Yuanyun (1587–1671, usually pronounced Chin Gempin in Japanese), was
a Renaissance man of sorts, who wrote some books, made pottery, and was
apparently an interesting conversationalist. He resided for a while in a
Buddhist temple in Edo (now Tokyo), where he was said to have been vis-
ited by three rônin (masterless samurai), Fukuno, Isogai, and Miura, and
with whom he supposedly discussed boxing (quanfain Chinese, kenpôin
Japanese). According to the Kito-ryû Kenpô Stele (1779), located in the
precincts of modern Tokyo’s Atago Shrine, “instruction in kempô began
with the expatriate, Chen Yuanyun.” Tracing this association to the 1880s,
one can find a connection to Kanô Jigorô, who is credited with founding
modern jûdô.
While the actual degree of Chen Yuanyun’s contribution is unknown,
the reference to him on the Kitoryû Kenpô Stele gives some credence to the
contention that at least some Japanese jûjutsu and jûdô techniques may
have evolved from Ming-period Chinese bare-handed fighting methods, in-
cluding boxing. Perhaps jûjutsu (pliant skills) evolved more from grap-
pling, escape, and throwing techniques, which were not necessarily clearly
distinguished from boxing at the time. Also, the Chinese skills may have
been an ingredient added to indigenous Japanese atemi(striking) and com-
bat sumô techniques. In any case, there remains a plausible argument for
this Chinese contribution to Japanese martial arts.
The Chinese origins of karate are more certain. By the middle of the
nineteenth century, and possibly earlier, Chinese boxing appears to have
entered Okinawa from Fujian, China. After being modified by the Oki-
nawans, possibly with some of their own indigenous techniques, it was fur-
ther introduced to the main Japanese islands by Funakoshi Gichin in 1922,
and was developed into the modern sport of karatedô,“way of the empty
hand,” or, thanks to Japanese adaptations of Chinese characters (kara
meaning both “empty” and “Tang”), even “way of Tang hands” in refer-
ence to the Chinese dynasty that so strongly influenced Japanese culture. In
fact, as further evidence of karate’s Chinese origins, the Okinawans origi-
nally even used the so-called Chinese or onpronunciation for the term
Tang hands,that is, Tôde(long “o”) rather than karate.
In 1917, the young Mao Zedong claimed that jûjutsu was a vestige of
Chinese culture that was helping the Japanese maintain a “martial spirit”
through physical culture in a manner similar to what he termed “the civi-
lized countries of the world, with Germany in the lead.” Mao’s claim was
not without justification.
Stanley E. Henning
See alsoJapan; Jûdô; Karate, Japanese; Karate, Okinawan; Kenpô;
Okinawa; Wrestling and Grappling: China; Wrestling and Grappling:
Japan
Japanese Martial Arts, Chinese Influences on 201