Chinese Martial Arts

The enlightened T'ang Dynasty (618-970 AD) witnessed a great rise in popularity for the Shaolin Temple and its martial arts. During this period, the monks first served a military purpose and became a special detachment of the Imperial Army. For their quelling of internal uprisings and resisting invasions, the monks were rewarded with honors, citations, and large amounts of land. On this land, they built more temples; the first was the second Shaolin located in the Fukein province. Priests, soldiers, statesmen, and scholars, while visiting and studying at these Chinese monasteries, were exposed to the Chinese martial arts and returned to Korea, Japan, and the Ryukyu Islands with the seeds of what would soon be their own native arts.

Kempo was widely practiced in China and competitions were held throughout the country. Huge completions were held on the steps of the Imperial Palace and in public squares throughout the country. The men who survived all the fights were crowned as champions inside the palace so they became popular with the people.

During the Sung period, tenth to thirteenth centuries AD, Chang Sanfeng, after studying at Bodhidharma's monastery, retreated to the mountains to perfect is own fighting style. He added a gentleness to traditional Kempo by adding soft, elegant blocking techniques coupled with sudden, sharp, powerful blows. Chang supposedly learned this from watching a crane battle a snake. When attacked, the crane made soft rounded movements with its wings and, when it saw an opening, it darted his pointed beak at the snake with speed and power. Chang's approach to fighting has much in common with modern karate's theories of circle and point attack This use of resilience and softness in self-defense proved so effective that it pervaded other fighting systems. It was ultimately introduced into Japan where it was used in the creation of "Jujitsu" and "Judo." In Japanese, the word "ju" means soft or gentle.

Also during the thirteenth century AD, Chiao Yuan, another practitioner of Bodhidharma's fighting system, systemized Kempo techniques, basing them on the movements of five creatures. Although he made a significant contribution to Kempo, since he only taught his system to Buddhist priests, his system did not become widely known. Yuan's system was categorized as follows:

Dragon: Assume a natural position and coordinate body and spirit. At the proper moment, attack with the swift power of a dragon swooping from the sky.

Tiger: Use the power of the arms and hips in a body movement similar to an attacking tiger leaping from the forest.

Leopard: Leap nimbly, similar to a leopard, and move with its agility.

Snake: Move with the fluidity of a snake and strike with your fists similar to a snake strike.

Crane: Assume the calm, stately poise of the crane and attack with grace and smoothness.

Two slightly different styles of Kempo developed in the areas south and north of the Yangtze River. In the south, where numerous rivers and wet rice fields necessitated a great deal of rowing, the arms and chests of peasants developed more than their legs. Thus, southern Kempo uses more rounded movements that use the upper body. In the north, great expanses of plains stimulated ranching and necessitated horseback riding and strong legs. Therefore, northern Kempo developed light, straight-line movements that used the lower body.

Throughout Chinese history, Kempo has been the weapon of the unarmed. During peasant revolts in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it was the only weapon available to the people. In the 1280's AD, a hundred thousand Kempo warriors rebelled against the ruling Mongolian, Genghis Khan, in an attempt to restore a purely Chinese dynasty, but they were unsuccessful. Kempo warriors were also responsible for the successful, although short-lived, T'aiping Revolt of 1851 AD (successful for a while but later put down by the Englishman Gordon and the army of the Manchu Dynasty).

Kempo warriors also led the Boxer Rebellion of 1896 AD. The term "boxer" referred to a sect of ultra nationalistic Kempo practitioners who were known for their "boxing" style of fighting. The boxers were first encouraged by the Manchu Empress to rid China of foreign intruders but she later betrayed them. After losing her support, the boxers fell before the weapons of the foreigners and they were hounded as enemies of the state. They were executed in great numbers, their training houses were closed, and Kempo was eradicated from China.

While Kempo may have been eradicated from China, it was not completely eradicated. Throughout the centuries, it had spread into other countries in the Orient, such as Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Ryukyu archipelago. The largest and one of the most influential islands in the archipelago was Okinawa.