subject: White Crane Kung Fu Provides The Missing Connection In Karate [print this page] White Crane Kung Fu is a powerful and old Chinese Martial Art. It is said to have been developed by a daughter of the Fang family in Fujian province, but this may not be true. Track the lineage back a little further and there seems to be a definite link to Bak Mei.
To trace this kung fu style backwards, one should probably look to such forms as Sanchin and Hakutsuru. Sanchin, in particular, is present in many schools of Karate, but the earliest, and least diluted version is in Uechi Ryu Karate. Inspecting the forms one will see the reliance on the hourglass stance and a similarity of hand technique.
The problem with the Japanese variations, in this author's opinion, is that the kata have been slanted for dynamic tension (muscle building), breathing, or just technique. If one studies the earlier versions of the White Crane Forms, one will see the motions tailored more for the creation of Chi. The movements are soft but distinct, yet the stance is firm, and the mind is allowed to instill imagination and will into the form.
Go back even earlier, to the Bak Mei variation of white crane kung fu, and one will see an explosiveness that is designed for intense combat. The fists don't come back to the body between 'launches,' and the entire body lurches into each movement. The result is a quickness and ferocity that outdoes karate variations of the forms.
The history of this form, as indicated, can be confusing. There is the karate version, and this is connected to China predominately through Uechi Ryu and the studies of Kanbun Uechi. He is said to have spent some thirteen years learning three specific kung fu forms, all of which, should one eliminate the focus on dynamic tension, have similarity to Chinese White Crane Kung Fu.
In China, the legend is that this special kung fu was developed by a female of the Fang family. She is said to have studied kung fu with her father, and then to have been inspired when a white crane fended off a stick she thrust at it. While there does seem to be a connection, it seems more like legend, and the truth is probably a historical evolution, rather than an inspiration.
The strongest possibility is that these forms were originated in the Bak Mei Kung Fu school. Bak Mei is strong in the Fujian (Fukien) province of China, and the martial art could easily have been passed to the Fang family. This allows for the possibility of the Karate connection, also.
In summary, if one examines the structure and moves of the form, paying attention to Uechi Karate versions of Sanchin and the Bak Mei versions of Jik Bo, one can see a definite relationship. The author recommends seeking out all versions of the kata, and defining them for focus on dynamic tension, breathing, technique, explosiveness, or whatever you wish to explore. Such forms as Sanchin, Hakutsuru, and the like are very pure in their white crane kung fu history, and could easily be the missing connection to Karate.
