Please excuse the long post but a very informative one for those interested .....so I thought Ill share. The Japanese adaptation of Xingyi is known as Taikiken, which has influenced the training of some great Karate fighters like Shihan Kazumi and even Sosai Oyama himself. Below is taken from an archive I found very useful Taikiken is a martial art developed by Kenichi Sawai in Japan. However its origins go back much further. It is actually derived from one of the three internal schools of Chinese boxing, Xing Yi Quan. The name Xing Yi Quan (or Hsing I Chuan) means form intent boxing. The style itself is a beautiful fighting form. I know many practitioners of the style and it has alot of practical applications. Like the other two internal styles, Tai ji and Ba Gua, the emphasis is on the development of qi or ki and learning to apply it in movement. To cultivate qi they utilize certain exercises, forms, and numerous meditative postures (ritsu zen). In the 1800s there was a great practitioner of Xing Yi named Guo Yun Shen. As the story goes, Guo was improsined for having killed at least one man. During his imprisonment he was kept shackled in a cell with little room for movement. Therefore, his only means of practice for three years was the standing postures, like the standing pole and san ti (a posture that looks and feels remarkably like kokutsu dachi). As a result he developed this tremendous explosive power or energy (fa jing) that he could discharge from a still position. One of Guo Yun Shens most accomplished disciples was Wang Xiang Zhai (jp: O Kou Sai). By all accounts he was a martial arts genius. He began his apprenticeship waith Guo at a very young age and quickly took to his teachings. He further developed Guos ideas and revolutionized the relationship of movement and stillness in the martial arts. He thought that people were too outwardly concerned with the external forms (kata) of movement and that this often became a barrier to the discovery and cultivation of ki. Wang made patterned movements a secondary concern and placed the emphasis on stillness. In his studies he also concluded that of utmost importance in training and fighting was the yi or intent and not the form. So he renamed his style Yi Quan (intention boxing/fist). Master Wang had a reputation as being a phenomenal fighter who took on all challengers using his form of Yiquan. One such challenger was Kenichi Sawai. Sawai was a martial artist from childhood and had already attained a 5th dan in Judo, a 4th dan in Kenpo, a 4th dan in Iaido, and several other arts by the age of 22. In 1930-something, he traveled to China on business and met Master Wang. According to Sawai, in a fight he couldnt even touch Wang. Everytime he laid a hand on his he was easily tossed off. Even when they used sticks, he could do nothing with Wang. So impressed was he Sawai by Wang, that he decided to stay on and learn from him. In 1947 he was allowed by Wang to teach this style in Japan, as what we now know as Iken or Taikiken. I am not exactly certain of Sosais relationship with Sawai, but I do know that Royama Kancho studied extensively with Sawai. I also know that Hiroshige Shihan, studied Iken extensively as well. In fact, Hiroshiges students all practiced Iken as part of their training. They practiced the standing meditative postures, and the moving meditations (hai, neri, and yuri). I believe that is what gave Kazumi his immense power and focus as a fighter. It was not only his technique, but his intent as well. Members of Kancho Royamas Kyokushinkan have the ability to learn iken as I am certain it is taught in some dojo as well as their camps. The chief instructor of Iken for their organization is Master Sun Li (jp: Son Ritsu). Sun Li was a disciple of Wang Xiang Zhais successors in China. Thats why they often refer to it as Iken which is the Japanese pronunciation of Yiquan. Taikiken was the name given to it in Japan by Sawai. In terms of technique, while I am not an authority, I will answer with what I believe is the influence of Taikiken in Kyokushin. The essence is not the techniques themselves but the energy cultivated and mindset developed, by practicing the postures. It is also about learning to use the internal body, not just the external. Yes I am certain, there are techniques and concepts that have made there way into Kyokushin, but remember that the central concept is the Yi or intent and the develoment of ki. That transcends technique. Imagine throwing a punch or a kick as hard as you PHYSICALLY can, and now consider its effect using ki. I am sure there are those who dispute the existence of ki or qi. Thats a different thread all together. But for the sake of this thread, think of ki in terms of force generated through proper alignment of the body and the intent. There are some who say that what we refer to as ki (qi) is coordinated movement of not only the prime moving skeletal muscles, but the seldomly used ones found in the deeper levels of the body. I am refering to the intrinsic muscles of the core that we are barely aware of (if at all), and rarely if ever use on purpose. One only need to meditate in a standing posture like shohotou / standing pole for a few minutes to generate an intense amount of body heat and begin shaking uncontrollably. Thats because your deep core muscles which are not used to keeping you still are working vigorously to maintain your posture. It is exhausting. Now imagine if we could train those muscles to be able to use them on command like we do our quads, lats, or triceps. Imagine the force we could generate. The essence of Iken is to develop this power and utilize it when you need to, whether it be a kick, punch, throw, block, or anything else. Although it seems like a paradox (as most budo is) we learn to move from stillness. We develop explosive power through small movements. It truly is beautiful and difficult for some people to grasp unless they realize it themselves. The other part is the focus and stillness of the spirit that comes as a result of all the meditative practices. That greatly contributes to someones ability to fight under pressure. As we get frazzled, adrenaline, while it makes us stronger and more ferocious, also makes it difficult for us to respond with good technique. Science has proven over and over that in a high stress situation, our ability to think and carry out motor skills is greatly compromised. Our only concerns during perceived danger are fighting or running. No matter how good the fighter, if his adrenaline gets the best of him / her he or she wont perform optimally. That is why you have people who are wonderful technicians in the dojo, but horrible fighters everywhere else. The reason--adrenaline. In the dojo, there is no measuralbe perceived threat. They can execute nicely in a safe controlled environment. I believe that part of everyones training should include that which can help us can quiet the mind and in essence control that adrenaline rush so that we can perform with a clear head, when real danger arises. That is a large part of Ikens training. That is the essence of Zen in Budo. Therefore one can conclude that Iken (Taikiken) is in large part, moving Zen. Kazumi Dojo still practices Iken as well as Kundalini yoga. Apparently, Kazumi Shihan is very concerned with the development of the internal as well as the external. He realizes the importance of ki in the martial arts. One last thing--it is interesting to note that the character for yi is the same i as in the word yoi which we use in karate to signal preparation or intent to do something. So yoi is not so much a stance as it is an intent!
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:37:17 +0000