Chuojiao 天理戳脚门

29/03/2024

In Bafanquan, Wuhua Pao is a specific foundation method of releasing strikes. In Hebei area there is a Wuhua Pao in many variations that had been practised in folk martial arts for a long time, often as Ying Men Wuhua Pao, or simplified as Ying Chui. Within Jingang Quan, there is a sequence that emphasizes Wuhua Pao as well. The secret of Wuhua Pao some would say is related to a pig more than canons and fireworks, to power generation rather than movement.

29/03/2024

Jingang Quan has been absorbed into many of the Shaolin Hui (Cultural associations within villages) across Hengshui and Baoding areas (e.g. this from Xushui Shaoin Hui). Yet it has certain variation due to the timing, lineage and evolution of transmission.

16/03/2024

Yang Jing was the contributor of the unique Chuojiao Taiji 13 Shapes.

Yang Jing's grandfather Yang Yanye was originally from Shanxi and due to financial difficulties relocated the family to the Yang family village in Haifeng County, Shandong. There he joined a Daoist sect, that helped out with aid and resources. He also learnt martial arts of Yinyang Zhang. In the next generation, the family later relocated again but far in Heilongjang, where Yang Jing was born.

Later however seeking opportunities, Yang Jing returned to the Heze area of Shandong where he first sought out M Yu to study Yinyang Zhang, but he had passed away but found some of his disciples that had joined the Bagua Jiao. The Bagua Jiao is renowned for there martial arts prowess, with masters from all over different parts of the central plains.

There he further studied Yinyang Zhang, but also was introduced to single movements or shapes under a M. Ma and a Wudang Hunyuan method with a M Liu. In Dezhou, he was introduced to Feng Keshan becoming an officer in the Heavenly order, further gaining guidance in the martial arts and combat experiences.

This method was also known as Taiji Xinyi Shisan Xing, as per one of the songs in the Chuojiao manual. It consists mainly of the soft methods as Ruan Taiji and the harder/explosive ones as Pi Taiji. The 13 animals are that of Dragon, tiger, monkey, horse, crane, rooster, bear, swallow bird, camel, leopard, eagle, sparrow hawk and snake.

09/03/2024

Jingang Quan is the foundation of Raoyang Chuojiao, however, like most matters through evolution, there are different ways of practising. This is due for a few reasons or rather lineages, the level of foundation and the age of transmission.

On the one hand there is the simplicity of the past to which some practitoners may have added techniques from experience or omitted through forgetfulness. Likewise many teachers as they became older removed some of the difficulty. Since Jingang is a type of Jiazi training, meaning providing the foundation of strength and structure, it is a requirement that it is practised with depth and a level of agility, that is the stances are deeper, the jumps are higher and the motion is larger/longer.

According to some records, there are two main periods of transmission. The former, whilst a younger Zhao Canyi, Duan Luoxu, Zhang Jingxiu and Feng Keshan were active and the latter, which is after Zhao Canyi returned from assisting in the Taiping Tianguo.

25/02/2024

Yan Yuan (~1635-1704)

Yan Yuan (~1635-1704) was from Boye county, Baoding prefecture, Hebei (Zhili) province (today's Bei Yang village to be precise). He was best known as a leading propagator/founder of the practical school of Confucianism. His disciple, Li Gong(1659-1733) continued to promote the philosophies to generations and often this is known as the Yan-Li practical school.

Yan Yuan became director of the Zhangnan Academy. His curriculum included both Wu(military) and Wen(scholarly) elements such as mathematics, geography, military tactics, strategy, martial arts, archery, and wrestling, in addition to history, calligraphy, art and the Confucian Classics.

Although this was surpressed during the latter part of the Qing dynasty. By the time of the warlord era and republic, Xu Shichang established schools across the area. Unfortunately these were bombed and destroyed during the Japanese attacks. Noting that Baoding also held notable military academies at the time as well.

The importance of these is often lost to history and as martial artists focus on anecdotal information and incomplete remnants of an era long gone. It is within the methods of various martial arts across the Baoding prefecture that the influence of the Yan-Li school remain. This is not just the martial arts themselves but also some of the perspectives, culture and attitudes to life itself.

With that immersion of both military and scholarly perspectives, the martial arts across Baoding became quite comprehensive. Tianli Chuojiao often mistaken as a single style is a fusion of many influences which include those arising from rebellion (Tianli Jiao), Scholarly influences (Yan-Li school), Military (Baoding Academies), and more. The Ziwu scholar sword, the Taiji Continuous Saber (different use of word here it is not the style), are among others such direct practices of the scholarly influence of the Yan-Li school.

21/02/2024

In Qi Jiguang's (1528-1588)Ji Xiao Xin Shu, it states that the "Whilst the ancient boxing is that of Taizu Long Boxing.......As for the present, the 72 moving strikes of the Wen family, 36 Locks, 24 Horse-Mounting Strikes, 8 Sudden Rotations, and 12 Short-Range techniques are the best of the best" - These are specific to Bafan Quan and Muzi Quan, also known as Ba FanZi Men.

Bafan Men is also very old and practised during the same time as Qi Jiguang. The well known practitioner in Shandong, M Wang Zhiyuan (1517-1556), is noted as the founder of Bafan Men. Which has led to many different branches over the centuries, combining with other methods. Chuojiao is also majorily an expansion of Bafanquan, however with different influences as it was taught across areas.

Muzi Quan, which represents the 72 moving strikes of Wen Family, is interesting as it is arranged in six sequences and over time these expanded into 3 adaptions, the original sequence of Zhang Qing Muzi Quan and then those named Yanqing Muzi Quan and Liuhe Muziquan later..

In the Bafan Quan manual from the Qing dynasty 1800s, Guo lineage of Bafan Quan, it is also written the 8 turning hands (八翻手) also known as Branches (枝子也). Interestingly, Zhizi, is the early naming convention for the representative Chuojiao set known as Jiu Zhizi (9 branches).

In records of the Bagua Uprising, it states in 1811 Feng Keshan taught in Dezhou, the Six Sequences (Muzi Quan) to followers including Song Yulin and Song Yuelong.

In Raoyang, it is noted that Zhao Canyi practised Bafan Shou, where in Feng village it was called Bafan Shou, whilst in Duanjundao village it was called Jingang Chui. These are another series of techniques held together with the sequences as organized in Muzi Quan, with familiar opening closing techniques between sequences.

In Raoyang Chuojiao, Jingang Chui is the foundation before learning Jiu Zhizi, in fact most lineages did not even practice the Jiu Zhizi. In Lixian Zhaoduanzhuang, because the Liu family had Taizu Hong Quan as a foundation, they practice Taizu Quan and Hong Quan as foundations before Jiu Zhizi.

Bafan Quan together with Taizu Hong Quan are the foundation or a part of most martial arts systems across Baoding prefecture in Hebei province.

17/02/2024

The Legend of Chuojiao states that during the Song Dynasty, Deng Liang, a practitioner of Cuju (a type of ball game that started Tang dynasty but became immensley popular in the Song Dynasty) had used the basic kicking methods, extended their use for combat in combinations.

Initially during the Tang Dynasty. Two bamboos were planted, several feet high, and the net was placed with a hole, kicking the ball through for the goal;

But later this changed later, according to the "Cuju pictorial manual", there is no goal kicking focus: one or several people kicking is called "Daju"; two people kicking against each other is called "Baida"; three or more people are called "Changhu".

In the Song Dynasty, kicking without a goal was even more important, as evidenced by Qian Xuan's painting "Taizu Cuju of the Song Dynasty", which is described in "Water Margin" and Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, was good at playing football. There were many football clubs at that time, called "Qiyun Club" and "Yuan Club"; the players were called "Yuanqing".

The "Cuju Manual" also introduces ten kicking methods:
"Jian, bei, guai, da, kong, zhuai, na, xi, pai, yue."

Of course Chuojiao is not simply derived from such, given its long history since and contributions by many but it is an interesting legend.

02/02/2024

Sun Qifeng (1586-1675) is considered one of the early ancestors or contributors to the repertoire of Chuojiao (note that Chuojiao is a collective martial art with the influence of many different skills, lineages and content; the influence includes the scholarly in its Ming dynasty imperial military associations and also includes the rebellious during the Qing dynasty).

Sun was a native of Rongcheng county, Hebei province. In his teens, at a young age, he passed the imperial examinations and graduated as a juren in 1600. However, he did not pursue that career. Instead, Sun studied extensively history and the classics, becoming an adviser to many but always declining to take office for any particular emperor. In 1636, he participated in the defence of Rongcheng against Li Zicheng. He became a renowned master of confucian ethics and wrote many books, treatises, and commentary. He later resided in Xiafeng village, Hui county, Henan Province, for over 20 years. Becoming known as the Xiafeng Study School and, honourably, called Northern Confucius.

Whilst many know of his scholarly achievements, few are aware of his martial expertise. One of his key disciples was Wang Yuyou (Wang learnt from many others, but Sun was his first teacher). The teachings included the Sunzi Binfa (which is why it also appears in the Chuojiao Manuals) and Wang was responsible for a number of skills that ended up in Bafan Quan and Chuojiao, notably in regards to weapons and the Saber in particular.

Reference: Wang Yuyou records of his teachers.