|
|
| Kempo History from Ancient Times |
 |
| Kempo from China to Japan |
|
The Martial Arts of Japan:
|
|
|
|
|
If the Martial arts of China were in fact based on Bodidharma’s ‘I Chin Ching’, which led to the formulation of Lou Han Quan (Eighteen Monkfist Boxing) which in turn contributed to the formulation of Minge Quan and Pak Hok Chaun Fa (the White Crane systems), it seems reasonable to suppose that the transmission of native Chinese fighting methods to the Japanese people corresponded with the introduction of the Chinese Tang culture during Japan’s Nara period. However it would be unreasonable to suggest that there was no martial tradition existent in Japan prior to this period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Kempo Jutsu in Japan:
|
|
|
|
|
According to Japanese legend two demi gods Takeminakatano-No-Kami and Takemikazuchino-No-Kami engaged in hand to hand combat and gave birth to the art of Ju Jutsu. Japanese early society in this period was based on tribal organisation with the leaders often being regarded as having a god like status, this would suggest that such early combative methods were in Japan based upon tribal wrestling, just as they had been in China during the early period.
Japan like China went through various periods that attempted unification under imperial rule. The Japanese Shinto Deity known as Futsu O Ni Kami played an important role in bringing Japan under the rule of Ninigi No Mikoto, who is said to have been the grandson of Ama Terasu No Kami, the sun goddess thus forming the lineage of the earliest Japanese Emperors. Corresponding with the emperors lineage, there was established a hereditary imperial palace guards who were of the Otomo clan, who remained prominent until the 6th century when the clan became one of noble Daimyo’s employing their own armies, who were in all probability trained in the clans original fighting traditions.
Although much of the information about the early Japan known as the Yamato Kingdom is a subject of academic debate and controversy, it is known that historically that there are very close links between Korea and Japan from 369AD onwards and in 391AD the Yamato Kingdom launched an attack against the King of Koguryo, one of the three Kingdoms of the Korean peninsula, the other two being Paikche and Silla.
Chinese influences had reached Japan as early as 400 AD and in 552 AD a gold and copper statue of Buddha arrived in Japan as a gift from the king of the Korean kingdom of Paikiche in the hope of gaining military support against the King of the Korean kingdom of Silla.
At this early stage in Japanese history three powerful clans dominated the land, the Monobe and Nakatomi clans who were pro Shinto (the national religion) and the dominant Soga clan who were pro-Buddhist and who had by this period the power to install Emperors.
Emperor Yomei, a Soga son who supported Buddhism was enthroned in 586AD but died the following year in 587AD and the battle of Shigisen took place in which the Soga won over the Monobe clan. Empress Suiko was installed as Empress, and her nephew, the second son of Emperoir Yomei was made regent.
The regent Shotoku Taishi (572-622) had studied the Chinese classic under a Confucian scholar and Buddhism under a monk from Korea and established the first official Japanese Embassy in China in 607 AD, the idea was to build the Japanese capital of Nara along the lines of the Tang Chinese model.
By 624 AD Japan boasted 46 Monasteries, 816 monks, 569 Nuns and by 629 AD the number of monasteries increased to 545. In 710 AD Nara was declared the official capital and Buddhism the official religion, although Shinto continued to exist for court ritual purposes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Heian period (794-857) and beyond
|
|
|
|
|
At the beginning of the Heian period (794-857) many of the Japanese Buddhist Monasteries, due to tax exemptions had become powerful land owning and financial centres, began to play an important role in state affairs.
These monasteries retained their own private armies of warrior monks known as the Sohei, who were basically men who were ordained into the priesthood for the purposes of ensuring that the monasteries had a military presence to protect their land holdings.
It is likely that many of the techniques of Chinese Chaun Fa were transmitted in this way and were part of Japans early Kempo Jutsu tradition. By the late Heian period (1158-1185) the capital had shifted from Nara to Kyoto and the power of the Emperor and the Court nobles shifted to that of warrior clans. In 1180 the Gempei war broke out and lasted until 1185, it was during this period that Minamoto clan (later Aizu) established the basis of the martial arts tradition that was in the late 19th Century to become known as Daito Ryu, the basis for many Aiki-ju jutsu systems. War raged in Japan for many years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Hideyoshi and Kempo Jutsu in Japanese Bu Jutsu Ryu Ha
|
|
|
|
|
In 1592 one of Japan’s generals, Hideyoshi declared war and tried to invade China via Korea, the war lasted sixty years and never reached the Chinese mainland. It is believed that whilst in Korea fighting the Chinese many of the Japanese warriors, had gained a working knowledge of Chaun Fa. This led to the introduced of Chinese based striking methods into the Samurai empty handed fighting arts.
One such warrior who fought under Hideyoshi in the invasion of Korea between 1592 and 1598 and who was commended for his skill with Chigiriki (A pole with chain and weight) was Minamoto Hidetsuna, who had originally studied under the masters of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.
Minamoto Hidetsuna who became the eleventh headmaster of the Bu-Jutsu school established by the priest Onkeibo Chehen, known as the Muso Jikiden Ryu.
Minamoto Hidetsuna trained with Kaganosuke who established the Takenouchi Ryu, a school that includes among its teachings an art known as Hade, a form of Kempo Jutsu.
Later Minamoto Hidetsuna changed his name to Araki Mujinsai and founded a school in his own name that had in its divisions Araki Ryu Tori Te Kogusuku and Moro Budo Araki Ryu Kempo.
The term Kogusuku meaning short sword skills is central to the teachings laid down by Takenouchi Hisamori who established Takenouchi Ryu in 1532, where as Tori Te means to take hands was used to describe those grappling systems that often involved the use of a dagger or short sword.
It may therefore be assumed that the Moro Budo Araki Ryu Kempo was an eclectic system composed of the various Kempo systems that Minamoto Hidetsuna had studied and learnt during his lifetime.
The next important figure in the history of Japanese Kempo is the Chinese Pottery Master Chin Gem Pin who came to Japan and served the Daimyo of Owari in 1638, and taught several Ronin (Masterless Samurai) the art of Seizing (Chin-na) without weapons, known as Chaun Fa (Kempo).
Unfortunately the history of Japanese Kempo, unlike that of its Okinawan cousin is rather sketchy as many of the teachings have been absorbed into and made part of Ju Jutsu systems rather than serving as their actual main foundation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Okinawan and Japanese Kempo: Comment
|
|
|
|
|
When one examines Okinawan Karate techniques carefully and looks to the Bunkai (application) of their Kata’s (Forms) there is a notable correspondence with the methods of many mainland Japanese fighting systems. For example much Okinawan grappling art of Te is in many respects similar to Japanese Aiki-Ju Jutsu, and the striking techniques in Japanese Ju Jutsu systems are in some ways similar to those of Okinawan Kempo. It is also notable that the influence of Chin-na, the Chinese art of grappling and seizing can be found in Aiki-Ju Jutsu, Ju Jutsu, Okinawan and Japanese Kempo systems.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nihon Go Shin Kage Ryu & Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu
|
| Essex |
| United Kingdom
|
| Sensei983@yahoo.com
|
|
Page Updated Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:08pm EST
|
|
|
