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What?

Is the first rule of martial art?

ALWAYS PROTECT THE VITAL POINTS.

jibadojo

Basic Kamae of Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-Ryu

sifu-kisu

Ku Yu Cheong (Gu Ru Zhang) Gu Ru Zhang (1893 - 1952)

Grandmaster Gu Ru Zhang Gu was born in Kiangsu, a province of China, into a martial family. His father, Gu Li Zhi, was an expert in the Tan Tui (Spring Leg) style as well as leaping and throwing projectile weapons. With these skills Gu’s father worked as a security guard to protect people’s money and valuables. The young Gu loved martial arts and learned them from his father.

At 12 Gu learned the 10 Road Tan Tui, a very famous form. But two years later, Gu’s father died. Li Zhi told Gu, before his death, to continue with school then to delve into martial training. He then gave Gu the name Yan Yun Qi in Shandong. Gu found it impossible to wait and with two years was on the road to Shantung. He was accompanied by his cousin Ba Jing Xiang. They reached the Yan family village located in Feicheng, Shantung province and tried to locate “Great Spear Yin.”

When they introduced himself, and Gu announced who he was, Yan was touched. Gu’s father had saved his life in their mutual protection profession and he felt a strong attachment to Gu. Yin determined to teach the young man without holding anything back.

For six months he made Gu relearn the ten roads of Tan Tui. After seeing the determination in Gu he forged ahead with eleven more years of instuction with particular emphasis on Iron Palm and Iron Body. In that time the skills passed on to him included:

Ten Road Tan Tui The Ten Core Sets of Shaolin 24 Skill Spear Plum Blossom Double Sabers The Small Golden Bell Chi Kung The Iron Palm of Shaolin

At one point, on receiving word of his mother’s death, Gu had to leave Yin village. Back in Nanking Gu lived with cousin Ba. They would practice together and Gu slowly gained a reputation and became known as “Spear God Gu.”

1925 saw Gu employed in Guangzhou as a clerk by the Finance Minister. It was during this time that Gu became famous. The telling incident, witnessed by many including one Wang Xian Sheng, was this:

A Russian circus was in town and had posed an open challenge that if anyone could take its “fighting horse” kicking three times there would be a $1000 purse - an enormous amount for the time. Many tied and were humiliated and injured. This was just another spirit busting example that the Chinese people were being subjected to at the time. Guo came forward and took the challenge with one stricture. He didn’t want the money, he said, he wanted to take the three kicks then be allowed to slap the horse. The circus agreed to the terms. Guo went to the arena and allowed the horse to kick him once. Unbeliveably he took the strike. Then again. Then again, his Golden Bell training preserving him. Next he took a short break, gathered his energy and re entered the area. It was his turn and he struck the horse on the flank so hard it staggered and crumpled. The crowd went wild. A postmortem was performed one the horse attended, with others, by the famous Eagle Claw master Lao Fa Meng (father of Lily and Jeannie Lau). No external wound was found on the horse but the internal organs were badly damaged.

From this public demonstration Gu earned two more nick names: “The Hero of San Shiang” and “Iron Palm Gu.”

Next he was hired as head drill instructor for the Central Guo Shu government military institute. This was a very prestigious organization trying to bring the spirit of marital arts into the twentieth century and strengthen China’s self image. Here Gu met General Li Jing Lin, the greatest sword expert in China, and learned his famous Wu Dang sword along with the Yang Tai Chi Sword through Yang Bian Hou. Guo also met Sun Lu Tang who taught him Xing Yi and Sun style Tai Chi.

In their efforts to strengthen and modernize Kung Fu the government held a tournament at Nanking in October of 1928. This ended up being one of the most important events in Kung Fu history for its time. Gu entered the tournament and placed in the top fifteen, important in itself since this was not a “safe” tornament but a dangerous competition. From this tournament the government decided to pick five representatives for deceminating Northern Kung Fu into Southern China. These five special teachers were: Gu Ru Zhang, Wan Lai Sheng, Fu Zhen Song, Wang Shao Chou and Li Xian Wu. These were the “Five Northern Tigers traveling South.”

Two military academies were set up known as the Liang Guang Province Academies. Wan Lai Sheng was chosen as the chairman of both and Gu was make head instructor. Wan and Gu became friends and this allowed Gu to learn some of the Six Harmony and Zi Ran (Natural) styles. He also met Chen Chan Sheng and learned the essence of the Cha (Muslim) Kung Fu. However the turns of politics closed the school. After much consideration a new direction was chosen and a public school called the Guangzhou Martial Arts School was formed. Gu was chosen as head instructor.

Near this school was another teaching Choy Lai Fut ( a famous and powerful Southern style). The teacher there was Tan San. Both men became friends, a amazing turn of events considering the issues of pride between Southern and Northern stylists. They even exchanged advanced students and to this day there is a branch of Choy Lai Fut which teaches some Northern Shaolin forms.

When the Japanese invaded in the early ‘30’s, Gu went north to fight. The school was maintained by Long Zi Xiang.

Roll your cursor over picture to see the most famous Iron Palm photo of the 20th Century. In 1931 Gu repeated his now famous Iron Palm skill. An award of $200.00 was posted for anyone who could get near a horse owned by Russians. Gu approached the horse, slapped it “lightly”. The horse halted, dazed. The next day it was dead. Once again an autopsy revealed ruptured organs. This proved Gu’s fame as one of the greatest Iron Palm experts.

In 1932 Ho Qian, the Chairman of Hopei, hired Gu as head instructor of the Hopei Province Academy. He also learned Tai Chi and Dragon Shape sword directly from Guo. While there Liu Sen Yim, a famous swordsman, challenged Gu but Ho Qian disallowed the duel saying martial arts was better served by other uses. This was also the year in which Gu opened a clinic for trauma treatment.

1934 and Gu returned to Guandong hired by Chen Chi Tang as the principle Wu Shu instructor for the Eight Army. Teaching Ho Qian’s son and giving private lessons took so much time that Guo had Yan Xiang Wu take over his teaching duties.

In the 1940’s Guo decided he was tired of teaching martial arts and retired. He was never publically seen again. He died in 1952.

He had lived a life of passionate love of the martial arts. Unusual for his time, he had established friendships where normally there was enmity. He left many students behind but most of the present generations derived through Yan Xiang Wu, as do those associated with this site.

sifu-kisu

It’s snows in LA….

#Just not on us

we-are-star-stuff

An Introduction to M-theory

In non-technical terms, M-theory presents an idea about the basic substance of the universe.

In the early years of the 20th century, the atom – long believed to be the smallest building-block of matter – was proven to consist of even smaller components called protons, neutrons and electrons, which are known as subatomic particles. Beginning in the 1960s, other subatomic particles were discovered. In the 1970s, it was discovered that protons and neutrons (and other hadrons) are themselves made up of smaller particles called quarks. Quantum mechanics is the set of rules that describes the interactions of these particles.

In the 1980s, a new mathematical model of theoretical physics called string theory emerged. It showed how all the particles, and all of the forms of energy in the universe, could be constructed by hypothetical one-dimensional “strings”, infinitesimal building-blocks that have only the dimension of length, but not height nor width. Further, string theory suggested that the universe is made up of multiple dimensions. Height, width, and length constitute three-dimensional space, and time gives a total of four observable dimensions; however, string theories initially supported the possibility of ten dimensions – the remaining six of which we cannot detect directly. This was later increased to 11 dimensions based on various interpretations of the ten dimensional theory that led to five partial theories as described below. Super-gravity theory also played a significant part in establishing the necessity of the 11th dimension.

These “strings” vibrate in multiple dimensions, and depending on how they vibrate, they might be seen in three-dimensional space as matter, light, or gravity. It is the vibration of the string which determines whether it appears to be matter or energy, and every form of matter or energy is the result of the vibration of strings.

String theory, as mentioned above, ran into a problem: another version of the equations was discovered, then another, and then another. Eventually, there were five major string theories. Each theory is fundamentally based on vibrating, one-dimensional strings at approximately the length of the planck length. Calculations have also shown that each theory requires more than the normal four spacetime dimensions. The main differences between each theory were principally the number of dimensions in which the strings developed, and their characteristics (some were open loops, some were closed loops, etc.). Furthermore, all these theories appeared to be correct. Scientists were not comfortable with five seemingly contradictory sets of equations to describe the same thing.

In 1994, a string theorist named Edward Witten of the Institute for Advanced Study and other important researchers considered that the five different versions of string theory might be describing the same thing seen from different perspectives. They proposed a unifying theory called “M-theory”, in which the “M” is not specifically defined, but is generally understood to stand for “membrane”. The words “matrix”, “mother”, “monster”, “mystery”, “magic” have also been claimed. M-theory brought all of the string theories together. It did this by asserting that strings are really 1-dimensional slices of a 2-dimensional membrane vibrating in 11-dimensional space.

M-theory is not complete, but the underlying structure of the mathematics has been established and is in agreement with all the string theories. Furthermore, it has passed many tests of internal mathematical consistency.

To the critics, however, these mathematical developments still don’t answer the nagging question: how do you test it? Since string theory is really a theory of creation, when all its beautiful symmetries were in their full glory, the only way to test it, the critics wail, is to re-create the Big Bang itself, which is impossible. But most string theorists think these criticisms are silly. They believe that the critics have missed the point. The key point is this: if the theory can be solved non-perturbatively using pure mathematics, then it should reduce down at low energies to a theory of ordinary protons, electrons, atoms, and molecules, for which there is ample experimental data. If we could completely solve the theory, we should be able to extract its low energy spectrum, which should match the familiar particles we see today in the Standard Model. Thus, the real problem is raw brain power: of only we were clever enough, we could write down M-theory, solve it, and settle everything.

Physicist and author Michio Kaku has remarked that M-theory may present us with a “Theory of Everything" which is so concise that its underlying formula would fit on a T-shirt. Stephen Hawking originally believed that M-theory may be the ultimate theory but later suggested that the search for understanding of mathematics and physics will never be complete.

Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow, in the popular scientific book The Grand Design, take a philosophical position to support a view of the universe as a multiverse, and define it in the book as model-dependent realism which along with a sum-over-histories approach to the universe as a whole, is used to claim that M-theory is the only candidate for a complete theory of the universe.

The evolution of this theory can be summarized as: Principle -> Symmetry -> Action -> Quantum Theory. According to Witten, the fundamental problem has been that string theory has been evolving backwards. As Witten says, “string theory is 21st century physics which fell into the 20th century by accident”. We were never “meant” to see this theory until the next century. Witten certainly believes we are on the right track, but we need a few more “revolutions” to finally solve the theory: “I think there are still a couple more superstring revolutions in our future, at least. If we can manage one more superstring revolution a decade, I think that we will do all right”.

Sources: 1 2 3

sifu-kisu

Quote if the day:

"You’ve disguise your self as a samurai like an actor in a cheap comedy." -Budo Proverb

avafanstuff

Mugen and Gene are the iconic Samurai, polar opposites of an infinite martial spectrum.

sifu-kisu

Double Saber Style used by Zuko and the Blue Spirit.

avafanstuff

I miss Zuko

An interesting moment for sure (TT)

I love the fans.

Love the Piandao efforts.

Master Piandao Thumbnailsby ~QartuneQueen

A few thumbnails and poses of Master Piandao, Sokka's sword master, and arguably one of the best masters on the show. ^^ Fun Fact: Master Piandao was designed after Sifu Kisu, the martial arts teacher whose moves are used as references for ATLA. Master Piandao (c) Mike DiMartino and Brian Konietzko

Sifu Kisu Chibi by *Booter-Freak ((I love this one))

A little giftart for Sifu Kisu! Who translates surprisingly well into chibi-form, for being Avatar's authority on asskicking and all. Looking forward to seeing what Sifu Kisu and the gang come up with for Legend of Korra! 8)

Sokka's Master by =Pretty-Angel

This is one of my Favorite pieces of Fan art by DA Pretty-Angel:)

Sokka's Masterby =Pretty-Angel

"Are you worthy?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My goodness - I'm becoming a fan artist. Watched the episode "Sokka's Master" and had to paint Piandao. I just love the character. Sorry for messy background. Submitted this artwork for *BanishedPrince's Artcontest. Theme: Aavatar Book 3 Fire [link] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Piandao and Pai Sho Lotus stone is not mine... blah blah... you know that stuff. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sifu Kisu was using my artwork as a part of his myspace background for a while. [link] He is responsible for the martial arts in Avatar - The Last Airbender and the character design of Piandao is based upon him. Thanks to *Maseiya for informing me about that and *Ethereal-Glutton for you-know-what.

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