PDA

View Full Version : Japanese Tai Chi ???



Keith Frederick
2nd June 2002, 09:53
Hello,

Asking for a friend since I know nothing about Tai Chi. Is there a Japanese "version" of Tai Chi?

More appropriately (maybe), did a school of Tai Chi get exported to Japan and subsequently refined/changed/etc. into a Japanese art? If so, what is the name?, is there a URL to some info? etc.?

Thanks.

- Keith

hyaku
2nd June 2002, 14:48
Yes a lot

In Japanese Tai kyoku ken.

Do a search for that

Best of luck

Hyakutake Colin

http://www.bunbun.ne.jp/~sword/

fifthchamber
2nd June 2002, 17:10
Hi all,
Adding to Hyakutake-san's post I would point out that I don't think that the Japanese have their 'own' Tai chi chuan as such (Unless you consider Daito Ryu/Aikido which have an emphasis on 'Ki'). Rather Tai Chi has been imported into Japan as it has worldwide and has been taken up by the Japanese who teach it's forms.
This is the same as it is in many countries worldwide, and just as popular. The Japanese have a different idea of the theories behind 'Ki' or 'Chi' than the Chinese and have not traditionally used the same ideas as those contained in Tai Chi thought as the Chinese have...That said I believe that Tai Chi is an excellent art to use fr a variety of things including health and energy and martial practises...I would suggest starting with a local Tai Chi school and seeing for yourself how the art helps and the ideas it promotes in it's teachings..There is plenty of info out there on it.
Start with the 'Tao teh ching' and go from there I would suggest.
(Having said all that I am not as well placed as Hyakutake-san is and may be wrong. Japan may have absorbed and changed the art into Tai Kyoku Ken but from the best of my knowledge the art is still considered Chinese rather than Japanese still and taught using the same principles used by the various worldwide Tai Chi schools...No offense meant either way..;) )
Abayo

Laotse
2nd June 2002, 19:06
I would be astonished if there is a truly Japanese form of tai chi, and amused to see it in action. If there was one, I would expect it to be significantly modified for Japanese approaches, just as karate is a modification of various Chinese martial arts.

I teach tai chi and practice Bujinkan budo as well. The Bujinkan is more compatible with tai chi than anything I have experienced, but that does not mean they are the same; far from it. Nonetheless, my tai chi practice has improved my taijutsu dramatically. If it is tai chi you want, go with the real thing; just be sure to get a master-level teacher who can show you all the martial arts applications as well as the forms.

Keith Frederick
2nd June 2002, 22:21
Thanks guys for the info and leading me on a useful track.

The topic was brought up during a discussion regarding a small trend by some practicioners of traditional oriental medicine to focus more on Japanese style methods (in acupuncture and herbology) rather than the more popular (and more widely taught) Chinese methods. I was the fifth wheel in the conversation but the one with more martial arts experience so I thought I would investigate this one side issue.

Thanks again.

- Keith

red_fists
3rd June 2002, 00:15
hi.

Some additional Info.

Tai Kyoku ken is simpy the Japanese way of reading the Kanji.
For a Japanised Verions it would be Tai Kyoku Kempo(Chuan Fa in Chinese) I presume.

Many of the Chinese Arts like Xing Yi, Pa Kua, Yi Chuan and others are widely practiced in Japan.
Wang Shu Chin(sic.) is supposed to be the person that brought Tai Chi to Japan.

But many People also studied in Taiwan and China during occupation times.

Some of these people have started to introduce changes to the Forms and Curriculum to make it better suited for Japanese, but not enough to consider them a Japanese style yet.

Same as in the West where some styles were modified, added on, etc.
Hope this helps.