Shaolin Kung Fu
As Shaolin Kung Fu ( Chinese 少林 功夫 , Pinyin Shàolín Gōngfu , W.-G. shaolin kung fu - "Shaolin skills"), Shàolín Quánfǎ ( Chinese 少林 拳法 - "Shaolin fist skills") or shorter Shàolín Quan ( Cantonese sil lum kuen "Shaolin fist") are more than 360 Chinese martial arts styles (Wushu) that relate in some way to the Chinese Shaolin monastery. If one understands the term in the narrower sense, then one only counts the techniques that, according to legends, were developed in the place where it was founded, the Buddhist Shaolin monastery on Mount Song Shan in Henan Province ( China ). In a broader sense, it also includes styles that are said to come from other monasteries associated with Shaolin or from wandering monks.
Shaolin Kung Fu is part of the intangible cultural heritage of the People's Republic of China (No. 289).
history
Origin of the monastery and martial arts
For details on the Shaolin Monastery, see the detailed article: Shaolin Monastery .
The Shaolin Monastery was founded in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) by Emperor Xiaowen (ruled 471-499) in 495.
The first references to duels in the Shaolin monastery can be found in the Xu gaoseng zhuan (continuation of the biographies of famous monks), which was written at the beginning of the 6th century. This work describes how a monk named Sengchou asked his fellow monks to compete. In the process he ran horizontally along a wall, jumped under the temple roof and lifted very heavy weights. He was also so quick and agile with his fists that everyone obeyed and submitted to him. However, it is questionable whether one can speak of a Shaolin martial art based on these statements at this point in time, since there is no evidence for an existing system or a special school.
The second important personality who is often associated with the development of the Shaolin martial art is the Indian monk Bodhidharma ( Chinese 菩提 達摩 , Pinyin Pútídámó , Japanese Bodai-Daruma or Daruma ). Bodhidharma means “through the teaching of enlightened people”. The real name of this Indian patriarch is unknown. He is said to have stayed in the monastery from 527-536. Even if no direct relationship between Bodhidharma and martial arts can be proven in the sources, the development of the five animal styles (wuquan) is ascribed to him. In addition, a sword shape (Damojian), a stick shape (Damozhang) and the 18 hands of the Luohan (Shiba luohan shou) were named after him or traced back to him.
He is also said to be the author of the works Yi Jin Jing ("Transformation of tendons and ligaments", various breathing techniques to improve endurance ) and Xi Sui Jing ("Washing of the marrow", to develop self-discipline and inner strength). The attribution of Shaolin martial arts to Bodhidharma has repeatedly been described by martial arts historians as not historically verifiable, first from Tang Hao, who showed in 1930 that the book Yi Jin Jing on which this attribution is based is a forgery.
The development in the Tang Dynasty
The oldest historical evidence that the Shaolin Monastery was involved in armed conflict is a stele from 728, which describes the participation in two historical events, namely the defense of the monastery against bandits in 610 and its participation in the Tang Dynasty victory over Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621. In addition, the Tang Dynasty patronage of the monastery is mentioned. However, there is no evidence of any special martial arts skills of the Shaolin monks.
Sources from the Ming Dynasty
Up to the 15th century there is no further evidence of the Shaolin monks' military activity. From the 16th and 17th centuries there are at least 40 sources that report the special martial arts skills of the Shaolin monks. According to these sources, in the mid-16th century , military experts from across the Ming Dynasty empire traveled to the Shaolin Monastery to study these martial arts skills. The sources speak in particular of unarmed forms of combat, spear and stick fencing techniques .
The oldest surviving manual on Shaolin fighting techniques, the "Treatise on the Original Shaolin Stick Fighting Method", was written around 1610 and published in 1621. The author, Cheng Zongyou, reports in the source what he had learned during his more than ten years' stay in the Shaolin monastery.
The geographer Zheng Ruoceng has reported in the most detailed source of the 16th century that in 1553 a Wan Biao from the Nanjing military commission hired monks to fight marauding pirates, among them monks from the Shaolin monastery. According to this source, monk warriors were involved in at least four battles.
The Shaolin monk Jue Yuan carried out an extensive reform in the 16th century. From this point on, the system comprised 72 exercises, which included punches ( Da ), kicks ( Ti ), throws ( Shuai ), holds ( Qinna ) and methods of stimulating vital points ( Dianxue ). The exercises are known by different names, e.g. B. Di-sha-shou ("devil's hand") or Zuo-ku-shu ("art of painful compulsion"). He also worked out Bodhidharma's martial arts virtues for the "10 rules of Shaolin Quanfa", which are the basis of today's Dojukuns . To further perfect the system, Jua Yuan traveled the country in search of martial arts experts. Together with his doctor, he was able to persuade Bai Yu Feng to work together, which ultimately led to the five animal styles. These exercises were often modeled on the movements of animals from Chinese astrology , in the hope of being able to acquire the instincts and skills of the imitated animal species. A total of 170 actions were divided into the following types of movement, the so-called Wuqinquan ("five animal fists"):
- Dragon ( long ) - techniques for mental development (a kind of "mental training")
- Snake ( she ) - stretching techniques
- Tiger ( hu ) - techniques for strengthening bones and muscles
- Leopard ( pao ) - training of speed, coordination and endurance
- Kranich ( he ) - Techniques for general strengthening and increasing vitality
Principles of traditional Shaolin martial arts
Shaolin martial arts are taught in a vast variety of schools and styles around the world these days. Traditionally oriented schools, in contrast to modern schools, which concentrate on the modern Wushu propagated from China, try to emphasize the following techniques and principles:
- Shaolin is a martial art that requires physically strenuous and repetitive movement exercises.
- Shaolin is not a sport. Shaolin has no dance-like or Beijing-like moments.
- In Shaolin, the focus is not on self-defense, but on movement meditation. Therefore, some exercises are not applicable to combat situations as they are only used to strengthen the body and mind.
- Shaolin martial arts are closely related to Wu De , martial arts morality.
- Shaolin cannot be practiced as a competition or as sparring , as its techniques are designed to seriously injure or even kill the opponent.
- Shaolin has no graduations (dans) such as different colored belts. Students learn and improve continuously to improve their skills, not to advance to a higher grade.
Current situation
The current situation of Shaolin martial arts is shaped by three phenomena: The representation and further development of Shaolin martial arts styles and traditions in the cultural discourse of the martial arts film industry, which is mainly determined by Hong Kong, the state-sponsored revival of Shaolin martial arts in China and from and the worldwide development of the Shaolin martial arts in individual schools, which mostly follow a historicizing approach.
Influence of the "Eastern"
Many performers in so-called Eastern are or were excellent exponents of Shaolin-based martial arts styles. Your screen presence affects the perception and further development of current fighting styles ( Bruce Lee , Jet Li , Jackie Chan ).
Shaolin martial art
China
During the Cultural Revolution , the Shaolin monks were expelled from the monastery. The Chinese government has now recognized the tourist and folkloric value of the Shaolin tradition and allowed monks back into the temple. In 1999, the prayer monk Shi Yongxin was enthroned as abbot of the monastery with the approval of the Chinese Communist Party and was appointed a member of the Chinese National People's Congress . In addition to numerous activities to revive the Shaolin culture, he also made a name for himself with the highly controversial demolition of Shaolin Village . Until 2001 there were numerous martial arts schools in the immediate vicinity of the temple, which had little connection to the temple, but adorned themselves with the name "Shaolin". On the one hand, this promoted the temple's popularity, but from the perspective of Abbot Shi Yong Xin, it damaged the traditional values. In agreement with the government of the People's Republic of China, in September 2001 he expropriated and demolished almost all Wushu schools in Shaolin. The schools affected were compensated with land in nearby Deng Feng (Chinese: 登封), but numerous schools were evicted against their will. A good part of their land became fields or grassy areas. Only the state Wushu school "Wushu-Guan" was allowed to remain. She was u. a. built to teach Wushu to foreigners.
Other countries
Because of the reprisals against monasteries and martial arts schools during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, many Shaolin martial artists also went abroad and developed their styles there. This historical background is one reason for the fierce controversy with the new Shaolin representatives from China.
The state promotion of the Shaolin tradition has not remained without consequences internationally: In 1992, Master Shi Yan Ming emigrated to the USA while he was on a demonstration trip by the Shaolin monks. He founded a Shaolin Temple in New York City . In response, the Chinese government and the Chinese Temple established their own Shaolin Temple in New York City in 1996.
Temple foundations:
- 1992: New York City , Master Shi Yan Ming.
- 2000: London , under Master Shi Yanzi.
- 2002: Vienna , an offshoot of the New York City temple (Grand Master Shi Yan Ming), led by Shi Heng Xin.
- 2005: Hong Kong , under Master Shi Yan Wang ( Shaolin Yi Jin Jing Association ).
- 2005: Berlin , an offshoot of the temple under Abbot Shi Yong Chuan.
- 2011: Vienna with the Shaolin Temple Austria , an offshoot of the temple under Grand Master Shi Yan Liang.
Related martial arts styles
North
- Tang Lang Quan ( Mantis Kung Fu )
south
Martial arts styles from other countries
- Kuntao from Indonesia
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Werner Lind : The Lexicon of Martial Arts. Sportverlag Berlin, 2001, ISBN 3-328-00898-5 , p. 530
- ↑ Filipiak, Kai: The Chinese Martial Art - Mirror and Element of Traditional Chinese Culture . Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig 2001, ISBN 3-935693-23-0 , p. 33-34 .
- ↑ Filipiak, Kai: The Chinese Martial Art - Mirror and Element of Traditional Chinese Culture . Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig 2001, ISBN 3-935693-23-0 , p. 34 .
- ↑ Roger Stutz, Claudio Brentini: The virtues of Shaolin Kung Fu . DGS - printing u. Graphikservice GmbH, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-03305905-4 , p. 59 .
- ↑ Filipiak, Kai: The Chinese Martial Art - Mirror and Element of Traditional Chinese Culture . Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig 2001, ISBN 3-935693-23-0 , p. 35 .
- ↑ Filipiak, Kai: The Chinese Martial Art - Mirror and Element of Traditional Chinese Culture . Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig 2001, ISBN 3-935693-23-0 , p. 35-36 .
- ↑ Tang Hao 唐 豪 [1930] (1968). Shàolín Wǔdāng kǎo少林 武當 考 (in Chinese). Hong Kong 香港: Qílín tushu .
- ↑ For the book Yi Jin Jing as a forgery see the article on the English Wikipedia (English)
- ↑ Meir Shahar: Epigraphy, Buddhist Historiography, and Fighting Monks: The Case of the Shaolin Monastery. In: Asia Major Third Series. Volume 13, No. 2, pp. 15-36. PDF
- ^ Shahar, Meir (December 2001). "Ming-Period Evidence of Shaolin Martial Practice". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 61 (2): 359-413. ISSN 0073-0548
- ↑ Chéng Zōngyóu 程宗猷 [c. 1621]. Exposition of the Original Shaolin Staff Method 少林 棍法 闡 宗 Shàolín Gùnfǎ Chǎnzōng (in Chinese).
- ↑ Shaolin Temple Austria (Vienna)