where you have a basic form/structure but over time it morphs into a 'different system, dues to location, knowledge of the form and the lack of information/exposure in the place where this new designation takes place.
Let's say I am a MA practitioner from Shandong province and I leave the area to find work in Qinghai, my main art is Bajiquan but when I reach the village in Qinghai, that same art undergoes changes and it morphs into a 'different' art, quite extensive but it still retains an essence of the original art. Someone like Sal comes along and his research shows some element of a base art not common in the area but still show influences of origin.

Same principle in Okinawan circles where the influences of South China Crane style(s) in the development/re-engineering of its martial systems, more evident and pronounced in some than others!

[uki]

it's quite obvious no one is taking the silver dragon forms seriously... ah well... just another stone in the pond.

[r.(shaolin)]

Hello Everyone,

I am very interested in exceptionally rare shaolin forms. I thought this might be a useful thread where we can exchange info on ones we are looking for.

There are two i want to find out about.

THe First one is Shaolin Tian Gang Quan:

Tian Gang (天罡) roughly translated is an archaic term for 'constellation'

The most famous tian gang quan is that of wudang mountain. But china has many others, including one interesting style where the form is done in one place, rather like a wing chun form.

However the one I am interested in is Shaolin Tian Gang Quan. Does any one have ANY information about this style, where it is practiced, who knows it.... Any names of people or places would be a great help.... Does anyone out there know it?

I beleive it appears in the old shaolin encyclopedia, around page 713 to my recollection (i don't have access to the books, and haven't seen them in a couple of years). Look in the contents for the characters 天罡. Look at the form. Does anyone recognise it?

It is a wonderful sequence that contains some unique moves.


THe second form i am interested in is Shaolin Shi tou Quan or 'stone fist'. I don't remember if this appears in the encyclopedia or not. It is a long form containing a lot of hook hands..... Again any info would be useful.

Thankyou.

少林石頭拳 (Rock Fist) We have a set with this name as well. In our school the legend tells of 36 stone dummies in fighting positions and that the set was developed at Shaolin. Our set (unlike what the name suggests) features the palms and double palms striking, piercing and slapping with the palm and has only one closed fist punch.

r.

[Sal Canzonieri]

少林石頭拳 (Rock Fist) We have a set with this name as well. In our school the legend tells of 36 stone dummies in fighting positions and that the set was developed at Shaolin. Our set (unlike what the name suggests) features the palms and double palms striking, piercing and slapping with the palm and has only one closed fist punch.

r.

Well, Quan is better translated as Boxing or system of exercises rather than Fist, by Fist it is only system of boxing.

I'm pretty sure that the 少林石頭拳 in the Shaolin Encyc is mostly open handed strikes, as you describe.

[David Jamieson]

Well, Quan is better translated as Boxing or system of exercises rather than Fist, by Fist it is only system of boxing.

I'm pretty sure that the 少林石頭拳 in the Shaolin Encyc is mostly open handed strikes, as you describe.

Isn't it literally "fist law" where "law" denotes "method/system"?

[Sal Canzonieri]

Isn't it literally "fist law" where "law" denotes "method/system"?

Yes, "Fistic System".

Like saying Fisticuffs

[uki]

the rarest forms are those of the silver dragon, no two are alike... they come only from the intentions of mind at peace with itself... these forms are the highest of the order and are only accessible when one has discovered the nature of the way.