The History of Fighting

Takasugi Shinsaku, a Kendo practitioner from 19th Century Japan

Adolph Wolgast fighting Tommy Murphy in February 1913

More vintage boxing pictures

Wu Quanyou (1834–1902), or Wu Ch'uan-yu as he was also known was a t’ai chi ch’uan  master from China. He taught many great exponents of the art including his son, Wu Chien-ch'uan who created the Wudang style of t'ai chi ch'uan, and Maozhai who was the creator of the Northern Wu Style Wang. Wu Quanyou is believed to have had great abilities; in particular he excelled in skills that involved neutralizing hard external energy and developing the flow of soft internal energy (chi).

More legendary masters from martial arts history

JasmineSimhalan practicing kalaripayattu, an ancient
Indian martial art that is reported to be over 3,000 years old.

An engraving featuring Manduca da Praia and a group of capoeira fighters.

A mural painting from a wall in the Shaolin Temple in the Chinese province of Henan, (c.early 1800s).

A diagram from Agrippa's Treatise - See more

Camillo Agrippa is a legend of fencing who is widely considered to be one of the greatest fencing theorists of all time. He invented the four positions of fencing, (prime, seconde, tierce, and quarte) and suggested that the sword should be held in front of the body rather than behind. Through the use of common sense and geometric theory, Agrippa’s work, Treatise on the Science of Arms with Philosophical Dialogue (1553), changed the art of fencing profoundly in ways that are still relevant to this day.

More Legends of Fencing

Meikyo (Bright/Polished Mirror) was renamed by Gichin Funakoshi (above) from its original name, Rohai meaning ‘Vision of a Crane’ (though many styles still use the old name). The kata comes from the Tomari-te school where it was a set of three, Rohai Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan.

These kata were probably invented by Sensei Anko Itosu, with the techniques being derived from a much longer version of Rohai which was possibly invented by Kosaku Matsumora, suggested by the fact that it was known as Matsumora Rohai. Although all three of Itosu’s Rohai are still taught in some styles, in Shotokan kata, Meikyo is the only one and may have been invented as a combination of all three, but who exactly put them together to invent the kata is a mystery.

More Kata History