Kuntao

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Kuntao
Chinese 拳 道
Pinyin Quán Dào
Zhuyin : ㄑ ㄩ ㄢ ㄉ ㄠ
Pe̍h-ōe-jī kûn-thâu
Filipino Kuntaw
Bahasa Melayu Kuntao
Also known as
  • Kun Tao
  • Kune Tao
  • Kun Dao
  • Kun Do
  • Kuon Tao
  • Kuntow
  • Kuntou

Native to

Kuntao ( Hokkien : way of the fist , 拳 道) is a martial art of southern Chinese origin that is widespread in Southeast Asia and is often part of the family of southern boxing styles (南拳, Pinyin : Nán Quán ). It is mainly operated in Indonesia , Malaysia , the Philippines , Singapore and Taiwan . Because of the different Latinizations of Southeast Asian languages, many spellings exist parallel to one another; Furthermore, several Kuntao styles have been mixed with other Southeast Asian styles over the centuries. In the western world, the word Kuntao is often mistakenly dismissed and translated as the Hokkien reading of the Quanfa ( principle of the fist拳法).

history

Legend has it that the monk Lama Darmon brought art from China to Indonesia during the Yuan Dynasty (1280–1368). However, it is not known where the monk ended up or where he lived and taught. He is also often said to have been a Shaolin monk and / or a Taoist monk, although his name identifies him as a Lama . At the same time there is also a current that claims that Darmon was a Tibetan monk who lived and taught in Java under the name Liem Ping Wan from 1912 to 1942 . The latter in no way explains why Kuntao is regarded as a traditional martial art and cultural heritage in Sulu , the Philippines and Mindanao . What is certain is that Kuntao is very strongly intertwined with the East Indonesian, Malay, Brunei and South Philippine cultures.

Historians assume, however, that Kuntao spread in this area in the course of trade relations between Southeast Asia and China. Trade relations between Southeast Asia and China can be traced back to the 1st century. AD trace back how z. B. on the basis of Chinese ceramics that were found during excavations on the islands of Java and Sumatra from this period. Warrior sculptures from Sumatra were also discovered, the armor of which has unmistakable Chinese features. Southeast Asian Kuntao styles differ somewhat from Chinese and Taiwanese styles in that they have been adapted to the local environment as well as the original Southeast Asian styles and weapons. Since martial arts in Asia were often only passed on to direct relatives within family associations, a mutual exchange of knowledge in this regard seems unlikely.

etymology

The combination of characters "拳 道" is a common one in the world of Asian martial arts, as can be seen from martial arts names such as Taekwondo (跆拳道) or Jeet Kune Do (截拳道). While the sign ( Pinyin : Quán) means fist and stands for all hand and arm techniques, (Pinyin: Dào) is the sign for way , stands for teaching in a broader sense and is the same sign as in Taoism (道教). Literally translated, Kuntao can therefore be translated as “the path of the fist” or “method / teaching of the fist”, but only means “martial art”. However, Kuntao should not be confused with Quánfǎ (拳法, Hokkien : Kun Huat), which means “method of the fist”. The latter is an ancient, general term for Chinese martial arts , whereas Kuntao refers to a specific subspecies of the Chinese martial arts.

philosophy

Because of its name alone, it can be argued that Kuntao was not designed for self-defense .

Kuntao in Asia

The South Chinese culture has strongly shaped the Southeast Asian, both in the political, linguistic, cultural, religious and family sense. In all nations there are also local terms for Chinese and mixed race children between Chinese and Malay, so the latter are called Babah in Indonesia and Mestizo or Tsiñito in the Philippines. This clash of both cultures has also changed the combat schools in the respective regions.

Kuntao in Indonesia

At the time of the Dutch East India Company , for various economic and political reasons, the focus was increasingly on the migration of Chinese to the Malaysian archipelago. The various colonial powers of Southeast Asia made sure that no fraternization between the Malays and the Han Chinese should come about. This is one of the main reasons why Kuntao remained almost exclusively within Chinese society, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia. Nevertheless, the Indonesians synchronized their schools with the Chinese and called the result Kuntao Silat .

Kuntao in the Philippines

Although Kuntao is counted as part of the FMA , this art is mainly found in the south-west of the country in the Philippines and is traditionally practiced by the Tausug .

Kuntao with the Philippine Police

Kuntao is part of the training of the Philippine Police Department (SAF, Special Action Force ), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI ) and the Crisis Response Group (CRG ).

Kuntao in the western world

Kuntao is a relatively unknown form of combat both in the western world and in Southeast Asia; there are neither large associations nor a consistent dress code.

Kuntao in the USA

Especially after the “May Unrest” in Indonesia in 1998 and during the dictatorship of Haji Mohamed Suharto , many Indonesian Chinese fled into exile. Since there were masters and students of the Kuntao among the refugees, they founded several Kuntao schools in the USA, among other places. In addition, there are a large number of Filipino migrants who emigrated to America during and after the US colonial era and taught their native styles there.

Differences between Kuntao and Kuntao Silat

While Kuntao can describe both the purely Chinese and the Southeast Asian form of martial art, Kuntao Silat refers exclusively to the Malay forms of this martial art . The main difference is that the latter has a focus on Southeast Asian weapons and methods of combat; Kuntao was merged with the already existing styles such as Pencak Silat or Arnis .

literature

  • Donn F. Draeger: Weapons and fighting arts of Indonesia . Charles E. Tuttle Co., Rutland (Vermont) 1992, ISBN 978-0-8048-1716-5 .
  • Donn F. Draeger, Robert W. Smith: Asian Fighting Arts. Ward Lock, London 1969, OCLC 251342370 .
  • Donn F. Draeger, Chye Khim P'ng: Shaolin, an introduction to Lohan fighting techniques. CE Tuttle, Rutland (Vermont) 1979, ISBN 0-8048-1213-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ NN : Full Contacts Martial Arts. 2013, [1] , viewed June 16, 2013
  2. ^ NN : FMA Pulse: Kuntaw History. 2013, [2] , viewed June 16, 2013
  3. Steve Gartin: History of the Filipino Martial Arts - Part 2. 2012, - ( Memento of the original from December 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , as seen on June 16, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bagongkatipunan.de
  4. John N. Miksic: Chinese Ceramics and the Economics of Early Southeast Asian Urbanization, 14th to 16th Centuries. Southeast Asian Studies Program, National University of Singapore, 2007, [3]
  5. Carlos Pulanco: History of the Filipino Martial Arts - Part 2. 2012, - ( Memento of the original from December 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , as seen on March 26, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bagongkatipunan.de
  6. ^ Ron Kosakowski: Philippine Special Action Force Commandos learning Kuntao. Practical Self Defense Training Center, 2008, [4]
  7. ^ Jemma Purdey: Anti-Chinese Violence in Indonesia, 1996–1999. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 2006, ISBN 978-0-8248-3057-1
  8. Benny G. Setiono: Tionghoa dalam Pusaran policy. "Indonesia's Chinese People in Political Distress" (in Indonesian). Elkasa, Jakarta 2003, ISBN 978-979-96887-4-3 .
  9. ^ Website of the style Pencak Silat Kuntao Matjan >
  10. ^ Website of the style Kuntao Silat de Thouars
  11. http://psdtc.com/KunTao/
  12. http://www.internationalkuntawfederation.com/