Japanese martial arts VS Chinese martial arts

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by JediKnight25, May 21, 2006.

  1. JediKnight25

    JediKnight25 New Member

    Differences between the Chinese martial arts and the Japanese martial arts, comparison between the different styles in each country.

    Similarities between the smooth and internal styles and the hard and external styles.

    Advantages and disadvantages, links in history, etc.

    For example, in my opinion Chinese martial arts are more like an all-around martial arts while Japanese martial arts are focus on some skill (throwing, grappling, punching, kicking, etc.)
     
  2. airweaver

    airweaver Valued Member

    BK francis, a guy whos trained all round asia said he learnt the "secrets" which took him 20 years to learn in karate, only a few weeks to learn in taichi.

    internal martial arts are geered more towards yoga and perfecting ones being than fighting and perfecting ones fighting skills.
    the advantages of internal styles is that they infiltrate your life and everything you do, right down to the simplest thing.
     
  3. TheDarkJester

    TheDarkJester 90% Sarcasm, 10% Mostly Good Advice.



    In response to the thread starter.. Some "hard" styles may not be as hard as you think. Some use soft movements to deflect hard energy. Because a hard block gives your opponent rebound energy to counter. But sometimes hard blocks depending on application are practical. Japanese and Chinese systems both use them.

    And there should be no difference between external and internal styles.. They're merely two different paths to the same goal. Keep that in mind before you make a decision based on presumptions or the advice of others (who you should always take with a grain of salt, because their either trying to sell you on something, or they're passing on their supposed "knowledge").

    Try the JMA forums, try the CMA forums. Ask some questions.. Do some research on styles. You'll figure it out :)
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2006
  4. LordofAnime+DND

    LordofAnime+DND New Member

    The false dichtomy of internal and external styles is extremely tiresome.

    As for japanese martial arts vs chinese martial arts the distinction is not as relevant as you might you think either.
     
  5. Matt_Bernius

    Matt_Bernius a student and a teacher

    Airweaver,

    Not to be a jerk, but I can't even begin to get into the problems with your post because they are so big. SO big. See Dark Jester's response for a start.

    Likewise, just as the dicotomy between internal and external is false, trying to simply categorize things as Japanese and Chinese are problematic. While there are far fewer Japanese Martial Arts, we're still talking about upwards of 30 arts with varying concentrations. When we move to Chinese we're getting up into the hundreds.

    As such, it's just way to broad a playing field to do any form of substantive comparison.

    - Matt
     
  6. Nevada_MO_Guy

    Nevada_MO_Guy Missouri_Karate_Guy

    Japanese martial arts are more straight line fighting styles, than the circular techniques of their Chinese cousins. Commonly call karate by those of us in the West, Japanese arts range from empty hand martial systems to joint locking and throwing systems to styles devoted entirely to weapons’ practice.

    The art of karate (kara-te), which means empty hand, is commonly believed to have come to Japan from the island of Okinawa, where fighting with weapons was banned for many years. Ancient Okinawan traders visited China’s Fukien Province and brought back the martial techniques of China’s southern Shaolin temple. The Okinawans developed such an effective self-defense system that many Japanese masters wanted it as their own. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in 1922 and eventually became the best known Japanese martial art. The karate arts of the All-Japan Karate Association – Go-ju, wado and ****o ryus – are among the best known karate systems

    Before karate became well known in Japan, the most popular Japanese martial arts were ken-jitsu and ju jitsu. Kendo means the way of the sword, with origins in Japan’s samurai culture and swordsmanship. It covers not only kendo, where heavily protected fighters spar offensively with wooden swords, but also ia-do, defensive sword drawing and cutting from scabbard to the first cut. Japan is famous among Asian martial arts for the skill of its ancient wordsmiths, who forged the finest blades in the Orient.

    Ju jitsu is a martial art based on joint locks and throwing techniques that disarm and control an attacker. From the martial art of ju jitsu came the martial sport judo. Judo was first developed in the early 1900s as the competition form of ju jitsu. Judo is mainly a throwing art, similar to swai zhou (Chinese wrestling). An even more recent offshoot of ju jitsu is aikido, a martial art that uses the opponents’ own movements and energy as weapons against them.

    One of the most mysterious arts of feudal Japan was ninjutsu, Japan’s early day espionage system. Cloaked in secrecy, the original ninjitsu practitioners were the terrorists of their era. They were families of spies and assassins hired by Japanese warlords to infiltrate and terrorize enemies. Today, ninjutsu is practiced in a far more harmless fashion, minus the deadly overtones that characterized the original ninja warriors.

    There are Japanese martial arts that teach archery and special long weapons, such as the naginata, a long handled knife made famous as a women warriors’ weapon. All Japanese martial arts have their roots in the principles of bushido, the way of the warrior.

    Japanese martial arts are seeped in tradition and discipline to one’s teacher and to the art itself. Along the same lines, an instructor is obligated to also have a responsibility to the student. The result is an close family-like association between instructor, student and martial art – bushido.

    Japan Martial Arts History

    Long touted as the father of Asian martial arts, China certainly influenced the arts of Japan and Korea. Japan’s kara-te is reputed to have come from the Shaolin kung-fu of China’s Fukien province. Korea’s famous Three Kingdoms and their martial arts were influenced by nearby China, as was the famous Shilla Kingdom, through its treaty with Tang Dynasty China. China’s enormous size and long history undoubtedly made it the source of many Asian martial arts.

    We commonly call China’s martial art kung-fu. The term kung-fu literally means hard work, not martial art. It’s a term made popular during the Bruce Lee movie era, when Westerners were first exposed to his amazing fighting abilities. The correct terms for Chinese martial arts are either wushu, which means martial art, or koushu, which translates to national or military art.

    The first written history of Chinese martial arts comes from the reign of Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty (1122-255 BC). Huangdi was a famous military general, before becoming China’s leader and wrote a lengthy treaty about martial arts. He is also credited with being the founder of China’s oldest known martial art – chang quan (long fist).

    Chinese martial arts are often separated two categories -- external and internal. External Chinese martial arts are those that use muscular force, combined with speed and sheer strength to produce power. External Chinese martial arts are known by their area of origin in China. For instance, famous external northern Chinese martial arts include northern prey mantis, chang quan, monkey, northern shaolin. Southern Chinese martial arts are mainly the southern Shaolin temple arts, such as choy li fut, hung gar, wing chun and hung fut.

    Many northern Chinese external martial arts have military origins, because China has typically be governed from the north, with armies originating in northern cities, then extending in southern regions to enforce the dictates of northern rulers. Southern Chinese martial arts were originally the defense methods of farmers and everyday men. During the Qing Dynasty, when Manchurian rulers oppressed China, revolutionary fighting systems sprung up to challenge Qing armies with gorilla-type warfare. Because the Manchurians were Buddhists and declared Buddhist institutions off limits to their own armies and warfare, many revolutionary fighters took refuge in Buddhist temples and monasteries, the most famous being the Southern Shaolin temple. After the conflict, when the Manchurians were defeated, these revolutionaries continued to teach their martial arts under family names, such as Hung, Choy or Li and became known as Shaolin martial arts.

    The other type of Chinese martial arts are the internal martial arts. They use what the Chinese call chou jing, or wise force, to overcome their opponents. They actively combine qi (chi) energy, often considered our basic life-force energy, with muscle strength to produce power. Arts such as taiji quan (tai chi chuan), xingyi (hsing-i), bagua (pa kwa) and swai zhou (Chinese wrestling) are the best known Chinese internal martial arts. Today’s common internal Chinese martial arts have their origins in northern China and always contain some amount of internal training alongside fighting practice. That internal training often includes standing meditation and special qi developing exercises.

    Chinese martial arts are known by their circular arm and hand movements. Northern styles are famous for high, powerful kicks. Many Chinese arts imitate the fighting tactics of fierce or clever animals, such as dragon, tiger, leopard, preying mantis, crane, or monkey.

    China Martial Arts History
     
  7. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Thank god someone said it before I had to flame-on and get sin binned.
    :D
     
  8. airweaver

    airweaver Valued Member

    fair enough, bk frantiz did seem kinda sketchy, but imo, tai chi as a means of understanding the universe comes before it as a martial art, the idea of applying yin/yang to fighting pales in comparison to appyling them to our own being, and that were all essentially male and female- we know this by balancing the polarities in our bodies with the movements, so that the form moves itself.
    - yoga is pretty much the same thing, internal marriage of the two poles for greater awareness of ourselfs and our place in the cosmos.
    dark jester, lose the hang ups man :rolleyes: im beggining to think you have nothing better to do.....

    "internal martial arts are geered more towards yoga and perfecting ones being than fighting and perfecting ones fighting skills."
    i was wrong in saying this, i mean the higher aspects of the arts come closer to yoga- not that the fighting isnt as important.
     
  9. airweaver

    airweaver Valued Member

    no please enlighten me on my mistakes, all martial artists are on a path of growth and self knowledge right? unless your one of the ones that lives completely out of self interest :D
     
  10. Bil Gee

    Bil Gee Thug


    Nope, I just want to learn how to kick the crap out of people.
     
  11. kmguy8

    kmguy8 Not Sin Binned

    all people are on that path my friend.. whether they like it or not
    whether intended or not...
    regardless of where they are in the journey
    MA's and people who seek such a path out
    are teenagers or emotionally arrested adults
    I think a SMALL % of people study MAs for that purpose
    however
    as my quote implies.... you CAN learn quite a bit about yourself
    and your character from the raw experience of fighting another person
    as was said in TUF 3 by tait
    "it is a very honest relationship in the ring" (or any fight really)
    somthing quite rare in today's world of BS artists and posers

    "edit... can't believe I just quoted a TUF three fighter..*ashamed*, yet... it is still a valid point"
     
  12. Matt_Bernius

    Matt_Bernius a student and a teacher

    What you seem to be talking about is the more recent, non martial incarnation of Tai Chi. Tai Chi Chaun roughly translates as "Grand Ultimate Fist" Boxing. It was, and in places still is, being practiced as an extremely high level and brutal martial art. Much like Ba Gua, Hsing Yi, Baji, and Yi Chuan. If you do your research, you'll find that any philosophy or yogic style practices were retro fitted into these. These were fighting arts (devistating ones) first and foremost. It's only been in the last fifity years or so that individuals have refocused their practice on the health aspects. Many of the people who do that are those that "learn" the form in a few months and go on teaching the form without any understanding of what they are doing.

    Now as for the idea of Martial Arts helping you understand yourself or the universe - the short answer is they can. But it's not the martial art, but the diligent study that leads to understanding. And you will recieve similiar knowledge from diligent study of anything worthwhile. So it's not MA, but the study. The map is a very different thing than the territory.

    - Matt
     
  13. Hussar1

    Hussar1 New Member

    As far as whats more effective.... Japan owns China....

    but iam sure them pretty fancy flying spin kicks work.... in something other then demenstrations.
     
  14. shootodog

    shootodog restless native

    1) it's the dog not the tag that bites.

    2) better in what?

    3) this BK francis is the end all of martial knowledge?

    4) answers about these things are always opinions formed by persuations.

    p.s. where's that style vs. style flame form?
     
  15. RAGINGbuddha

    RAGINGbuddha Valued Member

    Yes, Japanese cars are far more efficient.

    Are you refering to modern wushu or traditional kung fu here? Or maybe you were watching a TKD demonstration and didn't kno about it? :confused:
     
  16. RAGINGbuddha

    RAGINGbuddha Valued Member

    After watching Fist of Legend and Fearless, it all tells me that Chinese pwns all. :D
     
  17. Hussar1

    Hussar1 New Member

    wing something, all i saw is that its freaking USELESS.
     
  18. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Bil Gee will be here soon. :D
     
  19. RAGINGbuddha

    RAGINGbuddha Valued Member

    wing chun with high kicks?.....right :rolleyes:
     
  20. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    surely that must be t3h d34d733!!!!

    a hybrid mixture of TKD and Wing Chun. Bouncy point fighting combined with slappy cakes.
     

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