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| Hakutsuru or Crane Style |
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| Historical background of Chinese Crane |
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Danny Connor and White Crane:
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Danny Connor studied Wado Ryu Karate Kempo Ju Jutsu in Tokyo, Japan and it was during this same period that he became involved with the internal arts such as Tai Chi Chaun through his acquaintance with Bruce Kumar Francis who brought Liao Wei Chan over from Taiwan. Liao Wei Chan taught them Fukien White Crane, they believed it to be Tai Chi. Later Danny Connor went to Fatshan, Guangdong province in mainland China and trained with Blackface Pang who taught some Wing Chun sticking hands which was influenced by Tiger Crane Style Boxing. It should be noted that Wing Chun is itself influenced by Southern Crane style Gong Fu.
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Bruce Kumar Frantzis and White Crane Different Branches:
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Although it seems that there is some differences of opinion regarding the origin of the White Crane system, Bruce Kumar Frantzis (1988) points out that all forms of White Crane have their origin in Shaolin. The three main branches each of which have different specialities, are divided by geographical location:
1. Northern White Crane,
2. Cantonese White Crane (Lama Pai: Lama Style)
3. Fukien White Crane, (Tzon Huo Chaun: Jumping Crane Style)
Each system emphasises both external and internal aspects, thus combining hard and soft elements. We can broadly divide these 3 categories into Northern and Southern Styles, Fukien White Crane is a localised Southern Style in that it is common in the Fukien region. However all of the Crane styles have local and family variations, even though their original tap root remains the same and can be seen in the characteristics of the styles practice.
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Northern and Southern White Crane Styles
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Northern White Crane systems
This style is characterised by its long, languid, smooth, flapping extended strikes of the bird and cotton palm, rather than the vibrating strikes of the southern styles. A cotton palm strike is one which makes use of ones internal Chi, and in its striking movements appears light See further B K Frantzis (1998) The Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Bua Gua, Tai Chi & Hsing I. Berkeley.North Atlantic Books.
Southern White Crane Systems
The Cantonese (Guangdong) system is often called Lama Pai, a style of this name is believed to have been founded by Adato. According to the White Crane (Pak Hok) Athletic Federation in Hong Kong the Chinese style of Pak Hok Gung Fu (White Crane Kung Fu), was introduced into Southern China around 1837, after having been developed during the Chinese Ming dynasty in the land of Tibet (Chow and Spangler 1977). The style is known these days as Lama Pai or Pak Hok and is characterised by its long northern Shaolin methods with long and often vibrating strikes and short rapid steps.
According to Dr. Yang Jwing Ming (1996:91) there are a number of other Southern White Crane styles, the most common of these are Zong He Quan (Ancestral Crane Fist), Shih He Quan (Eating Crane Fist), Fei He Quan (Flying Crane Fist), Ming He Quan (Shouting Crane Fist). See further Yang, Jwing Ming (1996) The Essence of Shaolin White Crane: Martial Power and Qi Gong. YMAA Publicationss.
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White Crane Dr. Joseph Wayne Smith and Sifu Felix Leong,
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The origin of White Crane is attributed to the Tibetan monk Adato, also known as Ordartor (born: 1426 AD),of the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) who had learnt Chin-Na (seize-control), the grappling aspects of many Chinese fighting arts.
According to this version of White Crane history, Adato retreated to the mountains to practice martial arts and meditation. One day whilst Adato was on his mountain sojourn he witnessed an ape trying to steal the eggs of a crane, a fight ensued, Adato then developed the Crane system basing it on the cranes evasive movements and those of the apes strong arms.
It was a monk named Logtwun who was to later improve and simplify the style which he renamed Pak Hok (White Crane).
Then It was during the Chinese Ching dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD) the monk Hsing Lung and his disciples further improved the system and took the art to the Chao Ching District of Guangdong province, it was from here that the art spread to the west.
Summary
Pai Huo Chaun, (White Crane) system that can be found in Guangdong province, the origins of which can be traced to Adato, but the style itself was not actually formulated until the Ching dynasty in 1796. The current system consists of fourteen basic hand and ten weapons sets and includes Chi Kung.
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White Crane according to Dr Yang Jwing Ming.
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Dr. Yang Jwing Ming (1982) mentions two branches of white crane which are popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Guangdong, the first of which is Pai Hou Chaun, an alternative name for Pak Hok, traced to Adato.
The second Crane system is Tzon Huo Chaun (Jumping Crane), which was created by Fan Fai Shih, also known as Fang Shipei, a native of Fuijan’s Fuqing county, who had learnt Gung Fu at Tianzhu temple on Mount Chashan (McCarthy 1995).
According to legend during the reign of Emperor Tong Zhi (1862-74) Fan Fai Shih after a heavy rainstorm observed a white crane shaking water of its body by quick jerking movements.
Fan Fai Shih believed that humans could generate a lot of power if they could master the Cranes jerking in the correct fashion, thus developing the vibrating striking method. Fan Fai Shih’s main disciples were: Lin Qinnan, and the five brave generals of Fuijan: Fang Yonghua, Chen Yihe, Xiao Kongepei, Chen Daotian and Wang Lin. Lin Kuo Chong and Gin Shao Fon first introduced Tzon Hou Chaun to Taiwan in 1932. Gin Shao Fon had been taught by Chen Shyue Shen, a student of Fan Fai Shih. Dr. Yang Jwang Ming was taught by a student of Gin Shao Fon who was Master Cheng Gin-Gsao, who organised White Crane Chin-Na into a systematic discipline which also incorporated herbalism, power and speed training along with some new Chin-Na techniques.
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Characteristics of Chinese Crane
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The style that Adato created was named Lions roar, and consisted of:
Eight stances,
Eight fist techniques,
Eight palm techniques,
Eight finger techniques,
Eight seizing techniques (One version of Tuite has 8 categories of Seizing Techniques).
Eight kicking techniques.
These were later organised into three sets or forms (JP. Kata);
Flying crane set,
Nilad set,
Dolo set.
Dr. Yang Jwing Ming points out that there are fourteen key words in Tzon Huo Chaun (Jumping Crane Boxing)and these are:
Pluck (Chai),
Fly (Fei),
Beak (Zou),
Cover (Gai),
Disperse (Por),
Follow (Shuenn),
Sticking (Nien),
Grasp (Kou),
Rend (Chei),
Shaking (Jan),
Dodge (Shan),
Strike (Dar),
Escape (Dun),
Twist (Neu).
It is the above Tzon Huo Chaun (The Jumping Crane) sytem which utilizes Chin-Na, a grappling art similar to Ju Jutsu and the Tuite of Okinawan Karate.
Chin-Na is characterised by:
Seizing
Dislocating joints,
Grappling,
Strangulation
Striking of vital points,
use of open palm and finger tips in striking techniques.
Like the other crane systems it is both hard and soft, slow and fast and employs Chi Kung.
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Yongchun White Crane & Toudi:
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The Chinese Fighting traditions
There are two main Chinese fighting traditions (Chaun Fa) that are believed to have influenced Toudi, early Okinawan Karate. These two traditions were Lo Han Quan (Eighteen-Monk Fist Boxing), a Shaolin tradition, and Fukien Pak Hop Kun Tao (White Crane Kung Fu) which is also known as Minge Quan. It has been further suggested that Okinawan Toudi or Kempo was influenced by a Fukien Crane style known as Whooping Crane, this branch of the White Crane style is known as Yongchun White Crane. The story concerning the origins of the Yongchun White Crane tradition is described in Patrick McCarthy (1995) ‘The Bible of Karate: Bubishi’ pp. 62-65, which provides a more detailed outline than that provided here.
Fang Zhonggong who was skilled in the Eighteen monk fist boxing tradition of Putian, Fuijan temple was killed in a fight by a man from a nearby village.
It was Fang Zhonggong’s daughter and pupil, Fang Qiniang who is credited with founding the Yongchun White Crane tradition, following her observing two cranes fighting and unsuccessful attempts to separate them with a bamboo pole.
Fang Qiniang reflecting on the Crane incident felt that one who mastered the skills of the crane would be undefeatable and thereafter sought to combine her own skill in monkfist boxing with the movements of the two cranes, thus creating Yongchun White Crane.
Fang Qiniang had many challengers, the most important of whom was Zeng Cishu, who had trained in a hard boxing style and had superior external body conditioning, but was unable to defeat the young woman, and thus became one of her students and the second generation head of this system.
The Yongchun White Crane tradition combines both hard and soft aspects, which is characteristic of many Kempo systems.
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| Nihon Go Shin Kage Ryu & Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu
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Page Updated Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:08pm EST
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