Fukien
White Crane and Karate
The origin of Fukien (Fujian) White Crane is derived from a woman known variously as Feng Chi Niang and Feng Qiang Liang who had originally learned Kung Fu from her father Feng Shi Yu (Fung Fei Tze) somewhere in the early Qing Dynasty. Her father had studied at Nine Lotus Mountains Shaolin Temple (which is why Wing Chun White Crane is still considered a Shaolin art today and salutes with the Shaolin salute).
Legend
has it that Feng practiced Kung Fu diligently but was also a beautiful
young woman who, one day at her toilet, noticed a crane basking in
the sun of her garden. The crane, attracted by her shiny mirror, came
to her window and tried to snatch it. Feng tried to get it back and
they play fought for it. She was amazed at the skill of the crane
who persistently countered her energy despite her Kung Fu. This mock
battle kept up for three days and interested and disturbed her at
the same time. On the third night she had a dream. In this dream the
crane adopted the shape of a man and taught her a new Kung Fu based
on its crane spirit.
Some
versions of the story have a white haired beggar appearing at her
front gate the next day. Feng treats him with kindness and in gratitude
he teachers her his art, the White Crane. In other versions she realizes
that her father's style could and should be modified by the actions
of the crane to create a new kind of boxing with her own feminine
emphasis on attacking vital spots rather than using power against
power. In yet another version a more down to earth Feng was originally
accosted by the giant crane when she was planting seeds and, trying
to fend it off with a staff, was amazed at the bird's ability to neutralize
her skills.
Anyway,
Feng married and moved to Wing Chun county, Fujian Province. There
she became quite well known for her skills. Her students developed
the Five Styles of Fu Zhou White Crane. The crane was also eventually
incorporated into the Wu Tzu or Five Ancestor style which has its
own San Zhang form and is justly famous throughout South China and
Southeast Asia.
White
Crane is essentially a counter fighting art. The hands are very "short"
in most cases just outlining the shape of the body to be protected.
There are flipping and sticky wrist blocks with tight elbow positions.
The style is basically frontal not to expose the practitioner but
with the potential for immediate shift to either side. This implies
a certain degree of symmetry to the skills. Another familiar action
is the wave of the hips associated with the strong Karate punch. The
movement is essentially the same in White Crane. Hips jerk and send
what is known as Coiling and Flapping energy through the arm. There
is also a distinct spine wave motion at the same time. The stances,
too, are grounded, short and strong in the style of Sanchin. Many
of the actions orient to palm strikes and clearing blocks with a sticky
hand approach to covering the opponent's actions.
Styles
which overtly record themselves as having some White Crane influence
have passed through some famous instructors such as Bushi Matsumura,
a Royal Bodyguard. Also there was Gonkenki a Chinese merchant who
showed White Crane in the 19th century. Crane boxing's influence on
forms is evident, obviously, in San Chin (Three Battles) which appears
in both Goju and Uechi Ryu styles among others. But there are also
such signs as No Hai (Crane on a Rock) and other forms.
Still
more influences on Okinawan Karate are the famous military work known
in Chinese as the Wu Pei Chih and in Okinawan as the Bubishi. In fact
the Okinawan version of this book has 32 chapters dealing with Crane
boxing. A line from this contributed the inspiration and the phrase
from which the system of GoJu (Hard Soft) was named by Chojung Miyagi.
Uechi Ryu takes arm positions and movements from, among other sources,
the Praying Mantis style. Many styles were influenced by the almost
undocumented style known as the Beggar's or Vagabond style. In fact
one of the props for Beggar style deceptions of appearing to be crippled,
the double crutch, is far more likely to be the inspiration for the
Tonfa than the typical explanation that it was developed from a well
handle.
Weapons include some which have definitely become identified with Karate. Among these are:
Staff
Spear
Kuan Dao
Cane
Horse Knife
Tiger Fork
Iron Rod (Sai)
Crane Wing Knife (Elbow or Sleeve Knives)
