Origin of Yang family jian
ByIt’s going to be weapons this week, folks. Lots of good info out there right now that happens to show up at the time that my curiosity over these matters is already high. Enjoy.
The following is a post made long ago by Bob over at KFonline. I’m listing it here because it’s a great piece on the origins of Yang family straight sword. As it turns out, the Yang hand form may have been derived from the Chen’s, but the Yang weapons appear to have come into the lineage from sources other than the Chens, making the two clans weapons systems different.
This is an on-going research project of mine, so if anyone has any info PLEASE let me know.
This is an old article regarding the history of the taiji sword. Any additions or comments would be greatly appreciated.
I have this old piece from SUMMER 1994, VOL. 2, NO. 2, THE JOURNAL OF THE CHEN STYLE TAIJIQUAN RESEARCH ASSOCIATION OF HAWAII. The article is entitled:
“Notes on the Taiji Sword (Taiji Jian)”
In a recent book about Taiji sword (jian) by Li De-Yin [Taiji Jian Ru Men], Introduction to Taiji Sword, Beijing, 1993, the author currently states in his Preface: “In the historical materials on Taijiquan currently available, it is very difficult to locate any records on Taiji sword.” In the [Chen Shi Jia Pu] and [Quan Xie Pu] one can’t find any written record; in Li Yi-Yu’s hand copied edition of Wang Zong-Yue’s [Taijiquan Pu] one also can’t find any record; in the records of Jian Fa, Yang Lu-Chan, and Wu Yu-Xiang studying or teaching martial art there is also no mention to be found [sword, jian].” [Li De-Yin is the nephew of Li Tian-Ji (b. 1915) learned martial arts from his father Li Yu-Lin 1885-1965 (Sun and Yang style Taiji, Xingyi, and Shaolin, etc.) as well as Wudang sword from General Li Jing-Lin (Fang-Chen) in the early 1930s.
The Wudang Sword of Li Jing-Lin
"In 1930, the famous veteran martial artist Li Jing-Lin arrived in Jinan and set up the "Shandong Province Martial Arts School" [Shandong Sheng Guoshu Guan], inviting my father Li Yu-Lin to come to Shandong from Shanghai to assume the post of Head of Instruction (jiao wu zhu ren) for the school. At that time I was just 18, and was a student at the school. At this time, I had the opportunity to learn the Wudang sword art from Mr. Li Jing-Lin. Counting the prearranged routines (tao lu) of the Wudang sword art, there was one solo practice set, 6 sets of dual (two person) training, among these the 6th set was moving-step (huo bu) dual training, there was also a free-form training (san jian) [not a prearranged set].
Mr. Li Jing-Lin was a native of Zaoqiang County, Hebei Province, from an early age he had an intense liking for martial arts, he graduated from the Baoding Military Officiers’ School, he served as the commander fo the First Army of the [Feng Jun or Liaoning] army [under the warlord Zhang Zuo-Lin], and as Military Governor (jun wu du ban) of Hebei Province. After 1925, under the suspicion of Zhang Zuo-Lin, he was summarily dismissed. Afterwards, he devoted all his efforts to martial arts activites. Lin Jing-Ling himslef said that he had studied his Wudang Sword with an unusual person from Northern Anhui Province, Chen Shi-Jun. In reality, this was a fabrication, because there isn’t any record of this person (having existed). In acutal fact, Li Jing-Lin learned his Wudang sword from Song Wei-Yi of Beizhen in Liaoning Province.
In 1922, while garrisoning the JinZhou area [Liaoning Province] one of his officers, Ding Qi-Rui, became acquainted with a martial arts expert Song Wei-Yi. Song was skilled in Baguazhang and the art of the sword, and, had written a work [on the sword] in 3 parts entitled [Wudang Jian Pu Zhang Xiang Wu has hand-copies of this]. Because of this, Li went to visit him at his residence, and, he implored Song to demonstrate with a performance of his sword art. Later, he also invited Song as a guest to his residence in Tianjin, treating him as a distinguished visitor, requesting of Song that he teach him his barehanded boxing method and sword art. Stuyding with him were Li Jing-Ling’s officers Jiang Xing-Shan, Guo Qi-Feng, Ding Qi-Rui, and Zhang Xian (Zhang Xiang Wu). At that time, the sword art of Song Wei-Yi mainly made use of solo practice practice and free-form practice (san lian). After Li Jing-Lin obtained this art, he expended great effort, performing extensive research (on the art), and, on the basis of of the foundation of solo practice, he also created 6 two person traiing sets (dui lian tao lu). Because of this he enjoyed a reputation in the martial arts circles for his superb sword technique. [from Zenyang Lian Wudang Jian] [How to practice the Wudang Sword by Li Tian-Ji, as included in the compliation [Wudang Jue Ji - Mi Ben Zhen Ben Hui Bian (Xu Ji) Changchun 1989. pp. 21-22
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There is much more in the article but its pretty choppy and no mention of how the sword got into the Yang lineage is indicated, other than Yang Lu Chan didn't have it.
The article traces out the entire history of taiji from Chen and states: "Naturally, the Taiji sword split accordingly into the different schools. However, at present, there still are not written expostion on the Taiji sword of each of the schools, so it isn't possible to know exaclty their differences." p. 21
"It is also possible to maintain that the art of the Taiji swor was the product of a later graft of an unspecified sword art onto the already existing system consisting of Taijiquan., the Taiji broadsword, spear and staff. Li De-Yin proposes, in his (taiji Jian Ru Men, p. 13) that "according to [unspecified research], each of the present-day styles of taiji sword can be seen as having been derived from one of 3 types of sword, the “Xuan Hua” sword, the “San Cai” sword, and the “Qian Kun” sword.” p.18
I may read through and post a couple more pieces regarding Chen sword.
Doc Fai Wong wrote that Song Wei Yi and Yang Ban Hou traded form for sword and that is how the Taiji sword came to be in the Yang family lineage. As stated earlier, there is no documented evidence or even oral history that Yang Lu Chan practiced a jian form. Oral history says he practiced a spear and dao.
This still doesn’t address how it came to be in the Chen family lineage.
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3 Comments
March 6th, 2007 at 7:53 am
My Taiji is from Yang Banhou, and from what I am lead to believe, Yang Banhou did not practice jian. At the very least he did not teach it. He apparently was very good at spear. It is unlikely that Yang Luchan did either, since much of his teaching was training militia men and the royal family.
I would say the most likely origin point for jian in Yang taiji is Chen Wei Ming. Chen of course was a student of Sun Lutang and had also studied with Li Jin Lin as well as with Chenfu. All four of these men were quite close and did a lot of cross pollinating and sharing. Sun and Chen were both scholars and Li was a general, leaving Yang as the single illiterate one of the bunch. So we are deprived of writings from Chenfu himself.
Although Chen claims he learned jian from Chenfu I suspect that this a matter of face, because in his book “taijijian” he does say that Chenfu did not teach a specific set. It is likely that they worked together to formulate the famous set using jian fa and taiji. Chen’s book is also the oldest record of that set.
This is just my opinion based on my teacher’s and grandteacher’s statments and stories.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Unfortunately for formal researchers, much of the martial art of previous generations is out of reach. A teacher whose credentials are impeccably connected to the earliest Yang family orally advised me that indeed Luchan & his sons did have a sword practice.
A well known professor emeritus at a well known Chinese U also has some interesting research documents on the early practice. When Luchan & his 2nd & 3rd sons arrived in Beijing, they did do a practice a sword. Though it is probably not recognized today. Somewhere after the death of Chengfu, those who emphasized form started tying tassels to swords for competition. Therein marked a major change in the practice.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Ugh….tassels. I hate them. Leroy, when is your book on the Yang family sword coming out?