The History of Fighting

Title:  Bodhidharma

Artist:  Hakuin Ekaku (1685 to 1768)

Infomation:  This calligraphy scroll is Japanase in origin and reads;
“Zen points directly to the human heart, see into your nature and become Buddha”.

Giacomo di Grassi was an Italian master from the 16th century who had a great influence on the development of fencing right up to the modern day. He is often credited with inventing the modern parry and through his best known work, ‘His True Arte of Defence’, taught fighters from his day to think more about defence than had previously been the norm.

More Fencing Legends

Nijushiho being performed by Tetsuhiko Asai (1935 – 2006)

Nijushiho (Twenty-four steps) is of unknown origins though some scholars believe that like Sochin, it originally comes from the Chinese Dragon style of fighting. Others believe the kata was created by the 19th century Okinawan master Seisho Arakaki, who may have also invented Sochin and Unsu.

The Okinawan name, Niseishi, was changed by Gichin Funakoshi however both mean the same thing. Whenever it was created, its development follows the lineage of Kenzo Mabuni, who was taught it by his father Kenwa Mabuni, founder of the Shito-Ryu style. He learned it from Higaonna Kanryo, a famous teacher from the Naha-te school and it was passed on to him through Seisho Arakaki.

Kenzo Mabuni is said to have spent some time instructing Yoshitaka, Gichin Funakoshi’s son and as a result of these instructions, the Shotokan syllabus is believed to have gained Nijushiho, Sochin and Unsu.

More Kata History

Jigoro Kano (the founder of Judo) on the left and Yoshiaki Yamashita
(the first to achieve a 10th degree red belt) performing  Koshiki-no-kata

This poster depicts Heavy Weight boxer Joe Louis and was aimed at getting new recruits to join the American army during World War Two. It was produced around 1942 during the ‘Brown Bomber’s' reign, which stretched from 1937 – 1949.

Chen Fake practicing Xin Jai

Chen Fake (1887–1957) was a master of t’ai chi ch’uan who was instrumental in the spread of his style, Chen-style taijiquan, when he took it from his home in the Henan Province in 1928 and started teaching it in Beijing. As the style is largely based on internal energies, Chen Fake feared its subtle properties may be lost to future generations so he created an external form known as Xin Jia (New Frame) to add a visual framework to the internal movements.

Gichin Funakoshi executing a shuto uke (knife hand block)