Does anybody know of Chinese Martial arts that might have found there way to a cross the sea to Japan in the last 1500 years ? iI herd that there were Buddhist temples in Japan with statues of monks in fighting poses and that Chinese martial arts made there way across the sea to Japan and that japanese Buddhist monks practiced some kind of martial arts in temples there any ideas on what these Chinese martial arts might be that went to Japan from China that these Buddhist monks practiced in the last 1500 years ?
Try that question on E-Budo. I think those guys might have more info on the history of CMA in Japan than the guys here.
Fire Hawk
Have you tried to look into the Bubushi book? i know it has some info there.
FT
The Bubishi is about Okinawan arts, not Japanese.
As far as Chinese kung fu going to Japan, I’m sure it happened but it was probably more likely that the Japanese went to China to learn and then took it back with them.
According to oral histories & legends, there was some migration at the T’ang dynasty start of the Five Dynasties dynasty from China to Japan. It was purportedly miltary & their families leaving due to the upheavals. They settled in the interior of Japan & ended up teaching what they knew to locals as well.
A figure from the same time frame was known as Cho Gyokko, who was described as a “master of the Shorin tradition”. Shorin=Shaolin.
This information is available in one of Hatsumi Masaaki’s books concerning the Bujinkan & its traditions.
From what I have heard I only know three styles that have been modified to today’s karate.
Goju-ryu comes from white crane.
Shorin-ryu comes from shao lin as sean_stoneheart (cool name) said.
Plus I also heard of some style which name I forgot comes from hung ga.
However shotokan is more Japanesized (is that a word?) and has less Chinese influence.
you also forgot Shorinji Kempo which was an art developed after the war (WW2) from Shaolin Quan…
david
If any styles entered Japan I would assume it would have come over with some Buddhist monks that taught Buddhism here.
So Shao-Lin is a good bet and guess those Skills would have been inrocporated into some Ju-jutsu and Koryu styles.
Japan also has some “internal styles” and I would assume that might have been influenced by CMA.
There would have been a few hundred years where connections to China broke of when Japan tried to erase any religion besides shinto.
Notes on Okinawa.
RyuKyu (an independent kingdom) imported chinese styles and modified them(Tang Dynasty). They have a very strong chinese influence there.
When Japan occupied and annexed RyuKyu around 1900, they changed the name to Okinawa. Around 1927 Funakoshi imported To-Te(china/tang-hand) into Japan and called it Kara-Te.
Corrections anyone.
I have also herd that there is old manuscripts or manuals in these old Buddhist temples that have writeing and pictures showing and talking about these martial arts some of these Manuscripts and manuals have not been released to the public and are kept secret in these Buddhist temples and in certain Japanese familys .
FireHawk.
That is highly likely.
Most Temples and shrines over here are owned by families and when a Head Priest retires, he normally passes the Temple and everything on to his Son.
A lot of MA in Japan was also taught at Shrines and Temples.
Same as in China those were often places of learning for the general public.
Did you ask over on E-Budo, quiet a few CMA Guys there aswell.
I heard Kyushinkai-ryu came from Fukien white crane.
I think there is a detailed history on cyberkwoon.
Peace Y’all
Hi.
May I assume that you are not interested in the last 100 yrs.
In that time period many CMA have found their place within Japan.
Most of those were brought back by Japanese Soldiers & scholars that went abroad during wars & occupation times.
In modern day Japan, CMA is fairly wide spread.
Many styles retain the Original Chinese Characters?Name, but the reading of the Kanji is done the Japanese way.
Ex.:
Tai Chi Chuan = Tai kyoku Ken
and so on.
Any of those years would be interesting .I have not had a chance to ask on E-Budo yet .
Kung Fu in Japan? Well there is; and it came from 2 sources.
First, the Kung Fu system gFive Ancestor Fist / Ng Cho Keunh has 5 styles within it. One style, snake/crane, was brought to Okinawa over a hundred years ago and it developed into Goju Ryu Karate, the first style of Karate. They really do look alike and are often compared.
Second, in the 1940fs or 50fs, a Japanese named gDoshin Soh came to China and stayed in Shaolin for I think 17 years. I believe he was a soldier or spy or something like that. Anyway, 17 years later he came back to Japan and introduced the Shaolin arts to the nation, however it was greatly mixed with jujitsu and other Japanese stuff and doesnft look like gKung Fuh in anyway. He named this style/version Shorinji Kenpo, which is Japanese for Shaolinxi Chuanfa.
This is the only Kung Fu in history that has come to Japan. Except for what has come here in recent years. Most popular kung fu styles here now are Baji Chuan, Taiji Chuan, and Wushu.
hi Kei Lun, the Shorinji Kempo was what i was referring to above. It was founded in 1947 just after the war, as a way to develop the ‘spirit’ of the Japanese people 
A very good skill imo
david
The History of the Shaolin White Crane Style
By Ed Goble
The Shaolin Temples
The Shaolin Temples (monasteries) are possibly the most revered and famous structures in the history of all martial arts. The history of the Shaolin order is obscure and shrouded in myth and secrecy. Even from their beginnings, they were constant targets of bandits and rebellious soldiers. According to tradition, the first Shaolin Temple was built in Honan province sometime around 500 A.D., on Shao-shih Mountain south of Songshan Mountain, 50 miles west of Zhengzhou. Traditionally, this was the original temple. The name Shaolin means “small (young) forest.” There is a legend about how the Honan Temple received this name. The story goes that before the temple was built, there was a forest there. It had been cleared or burned down by orders of Emperor Hsiao of the Northern Wei Dynasty. When construction started on the temple, the emperor’s gardeners planted new trees.
Because some people are not informed, they assume there was only one Shaolin Temple. They also assume that Honan Shaolin was the greatest and grandest. But contrary to popular belief, this is not necessarily the case, although the Honan Temple in the North appears to be the original. There were two main temples, the Northern and the Southern. Many people believe that the Southern Temple was just legendary. In fact, it was quite real. Recently, several conflicting reports have surfaced about it. One report claims that it has been identified through archaeological research as “Linquanyuan” Temple of Fukien, about 18 km north of Putian County in the Fuzhou district. According to this report, it was built in the reign of the T’ang Emperor Zhen Guan (627-649 A.D.), not much more than 100 years after the Honan Temple. So it was quite old also. Linquanyuan was larger than the one in Honan.
There are other reports that make other claims, saying it is not Linquanyuan at all. One claims that there is no building left at the true site. Another claims that the temple has been partially rebuilt, and that an individual visited it and watched the monks performing their arts. We anxiously await the day that a consensus will appear in the world of archaeology about which site should be conclusively identified as the Southern Shaolin Temple. Things are definitely going in that direction.
Many people wonder why it is taking archaeologists and researchers so long to identify it. The issue is complex. According to certain legends, it was said to be in Fukien Province somewhere along the coast in the Fuzhou district. Many people doubted these tales. One of the reasons that people doubted this is because of the legendary name of the mountain where it was built. It was called Jiulian (Chiu Lien), or “Nine-Lotus.” According to some, this was somewhere in the Fuzhou district. However, there is also mountain called Jiulian on the border of Fukien and Kwangtung provinces. Even though there was a temple in that border area that was affiliated with Shaolin, it was not the same one as the actual Southern Shaolin Temple. Perhaps the tales about the various temples have been mixed up, as so often happens, and the place-name of “Nine Lotus” was actually never associated with the temple in the Putian area. This seems to be the more likely explanation since the legends are consistent in placing it in the coastal areas.
Because stories are sometimes romanticized and changed around to suit what people would like to believe, much history that actually happened at the Fukien Temple has been attributed to the Honan Temple. Contrary to some claims, virtually every major event that happened in Shaolin History from the later part of the 16th century on happened at Fukien Shaolin.
Shaolin Admittance and Training
The Shaolin temples were like martial arts universities. In order to be admitted, one would have to endure months or years of hard work and chores. After being admitted, they had to train for ten years in the basics. Then they could specialize in whatever they wanted to. There were masters who were specialists in particular areas of training, and the students could learn from the best in each field, or specialty style.
The Shaolin 18 Monk Fist and Bodhidharma
The Shaolin 18 Lohan fist was supposedly the first style practiced at Honan Shaolin. The consensus about this style is that practitioners of pre-existing martial arts introduced fighting techniques to it little by little. This refutes the idea that “all” martial arts have their origin in Shaolin.
Legend credits a man named Bohidharma (Damo, Tamo or Dharuma) as being one of the first to have an impact on the temple’s style. Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that he introduced fighting techniques. Although the possibility cannot be dismissed, we have nothing but legend to back it up.
The tradition says Bohidharma was the third child of King Sugandha of southern India and was a member of the Kshatriya or warrior caste. He is said to have received his religious training from the Zen master Prajnatara. Supposedly, he also was trained in some Indian martial art. Who he received his martial training from is not mentioned in the legend. When Prajnatara died, he set sail for China at his master’s wish. In 520 AD, he landed in Canton (Guangdong) and made his way to Shaolin. Fortunately, there exists an eyewitness account of Bohidharma’s visit, written by Yang Hsuan-chih, and it has been dated to between 516 and 528 AD. This clearly indicates that Bohidharma truly existed and was an actual historical figure. However, Yang records that Tamo went to Yung-ning temple, and that he was actually Persian. Backing up this possibility is the fact that there are no records of him in India. So that apparently contradicts the tradition of him coming to Shaolin, and that he was from India. However, it is not improbable that he could have gone to both of these temples.
To help the Shaolin monks withstand long hours of meditation he supposedly taught them 18 breathing techniques and exercises (the Eighteen Hands of Lohan) to develop their strength. These drills were supposedly called the Eighteen Hands of Lohan. The concepts and principles taught by Bodhidharma were part of the basis that they built the temple’s fighting style on, according to tradition. Tamo is said to have left two manuscripts. One has come down to us, and is called the Muscle Change Classics, supposedly containing the exercises he introduced by Damo. No verification of authorship exists for this, and the versions of it that are available to us are from much later. The other manuscript is not extant, and it was the one that was claimed to contain the fighting techniques introduced by Damo. But the fighting techniques of the Lohan style were most likely either added later, or may have already been there for all we know, and probably had nothing to do with Damo.
The Shaolin Five Animal System (Wu X’ing Q’uan)
One of the most important happenings of Shaolin history was during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), probably in the late 1500s/early 1600s (However, some say that this took place around AD 618, and even others say it happened around the 13th century. It makes no difference really when it actually happened.) There were many rebellions against the Ming government at this time. The monks began to document what they had learned in their art. A man by the name of Chueh Yuan Shang-Jen (also known as Zhue Yuen, Gok Yuen and Kiao Yuan) was a great empty hand fighter and swordsman with a lot of martial knowledge. He went to Shaolin and learned the Monk fist. After analyzing the techniques carefully using the knowledge he already had, he came to the conclusion that the techniques were incomplete. They focused too much on external, hard movements. So he redesigned and combined them with new techniques that he either invented or already had. This made a total of 72 techniques in his new style, with a balanced structure of hard and soft. This new style became very popular. After some years he asked permission to leave Shaolin for a while. He traveled around China to consult with masters from other provinces. As he went, he added many other techniques to the new art. In Shensi province, he went to a city called Lan Zhou (Lan Chou). He witnessed a conflict between two men. The victor, by the name of Li Shou (Li Ch’eng), defeated his opponent with just a touch. Yet when Chueh was able to talk with him, he disclaimed any great knowledge of fighting. Chueh befriended Li, and exchanged much martial knowledge with him. Then Li Shao introduced Chueh to a master by the name of Pai Yu Feng (Bai Yu-Feng or Bak Yuk Fung). Pai Yu Feng was an internal stylist from Luke Yong Huck Seng Monastery near Emei Mountain. He practiced the Hit Tai Tau internal boxing style. Chueh convinced these two to return with him to Shaolin. After they arrived at Shaolin, they combined and altered their styles, and came up with a radically new and balanced internal and external style. They successfully combined internal Taoist techniques with that of the Lohan Shaolin system. The new style had 172 techniques, according to tradition. They also came up with new concepts and principles that they called the Shaolin Five Animals, also known as the Five Ancestors (not to be confused with the Five Elders that we will talk about later on, who are also sometimes called the Five Ancestors). The techniques were modeled after the characteristics of the following animals: Leopard (Bao), Tiger (Hu), Snake (She), Dragon (Long) and Crane (He). It is true that there were techniques that were “animal,” and some that even looked like certain postures of these animals. But it was always the five concepts that were the important thing, no matter what techniques one practiced. Pai Yu Feng said that all people must develop all 5 aspects of the Five Animal Styles. It became the principal style of Fukien Shaolin.
The Fukien Shaolin White Crane Style, or White Crane
There are several Chinese forms of the name “White Crane” in different dialects: Pai Hao Q’uan, Peh Ho Kuen, Peh Hok, Bak Hok, Pak Hok, Bai He Q’uan and He Q’uan. Other names of it are the Southern Five Elder Style (Wu Zu Q’uan or Five Ancestors Fist), and the Yong Chun Style, pronounced Weng Chun in Cantonese. To understand the origins of White Crane, we must understand the revolutionary period in China, so we will give a brief overview here. White Crane was probably originally formed right before or after the 1673 destruction of the Fukien Shaolin Temple. It became THE Shaolin style after that time. In other words, it was essentially White Crane that the original Shaolin Five Animal style developed into. The remnants of the practitioners from the Shaolin Temple during the remainder of the Ching Dynasty refined and modified the style after the destruction. Many of them probably had to flee the area, as so many legends claim. However, most went into hiding, staying around the Fukien Shaolin area trying to organize their forces. Whether or not the temple was ever rebuilt or not after that time is a matter of conjecture, and cannot be proven one way or another yet. While there are traditions that indicate the temple was rebuilt, nothing is conclusive. Perhaps further archaeological research may shed light on whether it was rebuilt or not now that the temple site has been discovered. Anyway, many other temples from the area had input into the White Crane system including Taoist ones. White Crane became strongly influenced by Monk (Lohan) Fist and Tiger Boxing. In contrast to White Crane, which became the mainstream Shaolin style, there were many other branch styles from it that popped up all over the place, because there were some who left the Shaolin temple area during the revolutionary period. They went on their own to start many other styles based on White Crane, such as Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut, and Wing Chun, the style taught by Yip Man, the teacher of Bruce Lee. Most practitioners of White Crane during the revolutionary period were rebels. Some people believe that the originators of White Crane chose the name Yong Chun (“Evergreen”, “Always Green”, or “Always Spring”) for more than one reason:
(1) It was the name of a village and a district near Fukien Shaolin, and that village apparently had a lot to do with the Fukien Shaolin martial arts. The monks apparently named their training hall this same name.
(2) The name Shaolin means “Small Forest”, and pine trees are “evergreens.” So the name served as a way to hide the Shaolin origins of the art, but still show the essential symbolism of Shaolin.
(3) The rebels had mottos and phrases such as “Overthrow the Ching and restore the Ming!” Some believe that the name Yong Chun was part of one of these revolutionary phrases: “Always speak with determination. Don’t forget the Han Nation. Spring will be back again.” Spring, in this case, refers to the time when the Ming would be restored.
The history of the White Crane style is mixed up with myth and is quite obscure. In spite of that, we will show that there is indeed hard evidence that allows us to pierce through this obscurity and come to a fundamental understanding of the history. First we will review the legends, and then we will show how they fit in with the reality of the history.
Legends
The first major legend about the Yong Chun Style is that of the Five Elders (Ancestors) of Shaolin:
The Shaolin order was politically neutral most of the time, but in the 1640’s, the much-hated Manchu (Ching) dynasty began. The cruelty of the Manchu made Shaolin reconsider its position. In about 1647, the Honan Shaolin Temple was utterly destroyed by the Manchu. Most of the monks were killed, but a few monks fled to the Fukien Shaolin Temple (some believe this took place in 1570. The problem with that date is that the Ming was still in power at that time. It appears that it was the Manchu that did it. The reasons that the Manchu would have done it make a lot more sense. Other legends allege that it took place not long after the Manchu took over.) Among those that fled to Fukien Shaolin were the most influential Shaolin masters. They brought the precious martial art books from the Shaolin Library with them. As a result of all this, the status of the Fukien temple changed, and it became the new Headquarters of the Shaolin order. It was a better base for anti-Manchu activities, because it was a strategic location.
The Fukien Temple became part of the rebellion almost immediately after the destruction of Honan. They allowed Ming officials to take refuge there to protect them. That is another issue. Why would they have given them refuge if the Ming just destroyed Honan Shaolin? They would not have. Therefore, it is much more likely that the Manchu did it.
The officials brought their martial arts with them. The monks also trained many of these officials in the Shaolin style. This was the first time that they allowed non-monks to train in the Shaolin style.
Desperate times brought on many other changes. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. And it was in this climate that the most deadly and efficient martial art that ever existed was developed, as we shall see.
The Manchu could not govern very well in the South. There were many areas near rivers that they could not control, because the rebels kept them at bay. There were many places in Southern China where the rebels had virtually full control. But as yet, the Manchu had no idea that Fukien Shaolin was the headquarters of the rebellion.
Four sons of four Ming generals were sent to Fukien Shaolin to train in the martial arts. Their names were Chih Shan (Jee Shin or Chi Shin), Fung Doe Duk (Fung To Tak), Mew Hing (Miu Hin), and Bak Mai (Pak Mei or Bai Mei). These four along with many others trained under the head master of Fukien Shaolin at the Evergreen (Yong Chun) Hall, which was the training hall of the temple.
According to legend, there was also a Shaolin nun there at this same time as these other four mentioned above, who also trained in the Evergreen Hall. Her name was Lui Sei-Leung or Lu Si-Niang. She was already an accomplished martial arts master. Her father was one of the eight generals that helped Yeung Jung Wang overthrow the Ming and become first emperor of the Manchu Dynasty. Not long after the new emperor took power, he killed these eight generals. Legend has it that Wu Mei killed the emperor herself out of revenge, and then fled to Shaolin. She then assumed a new identity as a Buddhist. Some say that she was in reality still a Daoist at heart. She took upon herself the Buddhist name Wu Mei (Ng Mui or Five Plums) that she is more popularly known as.
The most prominent martial art taught at the Evergreen Hall at that time was the five-animal system. As time went on, they (the four monks and the nun) graduated from the temple. They were appointed to be part of the inner circle of Shaolin, and took an oath to restore the Ming dynasty. The head master of Fukien Shaolin died around that time. The five were named head masters of Shaolin, and became known as the “Five Elders of Shaolin.”
They analyzed their situation very closely. They needed to come up with a plan to overcome the Manchu. The combat systems taught in the temple at that time were based on animal movements. They required that the monks master tens and hundreds of long, intricate forms, taking ten or twenty years. There were an enormous variety of techniques, many of them totally dissimilar to each other, and some of them were not very useful, because they didn’t work very well. The Shaolin grandmasters recognized that this approach was unsuitable and unacceptable for the rapid development of an effective and efficient fighting force. A new
training method made to fit the needs of the rebellion was necessary. In the South, the terrain was different, and there was a need for close range fighting tactics. Also, they needed a way to fight more effectively against and exploit the weaknesses of the fighting arts of their enemies. What they came up with was a radically new approach. Previously in the Shaolin style, the method they used was that they would literally try to copy the movements of animals exactly the way animals do them. The focus for the new system was on human biomechanics. They refined and modified the existing animal systems and movements into an essential core of techniques. They kept the basic principles that were already good, and threw out what was not good. They also added some new techniques. Yes, the techniques still “copied” animal movements. But now these modified techniques started to “look” less and less like animal movements, because they were engineered better to fit the way the human body works. They stopped trying so hard to do the movements exactly the way the animal would do them, and started applying the new principles they had discovered to the techniques. They identified the weak points and openings of other martial arts, and designed ways to exploit them. They engineering their style with the express purpose in mind of destroying the ability of the opponent to fight without hesitation the moment a weakness presents itself, and to make that second nature. What is the point of doing a particular technique if it opens you up and you have to go way out of your way to compensate for it? In the time it takes to do that, you have probably just lost your life. They filled in holes and weaknesses that existed in the form. Everything was simplified and pulled in closer. Little circles were used in place of big circles. Stances were shortened tremendously, and the acrobatics were thrown out along with every wasted movement. They wanted to get the job done using the least possible amount of time, movement and energy (Economy of Motion). They also put emphasis on attacking and defending the “centerline” of the body, that is, if you draw a line from the center of your head all the way down to the groin. The reason for this is that most of the body’s weak points are concentrated along the centerline. So obviously, the centerline should be the focus of both the defense and the offense. Also, if you don’t attack your opponent’s centerline, your force is dissipated if he rolls with your blow. If you hit him on his centerline, he must absorb the strike’s full impact. And if you want to roll with his energy, you must make your centerline angle off from his attack. David Chow and Richard Spangler describe the stance and footwork of this new system the Five Elders invented in their book entitled KUNG FU: History, Philosophy and Technique. They wrote, “Master Jee’s (Chih Shan’s) initial instruction stressed close-quarter fighting methods. The stances were only fourteen inches wide. Four square feet would be enough room to perform an entire ‘set.’ His system was totally unlike the far-ranging jumping styles of the North, but it was extremely effective for combat in the confining alleys of China during the Ch’ing dynasty. Some streets were so narrow that they could not accept even the passage of a rickshaw or sedan chair. It could be compared to fighting in a twentieth-century clothes closet.” According to one tradition, it was Chih Shan that gave this new style the name of Yong Chun.
Actually, as yet, this was not White Crane (that is, not the “style” White Crane), but just the basic form of it. These new revisions in the stances, form and postures were the next major evolutionary change in the temple style, and were obviously the most important.
At this point, the 5 Elders still kept the traditional 10-year training method for some people who wished to stick with tradition. But, in the new training method designed specifically for rebels, they were taught three forms which could be learned in a few months, and took only three years to master them. This new method for the rebels was extremely rigorous, and focused on training them how to endure torture. Apparently, we can see this three-form training method in Five Elder systems such as Wing Chun and Mok Gar, which only have 3 forms.
According to one version the story, the head masters of Shaolin had developed the new streamlined Shaolin system and 3-year training method before the temple was burned down in 1673. These versions also say that they had quite a substantial fighting force already trained for the rebellion before the destruction. In other versions, they did not develop the new style, training method and fighting force until after the temple was burned down.
Chih Shan is also credited with creating the Shaolin “gauntlet.” In order to graduate from the temple, the monks would have to go through a series of booby traps, and would be attacked by his fellow monks. The last obstacle was an urn of burning iron filings that the monk had to pick up, weighing several hundred pounds. The monk had to use more than just his forearms to support it, so all along his arms and the top of his chest were burned. Each side of it had an emblem, usually of a dragon and a tiger. These were branded into his forearms, being his “certificate of graduation.”
Because of these new revisions, there became a split between the Northern and Southern Shaolin styles. The North retained the original exaggerated movements and form, and the South adopted the new streamlined and efficient form. When I say North, I don’t mean Honan Shaolin. I mean all the Shaolin practitioners in the North outside of Honan Shaolin. The reason I make this distinction is because Honan Shaolin was always in close contact with Fukien Shaolin, and there was always a heavy interchange. So Honan Shaolin implemented the new temple style form also. This knew style was known under the generic title of “Nan Q’uan” or Southern Fist, which is nothing other than the fundamentals of the White Crane. Many masters adopted it, which then created branch styles of it. For example, supposedly the Five Elders developed their own styles with various different forms that they each preferred, but with all the same basic postures and principles. For example, Fung Doe Duk created the Bak Fu Pai, or White Tiger System. Wu Mei supposedly created a style that she named after herself. It is interesting to note that modern day practitioners of the Yong Chun White Crane regard the Wu Mei style of Kung Fu as a sister style to the White Crane. They say that the Wing C hun style comes from that. Others say that Wing Chun comes directly from White Crane. Many attribute the origins of Chu Gar (Southern Praying Mantis) to this same family, as the basic form of it seems to indicate a very close relationship. The legendary material from Chu Gar also seems to suggest some definite affinities to White Crane legends, as we shall see. It mentions that Master Chu Fook To (Chou Ah-Nan, Chow Ah Naam or Chu Nan Cheh) who witnessed a fight between a Crane and a Praying Mantis. These legends claim that Chu Fook To was also a master of the Southern Shaolin Temple at the same time that the Five Elders were there. He was from the Ming Imperial Court, and had fled to the Southern Temple with many others. During this time of the rebellion, the Chu Gar style was actually nicknamed “Southern Praying Mantis” to hide its Shaolin origins and confuse it with the Northern Mantis style. Various branches of the Southern Mantis are known as the “Hakka” styles. Malaysian practitioners of that style practice the Southern Mantis in what is known as the Chuka kune or hukka. Some claim that the Mantis style was known as Hakka, because they were foreigners to the region where they moved. They claim that hakka (he chia), in this sense, means “guest people”. Some also say that the Bak Mei style is a direct descendant of the Southern Mantis.
Sometime around 1670, Manchu Emperor K’ang Hsi (who reigned 1662-1723) sent imperial troops against marauding bands in the western border areas, and they were defeated. So the Emperor asked for volunteers. 128 Fukien Shaolin monks responded to the call. However, it was not out of any sense of loyalty to the government, but to make it appear that they weren’t rebels. The monks defeated the enemy without a single casualty on their part. Despite the fact that the monks appeared innocent, the Manchu officials convinced the Emperor that it was not wise allow such a powerful force as Shaolin to exist, because if they were indeed rebels, they could cause them quite a problem at some future time. So in 1673 the Emperor ordered two generals to attack the Temple with thousands of soldiers. They besieged it and it was completely burned down. Legend has it that they were able to destroy it so easily because one of the monks betrayed Shaolin and sold out. According to one version of the story, after the destruction, the five went their separate ways and spent most of their time organizing the rebellion against the Manchu. They later became the figureheads of the Triad Societies. Legend has it that Chih Shan went back later sometime after the 1673 destruction of Fukien Shaolin and headed the effort to rebuild the temple. But again, how much validity there is to that is debatable.
There is no way to know if the stories about the Five Elders are real, but suffice it to say that they are symbolic of the five principles in the Shaolin style, just as the five animals are. If the legend is not real, at least it teaches us important principles. White Crane is what it is, regardless of who the true creators of it were. It is sufficient to know that artifacts were found at the site of Fukien Shaolin that link it to the rebellion against the Manchu, and as a result of that rebellion, a major change took place in the form of the Shaolin style. That much is fact, so we know there is some truth to this tale.
All of the following legends start where the legend of the Five Elders leaves off (with the destruction of Fukien Shaolin), and they all build upon it.
The second major legend about the White Crane is that of Wu Mei and Yan Yong Chun (Yim Weng Chun):
Wu Mei fled the destruction of the Fukien (Shaolin) Temple in 1673. She was hunted by Ching troops. So she sought refuge at the White Crane Temple in the Emei Mountains of Sichuan province. Another version of the story says that the White Crane Temple was in Yunnan. At that temple, Wu Mei witnessed a battle between a crane and a snake. The snake’s darting and coiling moves evaded the crane’s beak, while the crane swept the snake’s strikes away with skilful use of its wings. Other versions of the story allege that the second animal was not a snake, but that it was a fox, rodent or ape. Regardless of what it was, this inspired her to create a new martial arts system which she named “white crane boxing” (White Crane) style of Kung Fu, after the bird that had ultimately proven victorious in the fight.
Anyway, nearby the White Crane Temple, there was a village where Yan Yong Chun lived. Another version of the story says that Wu Mei met up with Yan Yong Chun in the Yong Chun Village of Fukien. This version of the story makes me question the validity of the claim that the White Crane Temple was in Sichuan. Since more versions of the story place Yan Yong Chun living in Fukien, I favor the idea that the White Crane temple itself was actually another temple in the area of Yong Chun that happened to be clandestinely affiliated with Fukien Shaolin. The story goes that eventually Wu Mei took Yan Yong Chun under her wing and taught her the new White Crane system she had developed. The story goes that Wu Mei was the one to give her the name of Yong Chun. Wu Mei concentrated only on the most essential, direct and effective techniques and training methods in her instruction. Yan Yong Chun trained day and night.
Then there is another version of the story where Yan Yong Chun was the witness to the crane and the other animal fighting rather than Wu Mei. One report says that Yan Yong Chun made a living as a professional fighter.
Incidentally, there are some other curious twists to the legends of Yan Yong Chun and Wu Mei. Another version of the legend says that the teacher of Wu Mei was a Shaolin Nun by the name of Wu Yong Chun (Ng Weng Chun or Ng Wing Chun). The Hung Gar style is another Five Elder style stemming from White Crane, and the originator of it was named Hung Hay-Gung. Another legend claims that Chih Shan taught him. In this legend Hung’s wife was named Fung Yong Chun. She was a student of Wu Mei, and a practitioner of White Crane. This same legend also credits Wu Mei as being the creator of White Crane. Incidentally, another source gives Wu Mei the name of Su-Niang (Su-Liang or Loi Sai-Leung).
The third major legend about the origin of White Crane is that of Fang Qi-Niang:
A Shaolin monk that had fled after the 1673 destruction of the Fukien temple (some say it was 1674) was Fang Zhonggong (also known as Fang Zhen-Dong, Fang Zhang-Guang, Fang Honshu, Fang Shi Yu and Fang Huishi.) His specialty style was the Shi Pa Lohan Fist (Shi Ba Luo Han Q’uan). He sought refuge in nearby Putian at the Shoalin Temple while awaiting the overthrow of the Manchu government for a time. Supposedly, this was another temple clandestinely affiliated with Shaolin. Later, he went to Yong Chun village. It was there that Zhonggong raised a family. His seventh daughter was named Fang Qi-Niang (Chi-Niang, Chi-Liang, or Ji-Niang). He taught her the Shaolin style. According to the Wu-be-zhi, one day some men from a neighboring village killed him. Qi-Niang had not yet mastered the Shaolin style, but she wanted to avenge her father’s death. She wondered how she could do it. One day while she was inside her house, she heard some strange noises coming from a grove of bamboo close to her house. She looked outside and there were two cranes fighting (or was it a mating dance of the crane some have suggested?). She noticed how they evaded each other’s attacks with such precision. She went out with a bamboo pole to try to scare them away. She tried to separate the two cranes with the pole. Each time she would swing or poke the pole at them, they would evade her every move, and finally they flew off. She was struck by this and pondered it. Another version of the story is this. One day she was on her way home from washing clothes, and she saw a crane on the roof of her house. She was worried that the crane would damage the clothes she hung out to dry. So she took a bamboo pole and attempted to scare the crane away. When she would try to hit the crane’s head, it would evade the pole and extend its wings to defend against the strike. When she would try to hit the crane’s wings, it would evade the strike and use its claws to deflect the blow. When she would try to poke the crane with the pole, the crane would evade, and strike the pole with its beak. This principle of evasion helped her to understand the true principle of hard and soft. Soon she set out to evaluate the fighting methods of the crane. After that, she would always go out to the river near her house to watch the cranes and study their methods. She used the Shaolin system that her father had taught her as a base, and incorporated her interpretation of the fighting methods of the crane into it. She trained diligently for three years in her new method, and turned into an unusually skillful fighter. After she had become more enlightened, she did not seek revenge anymore on those who had murdered her father. She was undefeated, and her style became very popular in and around Fukien. It had a heavy influence on the Fukien Shaolin martial arts. Her story teaches some very important concepts from the White Crane.