Wang Shu Jin
Both Aikido and the Chinese internal styles are fully formed martial arts, and can be used effectively by an expert for self defense. So nobody needs to be getting all defensive.
Stories about the Wang Versus Chiba match abound but this is the best version I’ve seen. Since it came from Terry Dobson, who was a direct student of O-Sensei, it seems to me that he’d have no reason to lie.
I’ve met a couple students of Wang Shu Jin and they told me he never lost a challenge. I have reason to believe them.
Sincerley,
Jess O
FROM THE FURTHEST REACHES OF THE INTERNET:
"I will quote the story that Terry Dobson told me, which was corroborated at
another time by Donn Draeger. I also heard Terry tell this story again in
a group with Mitsugi Saotome present, who amidst laughter chimed in and
agreed. I didn’t know that Ken Cottier was present but he was also part of
the group.
First, some context. Wang Shu Chin, for those who don’t know, was
primarily a Pa Kua, Hsing I teacher, who also trained many years in I
Ch’uan. He was a massive man, fat over heavy muscle, in his prime, about
5’6" and about 260 lb, I’d guess. He also did t’ai chi, the syncretic form
created by Chen Pan Ling, which he did in a very different manner from
Chen (this form is, these days, often called the Guo Shu form, the
“national form” of Taiwan). Wang was the head of a neo-Taoist sect, which
strove to harmonize the major religions of the world.
As always, there are debates about how strong he really was, I studied with
him only two months when he was months away from death from melanoma. I
witnessed him knock over a very muscular kyoshinkai champion with a
side-step and belly blow, but that was a a controlled situation, not
free-style. Still, really impressive power, despite his illness. For me,
one of the most interesting measurements of his “power” was that when I
travelled in Taiwan, every teacher who was talking big and trying to
impress with his credentials claimed to have beaten Wang.
Anyway, Wang originally came over to Japan in the '60’s, first to teach his
son-in-law, who had married his adopted daughter. Among the first to study
with him was Sato Kimbei. Sato, among koryu circles, was generally
considered a joke. He collected scrolls and licenses. Otsubo sensei, of
the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, told in a very public forum, of Sato apporoaching
him, asking how long it would take to get a menkyo kaiden and when Otsubo
was noncommittal, trying to bargain with him. Otsubo allowed him to train
with him and w/in two months, Sato was nowhere to be found, but years
later, he was claiming licensure in the school. Anyway, Sato hooked up
with Wang for some years, and this did give him legitimate claim to being
one of the “pioneers” of Japanese t’ai chi.
Wang used to ask a former student of Sato’s to demonstrate what Sato
taught, and he and his son-in-law would pick it apart, laughing and asking
him to repeat cerain moves over and over. I also happened to be present at
a workshop when the head of the Bejing wushu society, (forgot his name -
the guy who put together the 48 movement syncretic t’ai chi form) and
another practitioner, who has won the Yang t’ai chi competition several
years running and Sato came up and told them that they weren’t allowed to
teach because they hadn’t asked his permission, and they looked at him like
you look at a deranged street person asking to borrow your briefcase, and
walked away shaking their heads. Sato did nothing, and left with his wife
shortly after. Sato is currently claimed as a senior infuence on the
Genbukan and Tanemura - - -Oh well.
Wang started teaching in the grounds of Meiji shrine, and somewhere along
the line a group of non-Japanese around Donn Draeger started training with
him. Draeger learned some pa-kua, Wang would also show some Hsing I, but
mostly he taught t’ai chi. Among this group was Terry Dobson, who was a
live-in student of Morihei Ueshiba of aikido. Terry’s direct senior was
Chiba. Wang was doing demos in Japanese martial arts demonstrations and as
Ken Cottier put it, “here you’d have all these startched Japanese in their
crisp kiekko gi and their crisp snappy movements and then out would come
this fat Chinaman in grey flannel slacks and suspenders and he’d start
doing impossible slow t’ai chi and he’d turn around and this ass as big as
the moon would waft across the stage and then he’d challenge all comers to
have a go at him and the young karate boys would be rabid and he’d let them
punch his stomach or kick him in the groin and he’d just laugh it off but
heaven help you if you tried to punch his head. He made it clear that that
was out of bounds, and if you broke the rules, then he’d become, shall we
say, active.”
Terry stated to me, (I’m quoting as best as I can remember) “the uchi-deshi
at honbu, particularly Chiba, started giving me a raft of **** that I was
being disloyal to O-sensei by studying with Wang, and I asked O-sensei, and
he said, ‘sure, do what you want’ but they wouldn’t let up so I said, “why
don’t you come and check him out for yourself.” So Draeger and me took
Chiba, Saotome and Tamura. Well, we walked in, and Wang scopes out Chiba
right away, like he knows who has the attitude here, takes one look, and
says, ‘come here boy.’ Seriously, Wang’s over sixty, paid lots of dues, is
a religious leader and all, and here comes these punks, as far as he’s
concerned, in their twenties, copping an attitude. So Wang lets Chiba
punch him in the stomach. Nothing. Chiba tries again. Nothing. Well,
now Chiba loses his temper, half turns away, and then tries to sucker punch
him, thinking it’s timing. This time Wang sucks the fist into his belly
and then drops, he gives it back, Chiba’s arm goes shooting back behind his
ear, and he’s shaking his wrist in pain. Wang then let Chiba kick him in
the groin. Nothing. So Chiba loses it, grabs Wang’s wrist and puts a
nikkyo or kote-gaeshi on it, some wrist lock. I don’t know what Wang did,
it was too fast, but Chiba slams on the floor and Wang’s doing something to
him with one hand and he’s screaming in pain. Finally Wang lets him up and
says, “You’ve got a little chi, why don’t you come back when you acquire
more?” Then he turns to Tamura and Saotome, who were standing there with
their backs against the wall, and says, “you want to try.” They both shake
their heads and we all went home. They never gave me **** about Wang
again. . . . Far as I’m concerned, Chiba lost his chance at salvation right
there. He should have quit everything and sat at Wang’s feet.”