A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE MARTIAL ART SYSTEMS OF U.S. URBAN GOJU RYU AND T AI CHI CHUAN by Ronald A. Rumley-van Gurp A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of 1 st Dan (Shodan) American Dragon Martial Arts School of The Hague December 2005 Approved by Date
AMERICAN DRAGON MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL OF THE HAGUE ABSTRACT A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE MARTIAL ART SYSTEMS OF U.S. URBAN GOJU RYU AND T AI CHI CHUAN [Click and type abstract text here.] by Ronald A. Rumley-van Gurp
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION KARATE AND TAI CHI CHUAN: WHAT S IN THE NAME?...6 THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF THE ORIENTAL MARTIALS ARTS...8...5 THE HISTORY OF GOJU KARATE AND TAI CHI QUAN...6 KARATE AND TAI CHI CHUAN: WHAT S IN THE NAME?...6 THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF THE ORIENTAL MARTIALS ARTS...8 THE PHILOSOPHY OF KARATE AND T AI CHI CH UAN...13 i
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION I have received almost seven years of training in the art of U.S. Urban Goju Ryu Karate as well as Shaolin Kempo at American Dragon Martial Arts School of The Hague. I have learned many techniques, many stances and many attack and defense forms, not to mention many katas. I have also met practitioners of many other martial arts disciplines and got a little acquainted with their methods, ideas and practices. Now that I am preparing for my 1 st Dan examination, my sensei has asked me as part of my formal exam to study at least one other martial arts systems and compare it with U.S. Urban Goju Ryu Karate. The first thing to be decided then is: which systems would be appropriate? For me, that question was not too difficult. Besides Karate I have acquired some experience with the ancient Chinese art of T ai Chi Chuan, having taken a course as part of a wellness curriculum at my employer s as well as taking classes and seminars wherever and whenever I can. I am for some time now intrigued by the apparent differences between theses two martial art styles and their not always so apparent similarities. It is for this reason that I decided to make a comparative study of both systems to further explore their relationships, commonalities and complementarities. This study will encompass the history and basic philosophies of both systems as well as the various systems and subsystems to be found among them, and how they are organized world-wide. A study of their similarities and differences and a thorough discussion of both systems and their relations will conclude this thesis. 5
Chapter 2 THE HISTORY OF GOJU KARATE AND TAI CHI QUAN Karate and Tai Chi Chuan: what s in the name? Karate is a Japanese word that literally means empty hand, thus referring to a system of martial arts that uses no weapons in its defense or attacks. Te is actually a generic term used originally in Okinawa to denote the traditional Okinawan fighting system. Different regions developed separate styles, each with its own emphasis and distinguished by the names of these regions: Naha-te, Tomari-te, Shuri-te, etc. [1] Interestingly, the word karate has an alternative meaning, China hand or Chinese Fighting, clearly referring to the origin of this martial art in China. It depends on the actual kanji used in writing the word kara which meaning is indicated, empty or China. Nowadays, everyone will associate the word karate with the empty hand, writing it with the appropriate kanji pertaining to this meaning and this was first introduced in the work by highly respected master Chomo Hanashiro, "Karate Kumite, from 1905, a convention which was later taken up by the highly influential Master Funakoshi, the Father of Shotokan karate. [2] Karate has been defined by many writers, but the most concise definition I have come across is the one written by Peter Urban [3]: Karate, translated as empty hand, deals primarily in developing the body so as to bring about a practiced control of the limbs and in developing certain mental energies so as to make the body into a highly 6
effective tool of the mind: the body becomes in effect a weaponless weapon. Of course, this definition would apply to most of the so-called martial arts including the other system I d like to discuss: T ai Chi Chuan. It is the actual methodology, philosophy and history by which this goal is achieved that make a martial art Karate and not something else. I will return to these aspects in due time. T ai Chi Ch uan is known in a bewildering number of alternative spellings: t ai chi ch uan, tai-chi ch üan, Taiji Quan (the latter is the official pinyin-transcription of the actual Chinese characters) and many combinations and alterations of these elements. I will adopt the spelling T ai Chi Ch uan throughout. T ai Chi Ch uan translates as big ultimate fist or grand ultimate boxing and "quan" is the short form for "quan fa" which means "fist techniques" The term T ai Chi ( Grand Ultimate "the cosmos", or Grand Terminus, as it is translated by Master Chao [4]) refers to a subtle system of Chinese philosophy about the nature of all things created in the universe. The Grand Terminus is said to encompass both the Yin (inactivity, receptiveness, female) and the Yang (activity, protectiveness, male). If the well-known Ying-Yang sign is considered, the Grand Terminus is the complete picture 4. For more about this, see Chapter 3. 7
Figure 1 The T ai Chi, the Grand Terminus with its constituents Yin and Yang Ch uan (short for ch uan fa, literally fist techniques [5]) refers to boxing or pugilism, which is defined by Master Chao as the movement of hands, shoulders, elbows, fists, palms, and fingers as to form various postures systematically following one another [4] Naturally, the combination T ai Chi Ch uan translates as Grand Terminus Boxing and it is described as an outer form of sparring which is based on the theories pertaining to the concept of the Grand Terminus. These philosophical theories translate into a martial arts style which is both hard and soft, depending on whether the Yin or the Yang aspect of the Universal Chi (the Terminus or Ultimate) is used which is dictated by necessity[6]. It is interesting to note that the basic philosophy that underlies the T ai Chi Ch uan system is explicitly incorporated in its name. The origins and history of the Oriental martial arts According to Peter Urban, It cannot realistically be determined when any of the martial arts began and by whom. 8
Traditionally, it is believed that the Oriental martial arts originate in India with a monk called Bodhidharma and were brought into China and Japan by propagation of Zen Buddhism. There does not exist any unequivocal evidence for this, though, and according to Peter Urban, It cannot realistically be determined when any of the martial arts began and by whom. The story, however, tells us that Buddhist monk Bodhidharma at one time undertook a journey into the East in order to found a Buddhist monastery and also to unite the various Taoist and Buddhist schools of thought that had sprung up in China. He eventually founded what would become the Shaolin monastery and started teaching a form of physical discipline which originated in the hardships he had suffered during his travels. This discipline encompassed not only body conditioning but also weaponless combat and mental concentration. Bodhidharma s inspiration was the animal world, especially the big cats, whence he deduced the principle of the exploding life force, the Chi (or Qi). It is this basic philosophy that lies at the heart of all the oriental martial arts systems. The story[7] of the Goju school of karate began sometime during the 1870 s in Okinawa. At that time, the islanders were forced by their Japanese rulers to adopt the laws, language and national identity of the Japanese mainland. At that time also, the Okinawans practiced many local varieties of a combat system known simply as te, with a prefix denoting its origin. The earliest master on Okinawa who can be credited as the founder of what was to become the Goju style was Kanryo Higaonna (1852-1915). Master Higaonna was a master in the Naha Te martial arts style and he combined this native system with elements from Chinese boxing, ChiChi which he learned as a young man on the Chinese Mainland in the city of Fuzhou. 9
` Figure 1 Founders of the Goju Ryu Karate-Do style: from left to right master Kanryo Higaonna, master Chojun Miyagi and master Gogen Yamaguchi Higaonna s successor was master Chojun Miyagi (1888-1952) who also studied ChiChi in Fuzhou and further refined the art form of Higaonna. Around the 1930 s Miyagi named his version Goju Ryu Karate Do. The element Goju is a synthesis of two words: Go, meaning hard and Ju, meaning soft to reflect the two Yin and Yang type characteristic elements in his style. Ryu is a word meaning style and Karate-Do literally means : :the way of the empty hand. It was master Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989), nicknamed The Cat who further perfected Miyagi s Goju style and is credited for introducing jiyu kumite (free sparring) into the martial arts. Furthermore, Yamaguchi further perfected the Goju system by introducing elements of Zen, Shinto yoga and breathing techniques into it. Yamaguchi also systemized the instruction and ranking methods of the Goju style by adopting the traditional Japanese method for this, thus effectively removing Goju Ryu from its ancestral roots in Okinawa. It was by the influence of World War II that karate eventually came to the United States. During the war, many US military personnel were stationed on the islands of Okinawa and thus became acquainted with its martial arts heritage. Many were trained by the Okinawan karate men themselves. Upon returning to the USA, 10
many began teaching the martial arts, sometimes only after receiving only minimal training. When the Japanese and Okinawan masters finally arrived in the United States, they found that karate was already practiced there. One of the first American expert teachers was Peter G. Urban who had studied Goju Ryu karate with Gogen Yamaguchi in Japan. Urban opened his first school in what was to become the Urban Fight Network in 1959 in the New York City area. Urban s style is known nowadays as U.S. Goju Karate or Urban Goju-Do U.S.A.[8]. Above I spoke about Bodhidharma as the founder of the Shaolin Monastery. The style of fighting he taught his followers eventually became known as Shaolin Ch uan or Shaolin Ch uan Fa, which is nowadays known as Kung Fu. T ai Chi Ch uan is simply the inner part of this ancient Shaolin Kung Fu fighting style. Its origin is commonly ascribed to the 13 th century teacher Cheng San Feng during the reign of the Sung dynasty. In those days, unique fighting techniques were guarded as military secrets and Cheng only taught a handful of carefully selected students in this art, which is and indication how valuable the system was considered in his time. It took a few centuries before the masters started to teach larger classes, and as a result of this development many martial arts, including T ai Chi Ch uan gained in popularity. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the development of modern T ai Chi Ch uan started with master Chen Cheng Hsing (1777-1835) who created one of the main forms still practiced today, the so-called Chen style. Characteristic of the Chen style is the combination of slow and fast movements. His family however kept this style a closely guarded secret for generations until the secret was discovered by Yang Lu-chan who posed as a servant only to learn this Chen family secret. His mastering of the style was so 11
impressive that he was taught after being discovered by the old master himself. Yang s grandson Yang Chin-pu (1883-1936) developed later in his life the most popular style studied nowadays, the so-called Yang style of T ai Chi Ch uan. In comparison with the Chen style, the Yang style is more fluent, softer and slower with less pronounced stances and more supple movements. A third main style was developed by Master Wu Chien-chuan (1834-1902) who was a practitioner of the outer martial art of kung fu. His father taught him T ai Chi Ch uan mainly to remedy his muscle stiffness which was a result of his kung fu training, which Wu later developed into his own style. The Wu-style emphasizes low stances and widely spread arms and it uses more muscle tone than the Yang style. Later developments in T ai Chi Ch uan primarily involve the development of various forms of different lengths and complexity (the T ai Chi term meaning the same as kata in Karate) always starting from the traditional long forms. It is obvious from this account that both Karate and T ai Chi Ch uan share a common ancestry which traditionally lies at the Shaolin monastery and its development of Kung Fu. In the case of T ai Chi, its basic ideas were internalized and developed into an internal and soft martial arts style. In the case of karate, its basics were transported overseas and blended with original and traditional fighting ideas from Japan and Okinawa. It is through this common ancestry that many similarities are found when comparing both systems. The differences will therefore be found in the subsequent developments and influences. 12
Chapter 3 THE PHILOSOPHY OF KARATE AND T AI CHI CH UAN As was discussed before, the basic philosophy of Karate contains elements derived from Zen Buddhism as well as the native Japanese Shinto religion. Especially the Zen Buddhism soon became a very important element in the life of the Japanese warrior caste, the samurai, which in those days had a leading role in Japanese society. They found that the austere ideology of Zen Buddhism coupled with a strong emphasis on learning through experience fit in beautifully with the practice of martial arts. Traditionally, there was not much spoken communication inside the dojo and students were encouraged to seek answers to their questions within and in their rigorous training, rather than simply ask them and being answered. A typical Zen influence is the tradition of many sayings that are handed down from the past and that are used to teach important lessons or to highlight important concepts: block soft, hit hard is one of these pertaining to the Goju system and there is no first attack in karate (karate ni ente nashi) is another 1. In his book: "Zen in the martial arts" Joe Hyams [9] tells a collection of twentyseven short stories and anecdotes, all illustrating a specific aspect of the principles of Zen in the martial arts. This is a proper way to introduce the principles of Zen because Zen does not have an inner theory. Hyams describes Zen as "an inner knowing for which there is no clearly stated dogma". The role of Zen in the martial arts is to remove the emphasis on intellectual powers and place it onto the more intuitive actions and ideas. The Zen principles are able to open up hidden resources and the 'inner strength'. Most of the items address this inner strength, physically as well as psychologically. 13
What lies at the basis however of bother karate and T ai Chi is the concept of the universal life force known as Chi or Qi. It is this Chi that is addressed psychologically and spiritually through Zen and physically by the application of appropriate techniques and adequate training. The word Chi, asserts Peter Urban, lacks an exact equivalent in English 3. Terms like focus or intrinsic strength may be used to represent the idea. Practically, it consists of directing all the physical, mental and spiritual energies of a person onto one point using all the concentration a person is capable of. We all possess this inner strength but most of us rarely use it, save in stressful situations with immediate dangers to our person. Both Karate and T ai Chi Ch uan are ultimately about the development of one s Chi, a slow and tedious process that requires hard work. This is not because Chi is not there; it flows through us for anyone to use, but we have to break our own inhibitions physical as well as psychological- in order to reach it and tap from the source. Since this life force flows through us on the unconscious level, most of karate and T ai Chi training aims at bringing this force into the realm of the consciousness, so that it can be directed, applied or withdrawn when necessary and in general starts serving as a tool. Tradition tells us that the Chi force enters the body in the pelvic or abdominal region known as the plexus solaris. This is why breathing exercises and breathing techniques are of extraordinary importance in both martial arts. Breathing, especially when allowed to commence in the abdomen stimulates and unlocks the Chi source which lies behind the plexus solaris. The release and manipulation of Chi is the domain of the special T ai Chi discipline known as Qi Gong, translated as Chi working. 14
What is the source of Chi? In Zen this is thought to be the result of the interaction of the Yin and Yang aspects of nature. In Yin and Yang we find all pairs of opposites assigned to either Yin or Yang. Both aspects taken together are known as the T ai Chi or Grand Terminus, Grand Cosmos. It is the activity of Yang working on the receptiveness of Yin and the reaction of Yin back to Yang (remember that elements of Yin are to be found in Yang and vice versa, see Figure 1) that is the source of Chi, the source of Life. It is for this reason that a complete system to develop Chi should contain both Yin and Yang elements. A Karate system that is only aggressive, directed outward, explosive and active (in other words: predominantly Yang) is as incomplete as another system that is only receptive, soft and directed inward (predominantly Yin). It is for this reason that I consider karate styles that only emphasize fighting, combat and kumite competition to be incomplete and sometimes actually missing the point what karate is all about. For the same reason, a T ai Chi practice that is all about relaxation and wellness as commonly taught here in Europe- is also unbalanced but more towards the Yin side. It is because of this unbalance that in both cases a practitioner will never be able to reap full benefits from the concepts discussed above; he simply misses half of the equipment required. 15
Chapter 4 COMPARISON OF GOJU KARATE AND T AI CHI CH UAN A Discussion At a first glance it seems impossible to compare the seemingly different martial arts systems of Goju Karate and T ai Chi Ch uan. As a first clue to their similarities I would like to point out that both share a common ancestor, namely the original Shaolin Kung Fu art whose major tenets spread throughout the Far East. In the case of Karate, and more specifically Goju Karate, many traditional Okinawan elements were placed over this Shaolin basis. In the case of T ai Chi Ch uan, it was the conversion into an internal martial art that greatly shaped it into what it is today. But both systems still share many ideas and concepts that were obtained from the original Shaolin style. I have already indicated that Shaolin founder Bodhidharma received his inspiration from the natural world of animals. As a consequence, many Goju and T ai Chi terms still reflect this origin. As an example, consider Karate terms like the Tiger Claw strike and the Statue of the Crane kata or Stork Cools its Wings and Carry Tiger to the Mountain as examples of T ai Chi Ch uan movements. And it s not only these picturesque names, but many of the motions and postures are actually reminiscent of the animals in question. At the basis of both martial arts stands the concept of the kata, which is termed the essence of karate. Everything a karate-ka needs to know is somehow, somewhere placed or hidden inside a kata. To extract all the lessons that are embodied in a kata is said to take a life-time of practice, study and experience. In contemporary T ai Chi Ch uan, the kata is all there is. Often termed form in the West, the T ai Chi Ch uan kata consists of a large (or sometimes, not so large) 16
number of consecutive movements that are derived from stylized and internalized attacks and defenses. In karate, this visualized combat element is noticeably more pronounced than in T ai Chi Ch uan. An important difference between these two martial arts is their outer versus inner nature. The term inner and outer pertains to the use of the Chi which is generated during the Karate or T ai Chi Ch uan practice. In karate, this Chi force is used to influence a process outside the practitioner s own body: for instance defending against an opponent, breaking a wooden board. This becomes very apparent in Goju Katas such as Tensho or Sanchin, in which Chi is generated by a series of arm and hand movements accompanied by a special breathing technique. Within the kata This Chi is not stored but subsequently released into a series of fast, powerful and outward moves. In the practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, however, substantial amounts of Chi are generated as well, but these are manipulated and sent back inward into the body to promote health, relaxation and wellness. This health and wellness aspect is also very important in karate. As emphasized by Peter Urban, the purpose of Karate is to turn the body into an effective combat tool, and an important part of this development is the acquirement of excellent physical fitness. The difference with T'ai Chi Ch'uan, however, is that the latter system is in essence a low-impact exercise in contrast with the high impact that karate training requires. As a result, T'ai Chi Ch'uan is more suitable than karate for people with handicaps or the elderly. Even though T'ai Chi Ch'uan is a martial art by origin, few practitioners will consciously realize this which also makes it an attractive for of exercise for those who feel adversity against the practice of a fighting sport. 17
A further difference between Karate and T'ai Chi Ch'uan is the level of hard- and softness employed in the movements. Even though Goju Karate as its name suggests- possesses hard and soft elements in its repertoire, it is still a hard style compared with the soft and relaxed nature of the T'ai Chi Ch'uan movements. This does not mean that T'ai Chi Ch'uan when performed as an outer martial art is not effective: experiences with so-called T'ai Chi sparring 1 prove otherwise. If Karate is a relatively hard style and T'ai Chi Ch'uan a relatively soft style, it is possible to see both as complementary from the viewpoint of Yin and Yang. Karate is then Yang: active, outward, whereas T'ai Chi Ch'uan is Yin: soft, passive and inward. Recalling the symbolism of the well-known Ying-Yang symbol, this means that the practice of Karate in conjunction with T'ai Chi Ch'uan (and vice versa) will mutually benefit the development of both styles, because the combination of both martial arts creates a completeness and dynamic balance of Yin and Yang. T'ai Chi Ch'uan will provide a better understanding and control of Chi whereas Karate will provide a better understanding of the principles and movements of the T'ai Chi Ch'uan forms employed. And, as T'ai Chi Ch'uan master Wu discovered, performing T'ai Chi Ch'uan feels great after a strenuous Karate training! It is therefore my conclusion from this discussion that the simultaneous study of karate and T'ai Chi Ch'uan possesses many benefits, because their combination will provide the practitioner with a complete system in terms of Yin and Yang. It is therefore my intention, after achieving my 1 st Dan grade, to further improve my 1 In T'ai Chi sparring, two opponents are placed opposite one another, are required to stay in contact with each other through the arms and through the two opposing front feet. The goal is to disturb each other s equilibrium by manipulating each other Chi Flow 18
knowledge and mastering of karate but also to complement this with the study of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. 19
BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] Robin Rielly. Karate Basics, Tuttle Publishing, Boston, Rutland VT, Tokyo, 2003. [2] Maurey Levitz. What's In A Name? How the meaning of the term karate has chan [3] Peter Urban. The Karate Dojo, Tuttle Publishing, 1967, ISBN 0-8048- 1703-0 [4] H.C. Chao. Tai-Chi Ch uan, Its effects and practical applications, Unitrade Company, Republic of China 1981 [5] Website Shaolin Wahnam Canada, http://www.shaolinwahnamcanada.com/taijiquan.html [6] W.C.C. Chen, Body Mechanics of Tai Chi Chuan, New York, 1973 (Dutch Translation Praktische T ai Chi, 1997, Ankh-Hermes, Deventer, Netherlands [7] Gosei Yamaguchi, The Fundamentals of Goju-Ryu Karate, Goju-Kai, San Francisco, 1974, ISBN 0-9672821-0-1 [8] Website Urban Gojudo USA, http://www.geocities.com/usagojukarate/ [9] Joe Hyams, Zen in the Martial Arts, Bantam Books, 1979, ISBN 0-553- 27559-3 20