Asian Martial Arts History

by latrippi

Article by Franco

Early HistoryThe groundwork of the eastern martial arts is likely a merge of earlyish Indian and Chinese martial arts. Outer trade took place between these nations commencing around 600 BC, with merchants, monks and diplomats traveling the Silk Road. During the Warring States historic period of Chinese history (480-221 BC) abundant development in martial doctrine and strategy came forth, as described by Sun Tzu in The Art of War (c. 350 BC).An early legend in martial arts tells the story of a South Indian Pallava prince converted monk appointed Bodhidharma, thought to have lived approximately 550 A.D.The martial virtuousnesses of discipline, control, humbleness and esteem are imputed to this philosophy. Daruma is also looked upon the father of Zen Buddhism in China. Thus the values of honorable demeanour and self-control have been interlaced with martial practice since the most former times. Also in China Buddhabhadra, an Indian dhyana master becomes the number 1 abbot of the Shaolin temple.The Shaolin Monastery was constructed by the famous Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty in A.D. 477.The education of the arts in Asia has historically conjoined the cultural traditions of teacher-disciple apprenticeship. Students are disciplined in a rigorously ranked system by a master teacher.Modern HistoryEurope's colonization of Asian nations also gave rise a decline in local martial arts, particularly with the origination of firearms. This can clearly be seen in India after the broad establishment of British Raj in the 19th century. More European manners of organizing police force, armies and political institutions, and the accelerative use of firearms, ate at at the need for traditional combat training connected with caste-specific duties.During the year 1804 the British Colonial governmentbanished kalaripayat in response to a series of uprisings. Kalaripayat and other traditional martial arts experienced a revival in the 1920s in Tellicherry and distributed throughout South India. ! Similar phenomena took place in Southeast Asian colonies such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Other Indian martial arts, like Thang-Ta also witnessed a resurgence in the 1950s.The Western concern in the Asian martial arts dates from the late 19th century, ascribable to the increase in tradebetween China, Japan and the US.Comparatively a couple of Westerners actually exercised the arts, considering it to be mere performance. Edward William Barton-Wright, a railway engineer who had examined Jujutsu while working in Japan between 1894-97, was the first man known to have instructed Asian martial arts in Europe. He also instituted an selective martial arts style named Bartitsu which combinedsavate, jiujitsu, boxing, judo and stick fighting.As Western influence grew in Asia a keener number of military personnel spent time in South korea, China and Japan. Vulnerability to the arts during the Korean war was also important.The later 1970s and 1980s witnessed an widened media interest in the martial arts, because of the untimely death of Bruce Lee. Other movie figures like Jackie Chan expanded the martial arts all around the world because of his succesful acting career as a martial artist.

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