Bruce LudlowOrigins of the martial arts
October 4th 2011 00:44
The earliest material I,ve found on the subject of Chinese Martial arts is as follows. The earliest refrences are documents, called "The Spring and Autumn Annals", they mention hand to hand combat, and speak of "hard and soft technique". These Annals apparently, are dated back to 722-481 BCE. That, however, is very vague.
Legend has it's origins, firmly rooted in the Xia Dynasty, a period spanning 430 years, from 2070 BC to 1600 BC. the existence of which, is largely unproven, and remains mythological.
A well known literary work, the "Classic Rites" was purported to have been written by "Confucius" himself, between 1050 BCE - 256 BCE. It makes mention of a chinese wrestling form, known as "Jueli or Jiaoli", and speaks of strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks.
The Tang Dynasty dating from 618-907, sports poems, and songs, of sword dances. No written documentation was found regarding it however.
Kung Fu pronounced ( gong fu ) is defined as- a skill cultivated through long hard work.The chinese term" Wu Shu", is literally translated as "martial art". The Shaolin style of Wu Shu is widely regarded as one of the first martial arts in existence. Records of it, date back to 610 CE when the Shaolins defended their monastery from attacks by bandits, to 621 CE when they took part in defeating Wang Shichong of the Sui Dynasty 581-618 CE, a notoriously evil man who usrped the throne of emperor Yang Tong commiting atrocities against the Chinese people.
The legend of Bodhidharma is told, that the Buddhist Monk from south India, left the court Emperor Wu, of the Liang Dynasty 502-549, and traveled until happening upon a Shaolin Monastery. The tale is told that he faced the wall starring at it without speaking for nine years. It is said that his gaze burned a hole through the wall, where upon depature, he deposited an Iron chest containing two books. One of them stolen, the other coveted by the monks, and used to hone their fighting skills, which they now still practice. The attribution of the martial arts to the Shaolin by Bodhidharma has been discounted by several historians.
Huiguang and Sengchou, martial arts practitioners prior to becoming two of the very first Shaolin Monks, and were said to be involved in martial arts long before the arrival of Bodhidharma.
Sengchou's skill with the staff, was so prominent, that is documented in the Chinese Buddhist Canon.
Two martial arts "Shuai Jiao" and "Sun Bin Quan" predate the Shaolin Monastery by centuries.
The Chinese Martial Arts orgin, however vague, still exists. I will continue to research it.
Legend has it's origins, firmly rooted in the Xia Dynasty, a period spanning 430 years, from 2070 BC to 1600 BC. the existence of which, is largely unproven, and remains mythological.
A well known literary work, the "Classic Rites" was purported to have been written by "Confucius" himself, between 1050 BCE - 256 BCE. It makes mention of a chinese wrestling form, known as "Jueli or Jiaoli", and speaks of strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks.
Kung Fu pronounced ( gong fu ) is defined as- a skill cultivated through long hard work.The chinese term" Wu Shu", is literally translated as "martial art". The Shaolin style of Wu Shu is widely regarded as one of the first martial arts in existence. Records of it, date back to 610 CE when the Shaolins defended their monastery from attacks by bandits, to 621 CE when they took part in defeating Wang Shichong of the Sui Dynasty 581-618 CE, a notoriously evil man who usrped the throne of emperor Yang Tong commiting atrocities against the Chinese people.
The legend of Bodhidharma is told, that the Buddhist Monk from south India, left the court Emperor Wu, of the Liang Dynasty 502-549, and traveled until happening upon a Shaolin Monastery. The tale is told that he faced the wall starring at it without speaking for nine years. It is said that his gaze burned a hole through the wall, where upon depature, he deposited an Iron chest containing two books. One of them stolen, the other coveted by the monks, and used to hone their fighting skills, which they now still practice. The attribution of the martial arts to the Shaolin by Bodhidharma has been discounted by several historians.
Sengchou's skill with the staff, was so prominent, that is documented in the Chinese Buddhist Canon.
Two martial arts "Shuai Jiao" and "Sun Bin Quan" predate the Shaolin Monastery by centuries.
The Chinese Martial Arts orgin, however vague, still exists. I will continue to research it.
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