Showing Tag: "" (Show all posts)

Bendigo

Posted by on Saturday, April 20, 2024, In : Art

Bendy’s Sermon Poem by poem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about Bendigo, the well-known Nottingham bare-knuckle boxer and gangster that went on to convert to Christianity and become a preacher:

You didn’t know of Bendigo! Well, that knocks me out!

Who’s your board school teacher? What’s he been about?

Chock-a-block with fairy-tales full of useless cram,

And never heard o’ Bendigo, the pride of Nottingham!

Bendy’s short for Bendigo. You should see him peel!

Half of him was whalebone, half of...

Ishikawa Goemon

Posted by on Saturday, March 23, 2024, In : Art

Ishikawa Goemon (1558 –1594) was a ninja from Iga in Japan and is seen as a Robin Hood-type figure and legendary Japanese outlaw (who at least probably existed) and is said to have stolen from daimyo, wealthy merchants, and rich temples and given the proceeds to the poor. In 1594, Goemon tried to assassinate the Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi but when this failed, he was boiled alive. In some versions of the tale, his five-year-old son was also thrown into the cauldron, but he held him above his...
Continue reading ...

Tyson, Ali & Jackson

Posted by on Saturday, February 17, 2024, In : Photography

Michael Jackson with Mike Tyson (top) and Muhammad Ali (bottom).

Via Film Scenes
Continue reading ...

Richard Bong

Posted by on Saturday, February 10, 2024, In : Photography

Richard "Dick" Ira Bong (1920 – 1945) was a United States Army Air Forces major who won the Medal of Honour for his aviation exploits in World War Two. He was America’s top fighter pilot during the war, with forty confirmed Japanese aircraft down by his Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter.

Bong considered himself to be a poor shot so to compensate, he would get very close to his target, sometimes even flying through the debris of exploding planes. His exploits include:

He was once caught alone ...

Lady Archers

Posted by on Saturday, February 3, 2024, In : Art

"In 1787, “several young ladies” who shot with the Royal British Bowmen – the first British sporting society to admit women – were said to have “added to their conquests the hearts of young gentlemen of honour and fortune”, with the society responsible for the marriage of “not a few happy couples”, according to a newspaper report ...The more spectacular archery tournaments were usually held on private grounds of the landed gentry and were seen very much as a wider opportunity ...

The Monkey Stick

Posted by on Sunday, January 28, 2024, In : Gifs

Shaolin apprentice demonstrates the monkey stick as a part of his eleven year training to become a Shaolin warrior monk.

Sacred Wonders - BBC

Indian Suffragettes

Posted by on Monday, December 18, 2023, In : Photography

Top - Lolita Roy who worked tirelessly to help education Indian women and to gain them the vote in India.

Middle - Princess Sophia Duleep Singh who used her privileged position to help the suffrage cause.

Bottom - Both women pictured together (centre of the picture).

bristol.ac.uk

Sakujiro Yokoyama's Account of a Samurai Duel

Posted by on Saturday, October 14, 2023, In : Proverbs & Quotes

The following quote was recorded by the early Western judoka E. J. Harrison in his book The Fighting Spirit of Japan (1913). It is an account from a fellow judoka, Sakujiro Yokoyama (pictured above) of a samurai duel that he witnessed as a child in Japan.

"I can carry my memory back to the days when all samurai wore the two swords and used them as well when necessity arose. When quite a boy I accidentally witnessed an exciting duel to the death between a ronin [an unattached samurai] and three...

Corinthian Helmet

Posted by on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, In : Photography

A Corinthian helmet that was found in Greece in 1834 still containing the scull of its wearer. It's believed to date from the Battle of Marathon which was fought between Greek and Persian forces in 490 BCE. This battle gave rise to the legend of Pheidippides, the Athenian messenger who ran throughout Greece to warn of the impending battle, a feat that the modern marathon is based on.

Ranker

Tametomo and the Wolf Pups

Posted by on Sunday, June 25, 2023, In : Art

Tametomo and the Wolf Pups by artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (797–1861).

collections.mfa.org

Continue reading ...

Fist of Fury

Posted by on Saturday, June 24, 2023, In : Photography

Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury.
Continue reading ...

Muhammad Ali & Zbigniew Pietrzykowski

Posted by on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, In : Photography

Top: Muhammad Ali & Zbigniew Pietrzykowski of Poland after Ali won their bout in the 1960 Olympic finals in Rome in the light heavyweight division.

Bottom: The two are collecting their medals along with Giulio Saraudi (Italy) and Anthony Madigan (Australia) who both came joint third.

Continue reading ...

Spartacus

Posted by on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, In : Art

A 19th-century illustration of Spartacus.

Floyd Mayweather Jr Vs Manny Pacquiao

Posted by on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, In : Photography

Floyd Mayweather Jr (left) Vs Manny Pacquiao in their 2015 welterweight bout which Mayweather won in a unanimous decision.

Press Gang

Posted by on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, In : Art

A 1780 caricature of a press gang operating for the British armed forces.

en.wikipedia.org

Continue reading ...

Serbian Soldier

Posted by on Monday, June 5, 2023, In : Photography

A heavily-armed Serbian soldier from WWII

Via Pinterest
Continue reading ...

Native American Archer

Posted by on Monday, June 5, 2023, In : Photography

A Native American archer, probably from the 1880s. His bow appears to be a self-bow, i.e., made from one piece of wood
and his 1883 US Army shirt and woven canvas cartridge suggest he may have been a scout.

Source: truewestmagazine.com

Queen Boudicca Quote

Posted by on Saturday, June 3, 2023, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"I am not fighting for my kingdom and wealth. I am fighting as an ordinary person for my lost freedom...Consider how many of you are fighting, and why.
Then you will win this battle, or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do! Let the men live in slavery if they will."

~ Queen Boudicca ~

Read more about Queen Boudicca

Tatsuya Naka

Posted by on Saturday, June 3, 2023, In : Photography

Tatsuya Naka – 7th Dan in Shotokan karate

Via travel67.com
Continue reading ...

Judo Pics

Posted by on Saturday, June 3, 2023, In : Photography

Images from: kreedon.com
Continue reading ...

Jade Xu

Posted by on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, In : Gifs

Jade Xu
Continue reading ...

Polybius

Posted by on Sunday, January 31, 2021, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Gigo Funakoshi

Posted by on Sunday, January 31, 2021, In : Photography

Yoshitaka “Gigo” Funakoshi, who helped with the development of Shotokan karate along side his father, Gichin Funakoshi.

Image Source: the-dojo.org

Three Heroes of Three Kingdoms

Posted by on Sunday, January 24, 2021, In : Art

Liu Bei (left), Guan Yu (back) and Zhang Fei (right) in an illustration of the Romance of the three Kingdoms. Three Heroes of Three Kingdoms, silk painting by By Sekkan Sakurai (1715-1790).

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

General Lee Surrendering to Grant at Appomattox

Posted by on Friday, January 15, 2021, In : Art

General Lee Surrendering to Grant at Appomattox by Alonzo Chappel c. 1870.

Source: npg.si.edu

The Battle of the Colline Gate

Posted by on Friday, January 15, 2021, In : Art

A depiction of The Battle of the Colline Gate (82 BCE), when Lucius Cornelius Sulla entered Rome with his forces for the second time and defeated his enemies, the Marians. After the battle Sulla would declare himself Dictator of the Republic.

Image Source: historyhit.com
Continue reading ...

The Death of Brutus

Posted by on Thursday, January 14, 2021, In : Art

Death of the Consul Lucius Junius Brutus in a duel with Aruns by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

After usurping the last king of Rome Tarquinius Superbus (R. 535-510 BCE), Lucius Junius Brutus founded the Roman Republic. Here, his death is depicted at the hands of his cousin Arruns Tarquinius, the second son of the usurped king, when they fought in single combat during the Battle of Silva Arsia and simultaneously speared each other to death.

Image Source: meisterdrucke.uk

Edward Aston

Posted by on Saturday, January 9, 2021, In : Photography

Edward Aston, who won the title of Britain’s Strongest Man in 1911 and held it for over twenty years until he retired undefeated.

Source: breakingmuscle.com
Continue reading ...

George S Patton

Posted by on Saturday, January 9, 2021, In : Photography

George S. Patton, pictured as a Lieut. Col. in 1918 with a French Renault tank (top), and as a Lt. Gen. in 1943 alongside Lt. Col. Lyle Bernard (bottom).

Source: wikipedia.org

Louis Vs. Schmeling

Posted by on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, In : Photography

Joe Louis pictured just before his fight with Max Schmeling in 1938 (top) and squaring up to his German foe in preparation for their bout (bottom). It took Louis a little over two minutes to win the match which many see as the first time white America rooted for a black person over a white one. This was due to tensions between the United States and the German Nazi Party and years later, Louis would state:

“White Americans, even while some of them were lynching black people in the South, were...

Korean Archer Representing a Silla Hwarang

Posted by on Saturday, July 18, 2020, In : Photography

A photograph of a Korean archer representing a Silla Hwarang, taken in 2006. The Hwarang (Flower Knights) were highly trained group of elite warriors who fought for the Silla kingdom during the unification of the three kingdoms of Korea in the seventh century and lasted up until around the tenth century as a fighting unit.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Korean Archery 1901

Posted by on Saturday, July 18, 2020, In : Art

Minoru Mochizuki

Posted by on Thursday, June 25, 2020, In : Photography

Minoru Mochizuki, who in 1931 established Yoseikan Aikido which incorporates techniques from karate, judo and aikido.

The Kings of Rome

Posted by on Monday, April 6, 2020, In : Art

According to Titus Livius there were seven kings of Rome from 625 - 510 BCE. From top to bottom they were; Romulus (R. 753-715 BCE), Numa Pompilius (R. 715-673 BCE), Tullus Hostilius (R. 673-642 BCE), Ancus Marcius (R. 642-616 BCE), Tarquinius Priscus (R. 616-579 BCE), Servius Tullius (R. 578-535 BCE) and Tarquinius Superbus (R. 535-510 BCE).
Continue reading ...

Dr AnnMaria De Mars

Posted by on Thursday, April 2, 2020, In : Photography

Ronda Rousey's mother Dr AnnMaria De Mars, who in 1984 became the first American to win to win a gold medal at the World Judo Championships.

Jackie Chan - Supercop

Posted by on Thursday, April 2, 2020, In : Photography

Jackie Chan in a scene from Supercop.

Via nytimes.com
Continue reading ...

Bill Richmond

Posted by on Thursday, April 2, 2020, In : Art

Bill Richmond, the former American slave who fled to Britain and became a bare-knuckle boxer and boxing coach. Depicted above in a hand coloured etching from 1810 and below, stood behind his student Thomas Molineaux in a depiction of his 1811 fight with the champion Tom Cribb.

Continue reading ...

Joseon Period Korean Archery

Posted by on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, In : Art

A painting by Kim Hong Do showing a seonbi (an intellectual from the Joseon Dynasty) using a bow and arrow during the 18th century Joseon Period of Korean history.

Source: antiquealive.com

Koichi Tohei

Posted by on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, In : Photography

Koichi Tohei, who in 1974 established the Shinshin Toitsu style of aikido which has an emphasis on the use of internal energy, so much so that it is often referred to as the Ki Society.
Continue reading ...

Aristotle Tutoring Alexander the Great

Posted by on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, In : Art

Aristotle Tutoring Alexander the Great, by American Painter Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1904).
Continue reading ...

Romulus and Remus

Posted by on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, In : Art

An image depicting two consecutive events taking place on the bank of the Tiber: Romulus and Remus, the mythical founders of Rome, are being suckled by a wolf while being discovered by the shepherd Faustulus. Above that, Faustulus is giving the infants to his wife Laurentia as the two go on to adopt the twins. The image was drawn in 1480 by the Master of the White Inscriptions and is currently housed at the British Library.

Source: wikimedia.org
Continue reading ...

Rosie the Riveter

Posted by on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, In : Photography

The famous poster “Rosie the Riveter,” created by J. Howard Miller in 1943 and used to recruit women into the factories to help the war effort and beneath it a photo of wartime worker Naomi Parker that is widely believed to have inspired the “Rosie the Riveter” poster.

allthatsinteresting.com

Continue reading ...

Mabuni Kenwa Kata Application

Posted by on Thursday, March 26, 2020, In : Photography

An image from Mabuni Kenwa's book; Karate Do Nyumon, (1938) showing Taira Shinken and Mabuni Kenwa demonstrating kata applications.

Source: ryukyu-bugei.com

Be Water My Friend

Posted by on Thursday, March 26, 2020, In : Gifs

Chen Wangting

Posted by on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, In : Art

Chen Wangting (1580–1660), seated in this picture, he is often credited with creating Tai Chi Chuan and is the founder of Chen Tai Chi.

Continue reading ...

Nagoya Castle

Posted by on Friday, August 30, 2019, In : Photography

Nagoya Castle, home and possibly the birth place of Oda Nobunaga which was later restored by Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Source: wikipedia.org

Ashikaga Takauji

Posted by on Friday, August 30, 2019, In : Art

An image of the Ashikaga Shogunate from the fourteenth century, painted by Yoshitsuya c.1850. The image depicts (left to right), Toki Yorito, the shogun Ashikaga Takauji and Akamatsu Goro Noritada.

Source: artsanddesignsjapan.com
Continue reading ...

Takauji Ashikaga

Posted by on Monday, December 3, 2018, In : Art

Takauji Ashikaga, shogun of Japan from 1338–1358 who was the first of the Ashikaga shogunate and who ushered in theMuromachi Period (1338-1573) after usurping power from the emperor Go-Daigo.

Source: wikipedia.org

Trench Raiding Club

Posted by on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, In : Photography

Wire cutters (left) and maces (right). These home made maces, known as Trench Raiding Clubs, were used by both sides during World War One to finish off wounded enemy soldiers. These examples are housed at the Tre Sassi museum at Passo di Valparola (Belluno).

Souce: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Joe Frazier Vs. Muhammad Ali

Posted by on Thursday, November 1, 2018, In : Photography

Joe Frazier knocking down Muhammad Ali in the 15th round of their 1971 encounter at Madison Square Gardens. Frazier went on to win the fight on a points decision becoming the first man to defeat Ali in the ring.

Continue reading ...

Aztecs With Macuahuitl

Posted by on Thursday, October 25, 2018, In : Art

Drawings from the 16th-century Florentine Codex depicting Aztec warriors. The weapons they are brandishing are macuahuitls, wooden swords that were embedded with obsidian glass that was often as sharp as a modern-day, high-quality steel razor blade.

Source: wikipedia.org

Recruiting Sergeants at Westminster

Posted by on Tuesday, September 11, 2018, In : Photography

This picture, entitled "Recruiting Sergeants at Westminster", was taken by John Thomson and published in an 1877 book called 'Street Life in London'.

Source: Museum of London

Bronze Age Swords from Scotland

Posted by on Tuesday, September 11, 2018, In : Photography

Bronze Age swords found in Scotland and housed in the Museum of Scotland.

Source: wikipedia.org

Continue reading ...

Evolution of Roman Armour

Posted by on Wednesday, September 5, 2018, In : Art

An illustration of the evolution of roman armour, from the third century BCE to the fifth century CE.

Image Source: quora.com

The Battle of Grunwald

Posted by on Monday, September 3, 2018, In : Art

The Battle of Grunwald, fought between Poland-Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights in 1410.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

The Battle of Arsuf.

Posted by on Monday, September 3, 2018, In : Art

Richard the Lionheart at the Battle of Arsuf (1191) during the Third Crusade where he defeated Saladin. Painting by Gustave Doré (19th century).

Source: Battle of Arsuf

Scalped Hunter

Posted by on Saturday, July 28, 2018, In : Photography

The scalped corpse of a buffalo hunter found after an encounter with warriors of the Cheyennes Tribe near Fort Dodge, Kansas - 1868.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Gustav and Frantisek Fristensky

Posted by on Friday, July 27, 2018, In : Photography

Gustav Fristensky, one of the best wrestlers of all time, practising with his brother Frantisek in 1913.

Image Source: gustavfristensky.com

Keinosuke Enoeda - Unsu

Posted by on Friday, July 27, 2018, In : Photography

Keinosuke Enoeda, former Chief Instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain, performing the kata unsu.

Image Source: kenseis-shogyu.blogspot.com

Plate Armour of a Roman Soldier

Posted by on Sunday, July 22, 2018, In : Photography

Recreation of the plate armour (lorica segmentata) as worn by a soldier from the Roman Empire. On display at the National Military Museum, Romania.

Source: wikipedia.org

Jigoro Kano with a Policeman

Posted by on Sunday, July 22, 2018, In : Photography

Jigoro Kano demonstrating Judo with a policeman in Berlin

Source: judoinfo.com

Mitsuyo Maeda

Posted by on Friday, July 20, 2018, In : Photography

Mitsuyo Maeda was one of the finest judoka that ever lived and helped spread the art outside of Japan. Known as Conde Koma (Count Combat), he is said to have fought in two thousand no-holds-barred fights and was so successful, many see him as the ‘toughest man who ever lived’. When he emigrated to Brazil, he taught his art to Carlos Gracie who along with his brother Helio, would go on to develop Brazilian jiu-jitsu by adapting what they had been taught by Maeda, who is also often referred...

Carlos and Helio Gracie

Posted by on Friday, July 20, 2018, In : Photography

Carlos Gracie (left) and Helio Gracie (right) photographed in 1951.

Sources:

Top: fabiocampana.com.

Bottom: fightland.vice.com

Muhammad Ali vs Rocky Marciano

Posted by on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, In : Photography

Rocky Marciano fights Muhammad Ali in their so-called super fight, a mock bout in the late 1960s. The result of this and other fights like it were decided by a second-generation NCR 315 computer, packed with 5k of handmade core memory and were designed to find out who was the best heavyweight of all time.

Hienori Otsuka

Posted by on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, In : Photography

Hienori Otsuka - Founder of Wado-Ryu Karate

Source: fpbujutsu.weebly.com
Continue reading ...

Hirokazu Kanazawa

Posted by on Friday, March 9, 2018, In : Photography

Hirokazu Kanazawa

Source: chilternkarate.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Dalton Gang Death Photo

Posted by on Monday, March 5, 2018, In : Photography

The Dalton Gang death photo, taken in 1892.

Source: ranker.com
Continue reading ...

Knight in Full Armor

Posted by on Friday, March 2, 2018, In : Art

An illustration of a knight sitting on a horse wearing a full suit of armor by P. V. N. Myers in A General History for Colleges and High Schools (1896).

Source: etc.usf.edu

Ba-Gwa Double Palm Change

Posted by on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, In : Photography

Sun Lu-tang, founder of Sun tai-chi, demonstrating the Ba-gwa double palm change.

Source: kungfuwan.com

Mongolian Archers

Posted by on Friday, February 16, 2018, In : Art

Illustration from a fourteenth century manuscript depicting Mongolian mounted archers.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Morihei Ueshiba

Posted by on Friday, February 16, 2018, In : Photography

Morihei Ueshiba vai theaikidowarrior.com

Continue reading ...

The Fleet of Ashikaga Takauji

Posted by on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, In : Art

The Fleet of Ashikaga Takauji Sets Out for War, painted by Utagawa Yoshifuji c.1845.

Source: mfa.org

Sam Langford vs. Joe Jeanette

Posted by on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, In : Photography

Sam Langford vs. Joe Jeanette at Luna Park, Paris, France, in 1913. Langford and Jeanette fought each other a total of fourteen times with Langford winning eight of their contests, Jeanette winning two and the pair drawing four times.

Source: wikipedia.org

Edith Garrud - The Arrest

Posted by on Wednesday, February 7, 2018, In : Art

A depiction of Edith Garrud called The Suffragette that Knew Jiu-Jitsu. The Arrest. The cartoon was drawn by Arthur Wallis Mills and Published in the UK in Punch Magazine, 6 June 1910.
Continue reading ...

Krav Maga Paratroopers

Posted by on Wednesday, February 7, 2018, In : Photography

Israeli paratroopers practicing krav maga (1955).

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Kenwa Mabuni

Posted by on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, In : Photography

Kenwa Mabuni founder of Shito-Ryu karate, photographed in 1938.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

The Kenjyutsu Machi Dojo

Posted by on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, In : Photography

Photo taken at the Kenjyutsu Machi dojo in Japan at the beginning of Meiji period (1870-1900).

Source: kendo-fik.org
Continue reading ...

Wrestlers

Posted by on Monday, February 5, 2018, In : Art

Wrestlers by Thomas Eakins (1899)

Source: elogedelart.canalblog.com

Jigoro Kano & Kyuzo Mifune

Posted by on Friday, February 2, 2018, In : Photography

The founder of judo Jigoro Kano (right) training with Kyuzo Mifune, who is widely considered to be one of the best technical judoka to have ever participated in the sport.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Mongol Warriors

Posted by on Thursday, February 1, 2018, In : Art

Mongol warriors battling on horseback while attacking with the short bow.
Continue reading ...

Edward - The Black Prince

Posted by on Thursday, January 25, 2018, In : Art

Painting by Julian Russel Story (1888) of Prince Edward, son of King Edward III of England, commonly known as The Black Prince at the battle of Crecy depicted with King John of Bohemia lying dead at his feet.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Minamoto Yoritomo on Horseback Attacking an Enemy

Posted by on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, In : Art

Minamoto Yoritomo (1147 - 1199) depicted on Horseback Attacking an Enemy by artist Taiso Yoshitoshi (1886).

Source: toshidama-japanese-prints.com
Continue reading ...

Zhang Sanfeng

Posted by on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, In : Art

Zhang Sanfeng who, according to legend, watched a fight between a crane and a snake. After being impressed by the way the two animals fought, he is aid to have invented a style of fighting called Mien Chuen (Cotton Fist) that would evolve into modern day Tai Chi Chuan.
Continue reading ...

Edith Garrud

Posted by on Monday, January 22, 2018, In : Photography

Edith Garrud, who taught jujitsu to the suffragettes in the early twentieth century, demonstrating some moves on a police officer.

Source: bartitsu.org

Sam Langford vs. Bill Lang

Posted by on Monday, January 22, 2018, In : Photography

In 1911 in London, Sam Langford, weighing in at 165 lbs beat the much heavier Bill Lang, who weighed in at 196 lbs. The fight was a total mismatch from the start with the lighter and shorter Langford dominating before winning the fight in the sixth round after his opponent was disqualified for a foul blow.

Source: boxrec.com

Jumping Spinning Back Kick - Unsu

Posted by on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, In : Photography

Mikazuki geri (crescent kick) flowing into sempu geri (jumping whirlwind kick) and ending with fuse no shisei (going to ground position) from the kata Unsu.

Source: nantanreikan.ca

Gichin Funakoshi - Gankaku

Posted by on Monday, January 15, 2018, In : Photography

Sensei Gichin Funakoshi performing the characteristic crane-like technique from the kata Gankaku.

Source: helldragon.eu
Continue reading ...

Muhammad Ali Talking a Vet out of Suicide

Posted by on Friday, January 12, 2018, In : Photography

This photograph taken in 1981 shows the dramatic moment Muhammad Ali saved a suicidal Veteran of the Vietnam war. The former Heavyweight Champion shouted to the man; “I’m your brother, I want to help you” after which the man allowed Ali to approach and eventually came off the ledge.

Source: dailymail.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Map of the Mongol Empire

Posted by on Saturday, January 23, 2016, In : Art

A map of the Mongol Empire

Source: empires.findthedata.com
Continue reading ...

Shaolin Temple Building

Posted by on Saturday, January 23, 2016, In : Photography

A small structure with historically important inscribed stones photographed on the grounds of the Shaolin Temple prior to the 1928 fire which caused major damage to the complex.

Source: chinesemartialstudies.com
Continue reading ...

Kings of the Ring

Posted by on Wednesday, January 20, 2016, In : Photography

Don King posing with two of the best fighters he ever worked with, former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali. The picture was taken in Las Vegas before a WBA-WBC lightweight championship fight on October 29, 1988.

Source: beatsboxingmayhem.com
Continue reading ...

The Crossbow: Medieval and Modern Military and Sporting

Posted by on Monday, January 18, 2016, In : Art

Title: The Crossbow: Medieval and Modern Military and Sporting.

Date: 1840-1845.

Source: Costumes of Mediaeval Christendom.

Information: The kneeling and seated figures in this diagram illustrate how a crossbow is first drawn and then loaded. This is contrasted by the standing figure, who shows how much more rapidly a conventional bow can be fired.

Source: uh.edu
Continue reading ...

Capoareira Mestres Pastinha and Jorge Amado

Posted by on Monday, January 18, 2016, In : Photography

Capoareira Mestres Pastinha and Jorge Amado, 1961.

Source: grupocalunga.blogspot.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Garcia Afonso - the King of Kongo

Posted by on Sunday, January 17, 2016, In : Art

Garcia II Nkanga a Lukeni a Nzenze a Ntumba, also known as Garcia Afonso, was the king of Kongo from 1641 to 1661. He is considered by many as Kongo's greatest ever leader for his religious piety and his near expulsion of the Portuguese from Angola.

Via Pinterest
Continue reading ...

Karate Kick

Posted by on Sunday, January 17, 2016, In : Photography

A karateka breaking bricks with a front kick.

See more at Tumblr.com
Continue reading ...

Ronda Rousey

Posted by on Saturday, January 16, 2016, In : Photography

Ronda Rousey

Continue reading ...

Between the Idea and the Reality

Posted by on Saturday, January 16, 2016, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Between the idea and the reality, Between the motion and the act, Falls the Shadow!

~ T.S. Eliot ~

Cassius Clay Vs. Tony Madigan

Posted by on Friday, January 15, 2016, In : Photography

Cassius Clay aged 18 fighting Tony Madigan of Australia during the light heavyweight boxing semifinals at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Source: telegraph.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Nagasaki Magistrate

Posted by on Friday, January 15, 2016, In : Photography

Samurai magistrate from Nagasaki (c.1863).

Source: ameblo.jp
Continue reading ...

Angampora Grip & Lock Technique

Posted by on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, In : Photography

Grip and lock technique being demonstrated by exponents of the Sri Lankan martial art, angampora.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

World War One Cavalry Horse

Posted by on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, In : Photography

A horse of allied cavalry troops being lowered down in a sling onto the quayside in Greece, 1915.

Source: bbc.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Kendo Demonstration - Part 3

Posted by on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, In : Video

Richard Hill and his student demonstrating some basic kendo moves at the Asian Art Museum's educator workshop for the Lords of the Samurai exhibition on September 5, 2009.

Edward Aston - Britain's Strongest Man

Posted by on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, In : Photography

Edward Aston won the title of Britain's Strongest Man in 1911 beating out the famed Thomas Inch. Aston held onto that title for over twenty years until retiring undefeated.

Source: breakingmuscle.com

George S. Patton Fencing

Posted by on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, In : Photography

George S. Patton (right) and Jean de Mas Latrie competing in the fencing event of the Modern Pentathlon at the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

The joust between the Knight of the Red Rose and the Lord of the Tournament

Posted by on Friday, January 1, 2016, In : Art

The image above was engraved by Thomas Hodgson and depicts a jousting match from the Eglinton Tournament of 1839, a re-enactment of a medieval joust held in Scotland. It was funded and organized by Archibald, Earl of Eglinton whose opponent in the image is Richard Lechemere, the "Knight of the Red Rose".

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Hope Smiles from the Threshold

Posted by on Thursday, December 31, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering it will be happier!”

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson ~

Happy New Year

Posted by on Thursday, December 31, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Happy New Year
Continue reading ...

A Bridge of Silver Wings

Posted by on Wednesday, December 30, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmare to the jeweled vision of a life started anew."

~ Aberjhani ~
Continue reading ...

Insane Fitness Training

Posted by on Sunday, December 27, 2015, In : Video

Insane Fitness Training.
Continue reading ...

Boxing Boys

Posted by on Saturday, December 26, 2015, In : Photography

A couple of young boys practising boxing.

Source: Tumblr
Continue reading ...

Gret Scott - Samurai Judoka

Posted by on Saturday, December 26, 2015, In : Photography

Photo taken by Rosemary Matthews in 1958 of Gret Scott, a 24 year old Judo instructor at the Penge Academy of Judo and at the time, Britain's only female exponent of Kendo. In this picture, Scott is seen cleaning her 300 year old samurai sword.

Source: gettyimages.co.uk

Muay Thai vs. Kickboxing

Posted by on Sunday, December 6, 2015, In : Photography

American kickboxer Rick Roufus vs. Muay Thai fighter Changpuek Kietsongrit in a non-title fight in Las Vegas in the late 1970s. Prior to this fight, muay thai was relatively unknown outside of Thailand, but when Changpuek beat the American, he put the sport on the international map.

Source: muaythaipros.com
Continue reading ...

Kung Fu Training

Posted by on Sunday, December 6, 2015, In : Photography

Chinese students training at a commercial kung fu school near Shaolin (1988).

Source: blackbeltmag.com

The Lei Tai

Posted by on Saturday, November 28, 2015, In : Art

The lei tai is an elevated fighting arena without railings that dates back in its current form to the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 CE) in Chinese history though older versions date back to the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BCE). Fighters would take part in matches that were presided over by a referee on the platform and judges on the sides in bouts that were fought bare knuckle or with deadly weapons. Some were to the death, though usually the winner would be determined when someone surrendered, was i...
Continue reading ...

Samurai in Armour

Posted by on Thursday, November 19, 2015, In : Photography

Samurai warriors (1870) wearing kusari katabira (chain armour jackets), kusari zunin (chain armour hoods) and hachi gane (forehead protectors) while holding naginata (pole weapon with blade attached).

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

Horses and Mules in WWI

Posted by on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, In : Art

A breakdown of how horses and mules were used by the British army during World War One

By the end of World War One, around 50% of the British Army’s horses were in France with the rest being spread across the Balkans, Middle East, Egypt, Italy and the UK. The four main roles mules and horses played during the conflict were; 1. Supply horses and mules which were used to move ammunition, general supplies and ambulances. 2. Riding horses that were ridden by soldiers, sometimes on the front line...
Continue reading ...

The Realities of War

Posted by on Friday, November 6, 2015, In : Photography

These pictures were taken during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s by Kenneth Jarecke in a bid to show the American general public the realities of war. In the top picture, Iraqi prisoners of war were photographed after being captured by the U.S. military on their way to Baghdad. The middle picture shows a burned-out Iraqi truck surrounded by corpses on the “Highway of Death.” When asked why he needs to take photographs of scenes like this by a military public relations officer, J...
Continue reading ...

An Argument Against the use of Violence

Posted by on Tuesday, October 27, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"You never need an argument against the use of violence, you need an argument for it".

~ Noam Chomsky ~

Tony Jaa Overhead Kick

Posted by on Saturday, October 24, 2015, In : Gifs

Tony Jaa
Continue reading ...

How to Develop a Powerful Grip

Posted by on Tuesday, October 20, 2015, In : Art

These images are from the book How to Develop a Powerful Grip by Edward Aston, a legendary strongman who was famous in the early twentieth century for performing feats of strength that involved his incredibly powerful grip. The first image on the left, Gripping an Open Door, is used to develop pinch grip strength and the second, Hanging from a Rope, is one of the best exercises there is for improving your grip, according to Aston.

Source: rosstraining.com
Continue reading ...

Zhang Sanfeng

Posted by on Saturday, October 17, 2015, In : Art

Zhang Sanfeng of the Wu Tang Taoist School (c.12 - 13 century).

Source: taiji-europa.eu
Continue reading ...

Female Samurai

Posted by on Saturday, October 17, 2015, In : Photography

An example of a female warrior of the samurai class (onna-bugeisha).

Source: pinterest.com
Continue reading ...

Big Results

Posted by on Thursday, October 15, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"Big results require big ambitions".

~ Heraclitus of Ephesus ~

Continue reading ...

Kendo Demonstration - Part 2

Posted by on Thursday, October 15, 2015, In : Video

Richard Hill and his student demonstrating some basic kendo moves at the Asian Art Museum's educator workshop for the Lords of the Samurai exhibition on September 5, 2009.
Continue reading ...

The Armenian Genocide

Posted by on Wednesday, October 14, 2015, In : Photography

Turkish official teasing starving Armenian children with bread (1915)

The Armenian Genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the Great Crime among Armenians, was the systematic murder of the minority Armenian population by the Ottoman government in Turkey. The crisis started on April 24, 1915 when authorities arrested around 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. After this, able bodied men were either outright murdered or died during forced labour and wome...
Continue reading ...

Sumo Fight

Posted by on Sunday, October 11, 2015, In : Art

Title: Sumo Fight

Date: 19th Century

Artist: Kunisada Utagawa 1786-1864

Information: Depiction of two sumo wrestlers fighting while samurai warriors look on.

Source: artelino.com
Continue reading ...

Carmen Basilio on the Speed Bag

Posted by on Sunday, October 11, 2015, In : Photography

Carmine Basilio (1927 – 2012) better known as Carmen Basilio, seen here working on the speed bag. Basilio was an Italian-American pro boxer who held the world title in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions, famously beating the great Sugar Ray Robinson to win the latter.

Source: punchingbagreviews.com

The Object of War

Posted by on Saturday, September 26, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his."

~ General George S Patton ~

Old School Fencing

Posted by on Saturday, September 26, 2015, In : Gifs

Old School fencing footage.

Source: The-history-of-fighting.tumblr.com
Continue reading ...

The Joust of Sol and Luna

Posted by on Monday, September 21, 2015, In : Art

The Joust of Sol and Luna from the Aurora Consurgens an alchemical treatise of the 15th century famous for the rich illustrations that accompany it. It is interesting to note that the emblems on the shields are inverted so that Sol's shield has a lunar (moon) emblem, while Luna's shield carries a solar (sun) design.

Source: yeatsvision.com
Continue reading ...

Effigy of the Black Prince

Posted by on Monday, September 21, 2015, In : Photography

Edward, Prince of Wales (1330-1376), commonly known as The Black Prince and son of King Edward III, was the embodiment of the perfect medieval English knight. His effigy at Canterbury Cathedral is a powerful 14th century sculpture showing him with his armour reproduced to perfection and his hands clasped in prayer, making him appear equally ready for heaven or the battlefield.

Source: theguardian.com

Winter Training with Mas Oyama

Posted by on Saturday, September 12, 2015, In : Photography

Mas Oyama, founder of Kyokushin karate, leading his students in some winter training.

Source: saikyokarate.com
Continue reading ...

The Same River

Posted by on Thursday, September 10, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"You cannot step into the same river twice".

~ Heraclitus of Ephesus ~

Continue reading ...

Conor McGregor Capoeira Gif

Posted by on Thursday, September 10, 2015, In : Gifs

UFC's Conor McGregor showing off some Capoeira Skills.

Source: cagepotato.com

Musashi Goro Sadayo

Posted by on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, In : Art

Title: Clearing Weather at Mt. Shimahiro

Date: c.1850

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Information: This image depicts a 15 year old 10th century samurai by the name of Musashi Gorō Sadayo defending himself against Imperial forces. The fighting came about after his lord, Taira no Masakado, proclaimed himself the new emperor in 939. However the rebellion was ill fated and the pretender and his men were defeated at the Battle of Mt. Shimahiro by troops led by Fujiwara no Hidesato just a few months a...
Continue reading ...

Don King's Mugshot

Posted by on Sunday, September 6, 2015, In : Photography

Mugshot of boxing’s most notorious promoter Don King after he killed a man who owed him money (1954).

Source: boxinginsider.com
Continue reading ...

Raging Bull

Posted by on Sunday, September 6, 2015, In : Photography

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (1980)

Source: aostolazafilmhistory
Continue reading ...

Talk of Bulls

Posted by on Sunday, September 6, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

It is not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring.

~ Spanish Proverb ~

Continue reading ...

Old School Shotokan Karate

Posted by on Sunday, August 30, 2015, In : Video

Elwyn Hall, George Best, Ronnie Christopher and Gary Harford show their karate skills in this old school Shotokan video.
Continue reading ...

Taekwondo Kids

Posted by on Sunday, August 30, 2015, In : Photography

Taekwondo Kids

Via Pinterest
Continue reading ...

A Woman Hitting a Neo-Nazi with Her Handbag

Posted by on Wednesday, August 26, 2015, In : Photography

This iconic photograph shows Danuta Danielsson, a concentration camp survive, stepping out of a crowd in the Swedish city of Växjö in 1985 and hitting a Neo-Nazi with her handbag.

Source: the-history-of-fighting.tumblr.com
Continue reading ...

Benny 'the Ghetto Wizard' Leonard

Posted by on Friday, August 21, 2015, In : Photography

Benny the Ghetto Wizard Leonard, widely considered one of the best lightweights of all time, was champion from 1917 to 1925 defending his title seven times. His record stands at;

Total fights 219
Wins 183
Wins by KO 70
Losses 24
Draws 8
No contests 4

Source: wikipedia.org
Continue reading ...

A Man's Fate

Posted by on Wednesday, August 19, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"A man's character is his fate"

~ Heraclitus of Ephesus ~
Continue reading ...

Luca Valdesi Unsu Gif

Posted by on Wednesday, August 19, 2015, In : Gifs

Luca Valdesi (Taken from Unsu)

Continue reading ...

Bai Qi Chong Ding

Posted by on Friday, August 7, 2015, In : Art

Title: Bai Qi Chong Ding

Date: Unknown

Artist: Unknown

Information: This woodblock is taken from the Xiuzhen Miyao, a Qigong text with 49 exercises designed to promote a fit and healthy body. The text is of unknown origin but was rediscovered and published with a preface by Wang Zai in 1513. This illustration depicts Bai Qi Chong Ding (One hundred Qi rushing to the top of the head) and is an exercise designed to treat pain throughout the body. To perform the exercise, the patient must sit on a h...
Continue reading ...

Valdemar Santana

Posted by on Thursday, August 6, 2015, In : Photography

Valdemar Santana holding Regional Capoeira Mestre Arthur Emidlo above his head with one hand in the early 1960s.

Santana was a champion in Gracie Jujitsu and Capoeira, studying with Helio Gracie in the former and Mestre Bimba in the later. Santana is famous for being one of the few men to defeat his former coach Helio Gracie who he beat twice in Vale Tudo (no holds barred) matches, both of which lasted more than three hours.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Image Source: ejmas.com
Continue reading ...

Tekki Shodan - Gichin Funakoshi

Posted by on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, In : Photography

Still photos of Gichin Funakoshi taken while performing Tekki Shodan.

More photos of Sensei Funakoshi performing Tekki Shodan
Continue reading ...

Where Evil Lurks

Posted by on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Evil lurks where disappointment lodges.

~ George Foreman ~

Continue reading ...

Ronda Rousey Wins at UFC 190

Posted by on Sunday, August 2, 2015, In : Video

Ronda Rousey beat her opponent Bethe Correia on her home turf in just 34 seconds at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro to retain the UFC women’s bantamweight championship. Ronda and her team decided to play brawler Correia at her own game and she went out aggressively from the start. The Brazilian made her mistake when she tried to clinch her opponent near the edge of the Octagon which failed and left her scrambling. Rousey had no hesitation and delivered the knockout blow winning her 12th straight ...
Continue reading ...

Muhammad Ali - Conscientious Objector

Posted by on Thursday, July 30, 2015, In : Photography

Muhammad Ali, who was famously banned from boxing for being a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, points to a newspaper reporting in 1966 on a 30,000 strong protest march that had recently taken place against the conflict.

Source: dailymail.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Adolf Hitler Breaking Ground

Posted by on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, In : Photography

Adolf Hitler breaking ground in September 1933 denoting the start construction of the Frankfurt-am-Maine - Darmstadt/Mannheim highway as part of his plan to link all of the major cities in Germany with highways.

Source: slightlywarped.com
Continue reading ...

Ashigaru Using Tanegashia

Posted by on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, In : Art

Title: Ashigaru Using Tanegashia

Date: 1800s

Artist: Unknown

Information: This woodblock print dating from some time in the 19th century depicts a group of c16th century Japanese infantrymen (ashigaru) using matchlock firearms (tanegashia) while taking cover behind their shields (tate).

Source: Firearms of Japan
Continue reading ...

Drink Alcohol and Pursue Fun

Posted by on Tuesday, July 28, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

“It is necessary to drink alcohol and pursue other fun human activities. The art of
someone who is too serious has no flavor.”

~ Choki Motobu ~
Continue reading ...

Capoeira Demonstration

Posted by on Monday, July 27, 2015, In : Video

Russian Special Forces Training

Posted by on Monday, July 27, 2015, In : Photography

A member of the Russian Special Forces (Spetsnaz) doing a training drill that consists of back
flipping over a barbed wire fence while throwing a hatchet at a target.

Via Tumblr

Continue reading ...

ANZAC Soldiers

Posted by on Thursday, June 11, 2015, In : Photography

Two members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) capture a Turkish
sniper camouflaged to look like a tree in Gallipoli (1915).

slightlywarped.com
Continue reading ...

Bruce Lee Art Work

Posted by on Thursday, June 11, 2015, In : Art

Kung fu artwork drawn by Bruce Lee

martialartsactionmovies.com
Continue reading ...

Never Travel Faster Than Your Guardian Angel Can Fly

Posted by on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

“Never travel faster than your guardian angel can fly.”

~ Mother Teresa ~

Continue reading ...

The History of Kihon Kata

Posted by on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, In : Video

An instructional video of kihon kata by Sensei Masao Kawasoe.

Kihon (basic form) is the most elementary of all the shotokan kata. Invented by Sensei Gichin Funakoshi as an easy introduction to kata and karate itself, it is made up of only two moves, gedan bari (lower block) and oi tsuki (lunge punch). Kihon kata, also known as Taikyoku Shodan, is a part of a set of basic kata that Funakoshi introduced, though in shotokan only the first is now taught and even that has now disappeared from the...
Continue reading ...

Ajantha Mahantharachchi

Posted by on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, In : Photography

An Ajantha Mahantharachchi expert at a sword demonstration in 2012.

Source: wikimedia.org
Continue reading ...

Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter

Posted by on Sunday, May 3, 2015, In : Photography

A 1964 photo of middleweight challenger Rubin Carter.

Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, who died in April 2015 aged 76 could, according to some commentators, have become the World Champion and was one of the best middleweights of his day. However on June 17th, 1966 Carter was out on the town with a friend, John Artis and their lives would change forever when they found themselves getting arrested for the murder of a bartender and two customers of the Lafayette Bar and Grill.

Rubin Carter knocking Flore...
Continue reading ...

Heian Sandan - Gichin Funakoshi

Posted by on Friday, May 1, 2015, In : Photography

Still photos of Gichin Funakoshi taken while performing Heian Sandan.

More kata photos
Continue reading ...

Whatever the Gods Offer

Posted by on Monday, April 27, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"Do not look upon this world with fear and loathing. Bravely face whatever the gods offer."

~ Morihei Ueshiba ~

Continue reading ...

Sweep Defence

Posted by on Monday, April 27, 2015, In : Gifs

Found on funnyjunk.com
Continue reading ...

The Skull Tower

Posted by on Sunday, April 26, 2015, In : Photography

A section of the Skull Tower

The Skull Tower (Ćele Kula), in Niš, Serbia was built in 1809 by Turkish general Hurshi Pasha during the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire (1804-1813). The rebels were defeated but rather than run away or give themselves up, their commander Stevan Sinđelić fired a shot into a gunpowder keg in a fully stocked gun powder room, which not only finished the rebels off but also took a number of Turkish soldiers out as well.

A section of the Skull Towe...
Continue reading ...

German Jujitsu c.1931

Posted by on Monday, April 6, 2015, In : Photography

This 1931 jujitsu demonstration in Germany aimed to show how a well-trained unarmed woman could defend herself against a would-be attacker. In this scenario, a rope tied across the road has caused her to stop her car and she is set upon by a man with a knife. She controls the knife hand and engages the assailant by grabbing his throat before taking him to the floor with a throw.

Sources:
Pinterest, M artialarts.unltd
Continue reading ...

Samurai Armour & Weaponry

Posted by on Monday, April 6, 2015, In : Art

This lithograph plate from 1888 by Albert Racinet (1825-1893) shows Japanese samurai warriors
with various different types of armour and weaponry.

Source: Wikipedia

Continue reading ...

The Essence of Transformation

Posted by on Sunday, April 5, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation."

~ Ann Voskamp ~

Continue reading ...

Bruce Lee on the Bag

Posted by on Sunday, March 15, 2015, In : Gifs

Rare footage of Bruce Lee practicing some combos on the bag.

Found on giphy.com
Continue reading ...

Unidentified German Girls Boxing

Posted by on Sunday, March 8, 2015, In : Photography

A photograph of unidentified German girls boxing in shallow waters, taken by Bernard Kobel in the 1950s.

Source: etsy.com
Continue reading ...

Child Soldiers of the Great War - Germany

Posted by on Sunday, March 1, 2015, In : Photography

Top – Two young German boys play at being soldiers c.1914
Bottom – Three new recruits for the German War Machine c.1917

Source: greatwar.nl
Continue reading ...

Muhammad Ali - Final Fight

Posted by on Sunday, March 1, 2015, In : Photography

Muhammad Ali looking dejected after losing his final fight to Trevor Berbick in 1981.

Source: dailymail.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Regard Your Soldiers as Your Children.....

Posted by on Friday, January 30, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys;
look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death".

~ Sun Tzu ~

Continue reading ...

The History of the Heian Kata

Posted by on Friday, January 30, 2015, In : Video

The Heian (peaceful mind) kata are derived from the older Okinawan Pinan kata (which also means peaceful or calm mind). Sensei Gichin Funakoshi changed the name of these and many other Shotokan kata when he took karate to Japan in the early 1920s in a bid to make them more accessible to a Japanese consumer base. An interesting karate history fact is that the kata we know today as Heian Nidan was originally the first of the Heian kata until in the 1930s, Funakoshi switched Nidan with Shodan. ...
Continue reading ...

The Cyrus Cylinder

Posted by on Thursday, January 29, 2015, In : Art

The history of human rights is a long one and can be said to have started in 539 BCE when the first king of ancient Persia, Cyrus the Great, defeated the Babylonian army and took the city. Once this task was done, he freed the slaves there and introduced new laws that declared people’s right to equality and to choose their own religion.

These laws were recorded in cuneiform script on a baked-clay cylinder known as the Cyrus Cylinder, a law code that is recognised as the first known charter ...
Continue reading ...

Ronda Rousey

Posted by on Thursday, January 29, 2015, In : Photography

MMA superstar Ronda Rousey

theilium.com
Continue reading ...

Operation Crossroads - The Bombing of Bikini

Posted by on Sunday, January 25, 2015, In : Photography

These nuclear bomb detonations, (known as the Able and Baker Tests respectively), took place in July 1946 as part of Operation Crossroads on the island of Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. A fleet of decommissioned US and seized Japanese vessels were deployed in the area with the intention of simulating and documenting the effects of nuclear weapons in naval warfare. They were the precursors to a series of large thermonuclear tests that over the next decade or so would render Bikini unfit for huma...
Continue reading ...

Muso Soseki Quote

Posted by on Sunday, January 25, 2015, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"It's better to practice a little than talk a lot"

~ Muso Soseki (1275 – 1351) ~
Continue reading ...

Shaolin Monks by Isabel Muñoz

Posted by on Saturday, December 27, 2014, In : Photography

Photographs of monks from the Shaolin Temple of Songshan, taken by Isabel Munoz in 1998 – 1999.

Two-handed sword
Headstand
The Frog Jump
Flying over the Roof
High Kick

Source: sayshanti.wordpress.com
Continue reading ...

Nelson Mandela on Boxing

Posted by on Monday, September 15, 2014, In : Photography

A young Nelson Mandela doing some boxing training. He wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom;

"I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was intrigued by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match.....Boxing is egalitarian. In the ring, rank, age, colour and wealth are irrelevant.....I never did any real fighting after I entered politics. My main interest was in train...

Anette Busch - Female Sumo Wrestler

Posted by on Monday, September 15, 2014, In : Photography

Anette Busch (1882 – 1969) was an Estonian strong woman and wrestler who fled to Japan to escape the Russian Revolution in 1917. While there, she became the first female sumo wrestler from outside of Japan and saw huge success beating all opponents who stood before her, most of which were men.

fscclub.com
Continue reading ...

The Fudo Masamune

Posted by on Monday, September 15, 2014, In : Photography

Goro Nyudo Masamune (c.1264–1343 AD) is widely regarded as the finest sword smith that Japan has ever seen. His samurai swords and daggers (tachi and tanto) were made in the Soshu tradition and he is believed to have worked in Sagami Province during the last part of the Kamakura Period (1288–1328).

The Fudo Masamune is one of the few surviving blades that is known for sure to have been made and signed by the legendary sword smith and from the early 1600s, it was in the possession of the Ow...
Continue reading ...

Col. Henry P. Crowe

Posted by on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"You'll never get a Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole…follow me!"

~ Marine Corps Col. Henry P. Crowe ~
Continue reading ...

The Art of Fighting Without Fighting

Posted by on Saturday, August 30, 2014, In : Video

In the scene above from the 1973 classic Bruce Lee movie Enter the Dragon, the main character, Mr Lee, encounters a bully while travelling on a boat. When ask of his style, Lee replies;

“You can call it the art of fighting without fighting”.

He agrees to show the bully his art but instead of violence, he uses his intelligence and traps the bully on a smaller boat. This segment of the film was adapted from a similar incident that is said to have happened to a 16th century samurai warrio...
Continue reading ...

Nurses of World War One

Posted by on Thursday, August 28, 2014, In : Photography

Senior nurses demonstrating how to care for wounded soldiers, taken some time during World War One.

histomil.com
Continue reading ...

Joe Rivers & Louise Adler

Posted by on Wednesday, August 27, 2014, In : Photography

American boxer Joe Rivers sparring with the women's lightweight
world champion, Louise Adler in 1926 while helping her train for an
upcoming title defence.

fscclub.com
Continue reading ...

Sosai Masutatsu 'Mas' Oyama

Posted by on Wednesday, August 27, 2014, In : Photography

The legendary Sosai Masutatsu 'Mas' Oyama, founder of kyokushin karate.

Images via masutatsuoyama.com
Continue reading ...

A Poem on King Harold Hardrade

Posted by on Monday, August 18, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"The Upland king was all the night
Speeding the arrows' deadly flight.
All in the dark his bow-string's twang
Was answered; for some white shield rang,
Or yelling shriek gave certain note
The shaft had pierced some ring-mail coat,
The foemen's shields and bulwarks bore
A Lapland arrow-scat or more".

(A medieval poem from the Nordic sagas collection Heimskringla
about the Viking King Harold Hardrade at the battle of Nissa in 1063).

Source
Continue reading ...

Roy Elghanayan - Krav Maga

Posted by on Sunday, August 17, 2014, In : Video

Roy Elghanayan demonstrating the lethal art of Krav Maga.
Continue reading ...

Bruce Lee and Lee Hoi-Chuen

Posted by on Sunday, August 17, 2014, In : Photography

An 18 year old Bruce Lee practicing Tai Chi with his father Lee Hoi-Chuen in 1958.

wikimedia.org
Continue reading ...

An Archer at Hastings

Posted by on Thursday, July 24, 2014, In : Art

In this section of the Bayeux Tapestry, the archer is clearly shown as being shorter than the
English Infantrymen he is fighting alongside at the Battle of Hastings. This is probably done
to illustrate that he has a lower social status than his fellow combatants, a fact also illustrated
by his lack of armour.

amherst.edu
Continue reading ...

Schlacht bei Maupertuis 1356

Posted by on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, In : Art

Title: Schlacht bei Maupertuis 1356

Date: c.1400

Artist: Unknown

Infomation: This picture was produced in Germany around 1400 CE from an unknown artist and depicts the Battle of Poitiers. It was the second of three great English victories over the French in the Hundred Years War and was largely won through effective use of the English archers, shown on the left.

Source
Continue reading ...

Spinning Reverse Roundhouse

Posted by on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, In : Gifs

Kendo Demonstration - Part II

Posted by on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, In : Video

Richard Hill describes some moves from a kendo kata at the Asian Art Museum's educator workshop
for the Lords of the Samurai exhibition on September 5, 2009.
Continue reading ...

Chinese Militia - 1906 - 1912

Posted by on Monday, July 21, 2014, In : Photography

Manchu Nobleman with Bow

Militia from the Shaanxi Province

Militia from Shandong Province

Images taken by the French missionary Michel de Maynard in Northern China between 1906 and 1912.

Source: chinesemartialstudies.com
Continue reading ...

Joyeuse

Posted by on Monday, July 21, 2014, In : Photography

This sword is believed by some to be built from the original sword used by the late eighth/early ninth century king of the Francs, Charlemagne. Known as Joyeuse (meaning joyful), it was used in the Coronation processionals for French kings from 1270 (Philip III) - 1824 (Charles X).

Joyeuse was housed in the Saint Denis Basilica since at least 1505, before being moved to its current home, the Louvre in 1793. While it is generally agreed that the blade is medieval, its actual date is debated b...
Continue reading ...

Muhammad Ali Meeting Saddam Hussein

Posted by on Thursday, July 3, 2014, In : Photography

Muhammad Ali meeting Saddam Hussein in 1990 when the former heavyweight champion was enlisted to help negotiate the release of 15 American hostages. The ‘guests’ were held in Iraq following Saddam's invasion of Kuwait with the threat that they would be used as human shields should US forces attack strategically areas in the country. After tense negotiations, all 15 men were released without being harmed but when praised for his actions, Ali insisted all credit be given to Allah.

sportsgrid...
Continue reading ...

The Pebble in your Shoe

Posted by on Thursday, July 3, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out, it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

~Muhammad Ali ~
Continue reading ...

The History of the Tekki Kata

Posted by on Wednesday, July 2, 2014, In : Video

The Tekki (Iron Horse) kata originally came from the Okinawan style of karate known as Shuri-te and were derived from one longer form called Naihanchi (Internal Divided Conflict) that was revised and split into three through Anko Itosu’s teachings.

Gichin Funakoshi performing Tekki Shodan

Some scholars believe he actually invented Tekki Nidan and Sandan, but as only Tekki Shodan has a formal opening, they were probably derived from one kata. It is believed that Itosu learned Naihanchi from ...
Continue reading ...

The Battle of the Little Bighorn

Posted by on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, In : Photography

Sitting Bull (1885)

Alleged photo of Crazy Horse (c.1877)

Chief Gall (1881)

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, otherwise known as Custer's Last Stand or Lakota Victory Day took place on the 25 – 26 of June, 1876 near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory. The conflict was fought between the combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.

The Native American forces achieved an overwhelming victory tha...
Continue reading ...

Kun Gek Do Side Kick

Posted by on Monday, June 9, 2014, In : Photography

A practitioner of Kun Gek Do, (a form of Korean kickboxing) demonstrating a high side kick.

wikimedia.org

Continue reading ...

The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan

Posted by on Monday, June 9, 2014, In : Art

Title: The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan

Artist: Eugene Delacroix

Date: 1826

Information: The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan was inspired by the dramatic climax of the
poem Giaour (1813) by Lord Byron. It depicts the moment when the Greek giaour (meaning Christian
infidel) avenges his lover, who was killed by the Turk Hassan (on the horse to the right).

artic.edu
Continue reading ...

To Succeed, Consult Three Old People

Posted by Andrew Griffiths on Friday, June 6, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

To succeed, consult three old people.

Chinese Proverb

Image – The Chinese deities of Happiness (Fu), Prosperity (Lu), and Longevity (Shou).

Kendo Demonstration - Part I

Posted by on Friday, June 6, 2014, In : Video

Richard Hill describes the gear worn by kendoka at the Asian Art Museum's educator workshop for the
Lords of the Samurai exhibition on September 5, 2009.
Continue reading ...

Miyamoto Musashi Fights Sasaki Ganryû

Posted by on Friday, June 6, 2014, In : Art

Title: At Ganryûjima in Kyûshû, Miyamoto Musashi Fights Sasaki Ganryû

Date: 1843-47

Artist: Utagawa Yoshitora

Information: Miyamoto Musashi in his duel with Sasaki Ganryu (aka Sasaki Kojiro). In this
woodblock print he is shown using his trademark two sword style of fighting known as Nito Ichi (two swords as one) or Niten Ichi (two heavens as one) though it is more commonly believed that Musashi used a bokken that he fashioned out of a boat oar to defeat Ganryu.

ukiyo-e.org

Westernised Samurai

Posted by on Thursday, June 5, 2014, In : Art

Title: Westernised Samurai

Date: 1866

Artist: Unknown

Information: This picture was published in London News not long before the Meiji Restoration.
It depicts a group of young warriors dressed in western clothes alluding to the fact that many
of the samurai class were in favour of the opening of Japan’s borders to foreign influences.

wikipedia.org

Continue reading ...

The Lochnagar Crater

Posted by on Thursday, June 5, 2014, In : Photography

1920s postcard of the Lochnagar Crater.

The Lochnagar Crater is 90 feet deep and 300 feet across and was caused by a charge of 60,000 lbs (26.8 tons) of Ammonal explosives that was set off on the German front lines on the Somme on 1st July 1916. Cecil Lewis, an officer in the Royal Flying Corps who saw the mine explode from his aircraft stated;

“The whole earth heaved and flared, a tremendous and magnificent column rose up into the sky.
There was an ear-splitting roar, drowning all the guns, ...

I Will Always Speak for Peace

Posted by on Wednesday, June 4, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

As an artist I come to sing, but as a citizen, I will always speak for peace, and no one can silence me in this.

~ Paul Robeson ~

Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson

Posted by on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, In : Gifs

Muhammad Ali showing encouragement to Mike Tyson just before his fourth
round victory against Larry Holmes in 1988.

Via Tumblr

Siddhartha in a Wrestling Contest

Posted by on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, In : Art

An 8th century Japanese silk print depicting Siddhartha in a wrestling contest prior to becoming the Buddha.

newbuddhist.com

Continue reading ...

California Sharpshooter Lillian Smith

Posted by on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, In : Photography

This portrait of California sharpshooter Lillian Smith armed with a Stevens Tip-Up rifle was taken sometime between 1875 and 1885. Smith appeared in 'Buffalo Bill' Cody’s Wild West troop in 1886 and was seen as a direct rival to another female sharp shooter involved with the troop, Annie Oakley. In 1889, Smith left the show after the intense rivalry with Oakley became public, after which, she faded into obscurity.

cowansauctions.com

Continue reading ...

Reach the Limits of Virtue

Posted by on Monday, May 26, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"You should reach the limits of virtue, before you cross the border of death."

(Tyrtaeus, Spartan poet and military man).

The History of the Bassai Kata

Posted by on Monday, May 26, 2014, In : Video

The Bassai (To Penetrate a Fortress) kata are believed to have been designed to complement each other as the first, Bassai Dai, (Dai means major/large) represents getting into a fortress and the second, Bassai Sho, (Sho means minor/small) represents getting out again.There are many versions of these kata practiced in various styles and while the origins within martial arts history are obscure, there is a 400 year old silk drawing which supposedly depicts an early version of Bassai Dai.

Some h...

Muhammad Ali - The Original MMA Fighter?

Posted by on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, In : Photography

On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali engaged in a battle with Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki in a fight that was billed as being a competition to find the toughest man on the planet. It is unclear whether or not the result was fixed beforehand, though both camps maintain that the fight was real.

Some sources say that Ali’s camp were expecting an exhibition match, but when they found out Inoki would be going at Ali to win, they demanded several rule changes. These included Ali being ...

Josephine Baker at the March on Washington

Posted by on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, In : Photography

Josephine Baker during the March on Washington.

Josephine Baker was an American cabaret performer who achieved a huge amount of success in Europe from the 1920s. During World War Two, she acted as a spy for the French Resistance and would later go on to become an influential activist during the civil rights movement in America in the 1960s. She was the only female speaker during the March on Washington in 1963, where she told the crowd;

“I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and ...

Go to Bed With a Dragon

Posted by on Friday, May 16, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon".

~ Zen Proverb ~
Continue reading ...

18 Second KO

Posted by on Friday, May 16, 2014, In : Gifs

A devastating left roundhouse kick from Ivica Trušček, that KO'd Leonardo Zecchi after
just 18 seconds of their bout at the Final Fighting Championship 9.

totalprosports.com

Hazel Ying Lee

Posted by on Friday, May 16, 2014, In : Photography

Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese American woman to fly for the United States military, became a licensed pilot in 1932. She flew fighter aircraft to their destinations as they poured out of American factories for the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). After 12 years of service, Lee was tragically killed at the age of 32 when she was involved in a mid-air collision while piloting a P-63 Fighter.

nwhm.org

A Welsh Victory at the National Sporting Club, 31 March 1919

Posted by on Thursday, May 15, 2014, In : Art

Title: A Welsh Victory at the National Sporting Club, 31 March 1919.

Date: 1919.

Artist: William Howard Robinson.

Information: This painting depicts the end of a fight between Welshman Jimmy Wilde (who won the bout on points) and American Joe Lynch. After the fight, the Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VIII) stepped in to the ring to shake the hand of the Welshman. In doing so, he became the first member of the British Royal family to officially enter a boxing ring, giving the sport a ne...
Continue reading ...

Samurai at the Sphinx

Posted by on Thursday, May 15, 2014, In : Photography

In 1864, a group of samurai diplomats travelled to France in order to negotiate for the renewed isolation of Japan, a mission that was destined to fail. En route, they visited Egypt and posed for a photographer to produce this unique picture of a group of samurai warriors in full gear, standing in front of the Giza Sphinx.

Via Tumblr
Continue reading ...

A Poem by Tei Junsoku

Posted by on Sunday, April 6, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

No matter how you may excel in the art of te,
And in your scholastic endeavors,
Nothing is more important than your behavior
And your humanity as observed in daily life.

A poem by the seventeenth century Okinawan scholar Tei Junsoku
Continue reading ...

Thirteen Iaido Kata

Posted by on Sunday, April 6, 2014, In : Video

A demonstration of thirteen Iaido kata.
Continue reading ...

Ancient Korean Sparring

Posted by on Saturday, April 5, 2014, In : Art

This mural was painted at Kak-Je Tomb in Koguryo, one of the ancient Three Kingdoms of Korea. Produced in the age of San-Sang, the tenth king of the realm who ruled Koguryo from 197–227 CE, it shows combatants sparring in the early Korean martial art Soo Bak-Gi, a precursor to modern taekwondo.

taekwondo.edu.sg
Continue reading ...

Morihei Ueshiba

Posted by on Friday, April 4, 2014, In : Photography

Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido.

Source
Continue reading ...

A Crossbow from the Wubei Zhi

Posted by on Friday, April 4, 2014, In : Art

An illustration of a crossbow from the Wubei Zhi (Treatise on Armament Technology),
a comprehensive Chinese military guide written sometime in the early 17th century.

Source
Continue reading ...

Julius Caesar on Fear

Posted by on Friday, April 4, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

It is not these well-fed long-haired men that I fear, but the pale and the hungry-looking.

~ Julius Caesar ~
Continue reading ...

The History of Empi

Posted by on Friday, March 14, 2014, In : Video

The origins of the kata Empi (Flight of the Swallow) are unclear though there are three main theories on how it came into being;

Empi was, according to some sources, originally brought to Okinawa from China in 1683 by an envoy named Wang Ji, an expert in Shaolin Fujian White Crane.
Others suggest it was brought to the island with the arrival of a group of Chinese immigrants known as the Thirty-Six Families. Their appearance in the late 14th century changed the history of fighting on Okinaw...

The Blumenkrieg

Posted by on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, In : Photography

On March 12, 1938 the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed into Austria. Many welcomed the coming of the Nazis as liberators and the troops were greeted by cheering German-Austrians citizens with Nazi salutes, flags and flowers. As a result, the Nazi annexing of Austria is sometimes called the Blumenkrieg (war of flowers), though the official name was Unternehmen Otto. For the Germans, it was seen as the first big test of their war machine although as it turned out, no actual fighting t...
Continue reading ...

Miyamoto Musashi Self Portrait

Posted by on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, In : Art

Title: Miyamoto Musashi

Date: c.1640

Artist: Miyamoto Musashi

Information: Self-portrait of Miyamoto Musashi, who as well as being
considered one of the best samurai warriors of all time, was also an
excellent writer and a renowned artist.

Source
Continue reading ...

My Heart Burns Like Fire...

Posted by on Monday, March 10, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"My heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes".

~ Sayen Shaku ~

Continue reading ...

Jumping Side Kick

Posted by on Monday, March 10, 2014, In : Gifs

Tura Satana in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Posted by on Sunday, March 9, 2014, In : Photography

Tura Satana showing off her aikido skills in the 1965 cult movie Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Source
Continue reading ...

That 2,000-Yard Stare

Posted by on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, In : Art

That 2,000-Yard Stare by Tom Lea is a painting housed in a U.S. government warehouse that stores artifacts and precious works of arts obtained over the years by the army. The collection includes 16,000 pieces of fine art consisting of of donated and commissioned pieces, much of which were painted by soldiers who experienced their subjects first hand.

Source
Continue reading ...

Quick Thinking Ref

Posted by on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, In : Gifs

Muhammad Ali Saves Suicidal Man

Posted by on Monday, March 3, 2014, In : Video

In 1981, Muhammad Ali happened to be in the area when a Vietnam veteran was threatening to jump from the ninth floor or a building. After attempts by the police, a phycologist and a minister to talk the man down failed, Ali ran to the scene and successfully talked him out of committing suicide.
Continue reading ...

New Picture of Billy the Kid Discovered

Posted by on Sunday, March 2, 2014, In : Photography

According to historian Frank Parrish, this photo that recently came to light is only the second one in existence of the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid (Right). The man on the left, according to Parrish, is Dan Dedrick a close friend of the gunslinger and the picture is believed to have been taken in 1879 when Kid was 20 years old, two years before he died.

Source: dailymail.co.uk
Continue reading ...

Thomas "Tad" Lincoln

Posted by on Saturday, March 1, 2014, In : Photography

Abraham Lincoln's son Thomas "Tad" Lincoln is shown here dressed in a uniform patterned after his
hero, Elmer Ellsworth, the first Union casualty of the American Civil War.

Source
Continue reading ...

What I do Playing...

Posted by on Thursday, February 27, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

“What I do playing, you don’t even do when you’re mad”

~ Mestre Pastinha ~

Bruce Lee Double Kick

Posted by on Thursday, February 27, 2014, In : Gifs

Bruce Lee double kick (via tumblr)

Continue reading ...

Shaolin Monks

Posted by on Thursday, February 27, 2014, In : Photography

Shaolin monks (Via Tumblr)

Continue reading ...

Muhammad Ali and James Earl Jones

Posted by on Wednesday, February 19, 2014, In : Photography

Muhammad Ali and actor James Earl Jones, who at the time was starring in the Broadway production of the Great White Hope. The play told the life story of boxing legend Jack Johnson and after watching it, Ali told Jones that if you replace the problems caused by Johnson's love for white women with Ali's religious preferences, the two great boxers had virtually the same life story.

Continue reading ...

Jack Johnson vs. James J. Jeffries

Posted by on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, In : Photography

Jack Johnson (right) knocking out James J. Jeffries in their 1910 title fight. Jeffries was the first of the so called Great White Hopes backed to take the title from Johnson, who had become the first black heavyweight champion two years earlier. After the fight, there were race riots across America which lead to 25 deaths and several lynching attempts.
Continue reading ...

Please Sign the Petition

Posted by on Tuesday, February 4, 2014,

Sports Wales grant funding petition Petition | GoPetition

"We, the undersigned, petition the Sports Council of Wales to grant funding for safety equipment to Welsh Karate clubs, irrespective of Karate Association Affiliation. A stated aim of the Sports Wales Community Chest scheme is to make money available for community sport and physical recreation, yet grants will only be considered if the club is affiliated to the recognised governing body. We believe ALL CHILDREN should be eligible to ...

Keep it Simple

Posted by on Friday, January 24, 2014, In : Gifs

Muhammad Ali (1966)

Posted by on Thursday, January 23, 2014, In : Photography

Muhammad Ali (1966) training in former World Bantamweight champion Jimmy Coulon's
gym in Chicago. Photographed by Thomas Hoepker
Continue reading ...

The Flight of Arrows

Posted by on Thursday, January 16, 2014, In : Photography

This picture, called The Flight of Arrows, was taken around 1908 by by Edward S. Curtis and
depicts Native American warriors firing arrows into the air while performing the Atsina Crazy Dance.
Continue reading ...

Richard Humphreys the Boxer

Posted by on Wednesday, January 15, 2014, In : Art

Title: Richard Humphreys, the Boxer

Date: 1787

Artist: John Hoppner

Information: This painting of 18th century bare knuckle fighter Richard Humphreys was probably commissioned by his manager and promoter, Wilson Braddyll, to promote his upcoming fight against Daniel Mendoza. The artist had prior knowledge of boxing so managed to get a good likeness of an early boxer taking a defensive stance; the picture is now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Continue reading ...

When I Was a Young Man - Keinosuke Enoeda

Posted by on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, In : Proverbs & Quotes

"When I was a young man, many people blocked with their face".

~ Keinosuke Enoeda ~
Continue reading ...

The History of Wankan

Posted by on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, In : Video

Sensei Keinosuke Enoeda performing Wankan.

Wankan (Kings Crown) is also known as Ohkan (which means the same thing in Japanese). The history of all the Shotokan kata is hazy at best and this applies doubly for Wankan as not much at all is known about its origins.

In some styles there is another kata practiced that shares the name but has totally different moves to the Wankan of Shotokan, which may suggest that they are both only a portion of a longer, lost original kata. If this is the case, ...
Continue reading ...

The Black Prince

Posted by on Thursday, December 19, 2013, In : Art

The Black Prince is one of the most celebrated knights of medieval history, remembered as a warrior who exemplified the chivalric code of honour. Born Edward of Woodstock, he was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault and had a string of titles to his name including;

•    The First Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
•    The Prince of Wales
•    The Duke of Cornwall
•    The Prince of Aquitaine

The Black Prince, a nickname he received as a result of...

The Battle Between the Gods and the Titans

Posted by on Thursday, December 19, 2013, In : Art

Title: The Battle Between the Gods and the Titans

Date: 1600

Artist: Joachim Wtewael

Information: According to Greek mythology, the world was once run by a group of deities known as the Titans. Their leader, Cronus, had eaten most of his offspring in a bid to prevent their prophesised rebellion however his youngest son, Zeus, escaped this fate. After freeing his siblings from their father’s stomach, they moved to Mount Olympus from which they waged war on the Titans.

Read more on the Battl...
Continue reading ...

Heinkel He 111 Bombers

Posted by on Wednesday, December 18, 2013, In : Photography

A formation of low-flying German Heinkel He 111 bombers flies over the waves of the English Channel in 1940.

Continue reading ...

I Fear Not The Man...

Posted by on Friday, November 22, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Capoeira Scissor Kick

Posted by on Friday, November 22, 2013, In : Gifs

The Defeat of Benkei on Gojo Bridge

Posted by on Saturday, November 9, 2013, In : Art

Title: Combat and Defeat of Benkei on Gojo Bridge

Date: c.1830

Artist: Hiroshige

Information: A woodcut print of samurai legend Yoshitsune Minamoto (jumping on the right) attacking the warrior monk Benkei. The holy man had vowed to collect 1000 swords by dispossessing them from their owners in a series of duals. When he met up with the 15 year old Yoshitsune, he needed just one more for his collection but would soon realize that he had met his match. After being defeated but the young samura...
Continue reading ...

Akiyama Yoshitoki

Posted by on Friday, November 8, 2013, In : Art

Akiyama Yoshitoki, a physician from Nagasaki was instrumental in the development of the Yoshin School of jujitsu in the 17th century. After studying medicine in China, he learned hakuda, a fighting style that mainly consists of striking and kicking techniques and applied his knowledge to his jujitsu. This allowed him to develop hundreds of ways to subdue an opponent, and to be able to revive those he rendered unconscious or heal those he had caused injury to.
Continue reading ...

Joe Louis vs. Rocky Marciano

Posted by on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, In : Photography

Picture taken on October 26, 1951, of the fight between the aging former champ, Joe Louis and a much younger up-and-coming fighter, Rocky Marciano. Louis had returned to the ring after retiring to clear his considerable debt to the IRS so when offered $300,000 to fight one of the hardest hitters around, it was too good to refuse.

Marciano, who grew up idolising Louis, demolished the former champion, knocking him to the floor in the eighth round before hitting him clean out of the ring, causin...
Continue reading ...

Flashkick

Posted by on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, In : Gifs

Kung Fu Footage - 1930s

Posted by on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, In : Video

Footage of kung fu training from the 1930s, a time when the martial arts saw a period
of revived official acceptance in China after years of being outlawed.
Continue reading ...

Techniques from Tenjin-Shinyo Jujitsu

Posted by on Saturday, November 2, 2013, In : Art

Techniques from the Tenjin-Shinyo School of jujitsu, founded by Matayemon Iso in the 17th century.
Continue reading ...

Sergeant William Knapp

Posted by on Friday, November 1, 2013, In : Photography

Sergeant William Knapp of the 1st.Battalion, Coldstream Guards. The picture was taken by Robert Howlett
and Joseph Cundall in Aldershot, Hampshire in July 1856. Knapp is wearing the Crimea Medal with four bars
for Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann and Sebastopol.
Continue reading ...

Chief Looking Glass

Posted by on Friday, November 1, 2013, In : Photography

Photograph of Chief Looking Glass, leader of the Nez Perce tribe, taken in 1877.
Continue reading ...

The Fight Between Life and Death

Posted by on Friday, November 1, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

The History of Hangetsu

Posted by on Thursday, October 31, 2013, In : Video

Takayuki Mikami perofming Hangetsu.

Hangetsu (Half Moon) is possibly the oldest kata in the whole art of karate. Formally known as Seishan, it came through the Naha-te school though its origins are unknown. One theory is that the kata was formed from a Chinese folk dance, which aimed to explain to the onlooker the importance of the tides.

The original name, Seishan, means Thirteen which may be in reference to the thirteen day intervals as the moon revolves around the earth. However a more like...
Continue reading ...

Minamoto Yoshitsune Training with Tengu Demons

Posted by on Monday, October 28, 2013, In : Art

Image: Minamoto Yoshitsune training with tengu demons

Date: 1852

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861)

Infomation: The great twelfth-century warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune
training with tengu demons, the keepers of the secrets of the martial arts.
Continue reading ...

Mitsuyo Maeda c.1910

Posted by on Monday, October 28, 2013, In : Photography

This picture of Mitsuyo Maeda (1878 – 1941) was taken around 1910. Maeda was a Japanese judoka who is reported to have won around 2000 no holds barred fights and along with Antônio Soishiro Satake, he pioneered judo in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other countries. So important was he to the development of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he is often referred to as the Father of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
Continue reading ...

Mestre Bimba & President Getulio Dorneles Vargas

Posted by on Thursday, October 24, 2013, In : Photography

Mestre Bimba meeting the then president of Brazil, Getulio Dorneles Vargas, who is reported to have said to him;
“Capoeira is the only sport which is truly Brazilian”.

Continue reading ...

Punched Through the Wall

Posted by on Thursday, October 24, 2013, In : Gifs

Kinetograph Boxing Footage - 1894

Posted by on Monday, October 21, 2013, In : Video

An early clip of boxing footage recorded via Kinetograph. Taken in 1894, it shows a
fight between two bpxers named Cushing and Leonard, the latter getting the victory
in the final of six one minute rounds with a knock down.
Continue reading ...

Bruce Lee in the Big Boss

Posted by on Monday, October 21, 2013, In : Photography

Bruce Lee - The Big Boss
Continue reading ...

Decapitation During the Nanking Massacre

Posted by on Thursday, October 17, 2013, In : Photography

A Japanese headsman tells his Chinese prisoner the best way to hold his head
for a smooth decapitation. The picture was taken in 1938 during the Nanking massacre.
Continue reading ...

Shaolin Warrior Monks in the 1920s

Posted by on Thursday, October 17, 2013, In : Photography

This picture of warrior monks from the Shaolin Temple in the Henan Province was taken some time in the 1920s. It clearly demonstrates that they had become modernized in their fighting methods, learning from the mistakes of an earlier generation of monks who believed they could use traditional forms of fighting against soldiers with guns. They used talisman and spells to protect them from bullets during the Boxer Rebellion of 1901, a mistake that led to the uprising being easily quashed and on...
Continue reading ...

Sugar Ray Robinson KO

Posted by on Friday, October 11, 2013, In : Gifs

Chu Minyi - Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan

Posted by on Friday, October 11, 2013, In : Video

A demonstration of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan by Chu Minyi, disciple of Wu Jianquan, filmed in 1937 in Shanghai. Chu shows the Wu style set, tuishou and his 'modern and scientific' approach to kung fu including his 'stick' and 'ball' training methods.
Continue reading ...

Archer XI

Posted by on Friday, September 20, 2013, In : Art

This small-scale model is of the Archer XI of the west pediment of the Temple of Aphaia (c. 505–500 BCE), which is dedicated to a Greek goddess of the same name and was worshipped almost exclusively on the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf.
Continue reading ...

Samurai of the Edo Period

Posted by on Friday, September 20, 2013, In : Photography

A group of samurai warriors dressed in traditional costume photographed towards the end of the Edo Period in the 19th century.
Continue reading ...

Edith Garrud's Jujitsu

Posted by on Friday, September 20, 2013, In : Photography

Edith Margaret Garrud was an early 20th century female jujitsu expert who used her considerable skill to train a group known simply as the Bodyguard. They were tasked with giving protection to Emmeline Pankhurst and other suffragettes, who were regularly manhandled and harassed by police.

In 1913, Garrud made a short film (from which the pictures above are taken) to demonstrate her jujitsu and show than even in the male dominated world of the early twentieth century, a well-trained woman coul...
Continue reading ...

I Do and I Understand

Posted by on Tuesday, September 10, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Original Image
Continue reading ...

The History of Jion

Posted by on Tuesday, September 10, 2013, In : Video

Hirokazu Kanazawa performing Jion

The origins of the kata Jion (Mercy) is highly debated by scholars of world martial arts. It starts with the left hand covering the right fist, kamae that probably has its roots in Chinese boxing. It is thought to have come through the Tomari-te style of Okinawan karate, however according to the legendary Hirokazu Kanazawa (above), the kata originated in the Chinese Buddhist Jion Temple (where the monks were accomplished martial artists) and then spread to the...
Continue reading ...

Grappling Samurai Warriors

Posted by on Wednesday, September 4, 2013, In : Art

An old illustration of two samurai warriors engaged in hand to hand combat on the battle field. The grappling
moves being displayed are an example of fighting techniques that come from an early form of jujitsu.
Continue reading ...

The Alexander Mosaic

Posted by on Wednesday, September 4, 2013, In : Art

Title: The Alexander Mosaic

Date: c. 100 BCE

Artist: Unknown

This mosaic was found in the House of the Faun in Pompeii and depicts a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great (left) and Darius III of Persia (in the chariot to the right). Alexander’s, upper body and head are still visible and on his breast plate is a picture of Medusa. Darius is believed to be desperately trying to flee the battle and his extended arm may suggest he had just thrown a javelin. The Alexander mosaic is t...
Continue reading ...

Female Archers at the 1908 London Olympics

Posted by on Monday, September 2, 2013, In : Photography

Archery first appeared in the modern Olympics in 1900 and then again in 1904, 1908 and 1920,
after which it disappeared from the games until 1972.

These female archers are competing in the National Round Archery event of the 1908 London
Olympics, just eight years after women were first permitted to enter the games at all.

The event was won by Sybil (Queenie) Newall of Great Britain.
Continue reading ...

Quinton Jackson vs. Igor Vovchanchyn

Posted by on Monday, September 2, 2013, In : Gifs

Quinton Jackson vs. Igor Vovchanchyn from Pride 22.

Continue reading ...

How Not to Fight Mike Tyson

Posted by on Monday, September 2, 2013, In : Video

Mike Tyson winning his first heavyweight title against Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986. Berbick had been champ
for just eight months before the defeat, in which he demonstrated that going toe-to-toe with ‘Iron Mike’ was a big mistake.
Continue reading ...

Cheung Lai Chuen

Posted by on Wednesday, August 21, 2013, In : Photography

Cheung Lai Chuen, (born around 1880) was a kung fu legend who mastered Lei Ga (Lee Style), Lung Ying (Southern Dragon Style), Lau Man Gaau (Vagabond or Wanderer's Style) and Pak Mei (White Eyebrow Style), which he adapted and took out of secrecy, popularizing the art in Hong Kong around the turn of the 20th century.

Continue reading ...

The Siege of Dapur

Posted by on Tuesday, August 20, 2013, In : Art

Ramesses II's attacking the Cheta people with his composite bow at the Siege of Dapur (1269 BCE).
The image was copied from a mural in Ramesses II's temple in Thebes.
Continue reading ...

Mas Oyama Makiwara Training

Posted by on Monday, August 19, 2013, In : Photography

A young Masutatsu “Mas” Oyama training on a makiwara board c.1954.
Continue reading ...

Wise People are Diligent

Posted by on Monday, August 19, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Judo vs. Brazilian Jujutsu

Posted by on Friday, August 16, 2013, In : Video

A fight between Masahiko Kimura, Judo master and Heloi Gracie, the Brazilian Jujutsu legend from 1951

Continue reading ...

Jujutsu by Toyokuni Utagawa

Posted by on Tuesday, August 13, 2013, In : Art

Title: Jujutsu

Date: c.1815

Artist: Toyokuni Utagawa (Also referred to as Toyokuni I)

Information: This woodblock print by renowned artist Toyokuni Utagawa depicts an expert in Jujutsu fending off multiple attackers. Utagawa was one of the leading artists that came out of the famous Utagawa school of Japanese woodblock art, and is credited with making the school famous in the 19th century.

Continue reading ...

Madame Collie of Rome Fencing at Angelo’s Academy

Posted by on Friday, August 9, 2013, In : Art

Title: Madame Collie of Rome fencing at Angelo’s academy

Date: 1816

Artist: Thomas Rowlandson

Infomation: Henry Angelo was the most famous fencer and teacher of swordsmanship in England during the 18th century. This picture depicts his fencing school, situated in Bond St in London, when it was visited by Madame Collie of Rome.

Continue reading ...

Morihei Ueshiba

Posted by on Friday, August 9, 2013, In : Photography

O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) who founded Aikido in the early nineteen hundreds.
Continue reading ...

Those Who Do Not Move

Posted by on Thursday, August 8, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Legendary Swordsman Haga Junichi

Posted by on Thursday, August 8, 2013, In : Video

In this video legendary swordsman Haga Junichi is demonstrating kendo from the early Showa period of Japanese history, a period that started in 1926 and ended with the death of the Showa Emperor, Hirohito in 1989. (Note the unarmed wrestling at the end of the film).

Continue reading ...

The Close of the Battle - Tom Cribb vs. Tom Molineaux

Posted by on Wednesday, August 7, 2013, In : Art

Title: The Close of the Battle or The Champion Triumphant

Date: 19th Century

Artist: Unknown (published by Walker and Knight)

Information: This hand coloured etching depicts the second of two epic battles between the champion Tom Cribb (who won both fights) and Tom Molineaux, a former slave and the first American challenger to the title.

Continue reading ...

Wrestling Match

Posted by on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, In : Art

Title: Wrestling Match

Date: c.1649

Artist: Michiel Sweerts (1618–1664)

Information: 17th century oil painting depicting a wrestling contest.

Continue reading ...

Apollo and Artemis

Posted by on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, In : Art

Title: Apollo and Artemis

Date: c.470 BCE

Artist: Briseis Painter (real name unknown, this Athenian artist is known for his
particular style of decoration on pottery).

Information: The artwork on this Attic red-figure cup features Apollo, the Greek god
of archery and his twin sister Artemis, the goddess of wild places and hunting.
Continue reading ...

The Place to Train

Posted by on Saturday, August 3, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Wudang Light Body

Posted by on Saturday, August 3, 2013, In : Video

A demonstration of Wudang (Wu-tang) Light Body Kung Fu by Master Chen Shixing

Continue reading ...

Shaolin Masters Zhanju and Shi Zhanluo

Posted by on Saturday, July 20, 2013, In : Art

A wall mural dating from the early 19th century depicting Shaolin Masters Zhanju and Shi Zhanluo teaching
the monks weapon and empty-hand fighting techniques.
Continue reading ...

Mestre Bimba in the News

Posted by on Saturday, July 20, 2013, In : Photography

This clipping from a Brazilian newspaper (c.1930) pictures Mestre Bimba, inventor of the Regional style of capoeira.
It states; “It is not easy to fight a capoeira player….he uses kicks and head-butts against an aggressor”.
Continue reading ...

Aikido Staff Defence

Posted by on Friday, July 19, 2013, In : Gifs

A Sword's Honour

Posted by on Friday, July 19, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

The History of Ji'in

Posted by on Friday, July 19, 2013, In : Video

Hirokazu Kanazawa performing Ji'in

Ji’in (Inverted mercy) is no longer accepted as a kata of the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) and along with Wankan, was not included in the ‘Best Karate’ series by Masatoshi Nakayama, which is widely seen as a definitive guide to Shotokan kata. Despite this, many associations still teach it and many instructors feel the kata has a lot to offer their students.

The origins of Ji’in are obscure though as it shares the same Yoi position as Jion and Jitt...
Continue reading ...

Mas Oyama - Fighting a Bull

Posted by on Thursday, July 18, 2013, In : Photography

Sensei Mas Oyama, who had 52 fights with bulls, killing 3 outright and cutting off the horns of the rest with his knife hand strike.
Continue reading ...

Bare Knuckle Boxing Champs

Posted by on Thursday, July 18, 2013, In : Art

This poster from 1864 (three years prior to the introduction of the Queensbury Rules) depicts three of the last four bare knuckle boxing champions who were among campaigners trying to organise an official World Championship. From left to right they are; Tom Sayers (champion 1858 – 1860), Jem Mace (champion 1861 – 1862 & 1866 – 1871) and Tom King (champion 1862 – 1863).
Continue reading ...

The Great Battle of Kurikaradani

Posted by on Thursday, July 18, 2013, In : Art

Title: The Great Battle of Kurikaradani between Kiso Yoshinaka and the Taira General Tomonori in 1183.

Artist: Yoshiiku (1833 - 1904)

Date: 1857

Information: This Japanese woodblock print depicts the scene of the slaughter of Taira forces at the hands of the Minamoto Clan during the Battle of Kurikara. The victorious side launched a surprise attack and ambushed their opponents after forcing them into a closed off valley by guiding at them a heard of stampeding oxen with flaming touches atta...
Continue reading ...

We Walk on Hell

Posted by on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

One Inch Punch

Posted by on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, In : Gifs

Pak Mei

Posted by on Monday, July 15, 2013, In : Art

Pak Mei (also known as Bai Mei and meaning White Eyebrows), founder of the Pak Mei style of Kung Fu.
Continue reading ...

Eisuke Akamine and Taira Shinken

Posted by on Sunday, July 14, 2013, In : Photography

Master Eisuke Akamine (left) and Master Taira Shinken training with traditional Okinawan
karate weapons, the bo staff and the tonfa respectively.

Continue reading ...

Jack Johnson vs. Tommy Burns

Posted by on Sunday, July 14, 2013, In : Photography

Photograph of Jack Johnson vs. Tommy Burns taken on December 26 1908 in Sydney, Australia. Johnson won the fight in the 14th round and became the first African American to be the World Heavyweight Champion, sparking the original hunt for the so called ‘Great White Hope’.
Continue reading ...

Shaolin Iron Body – The Headstand

Posted by on Friday, July 12, 2013, In : Video

A Shaolin monk demonstrating a headstand exercise to strengthen the skull
Continue reading ...

Why we Make War

Posted by on Friday, July 12, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Mzilikazi

Posted by on Monday, July 8, 2013, In : Art

Mzilikazi, meaning "The Great Road" (c. 1790 - 1868), was a king from South Africa who is famous for leading a massive tribe known as the Khumalo on an 800 km long journey from Zululand to Matabeleland (now SW Zimbabwe), where he founded the Matabele kingdom. Formally a lieutenant of the great Zulu king Shaka, he rebelled in 1823 and formed his own tribe. Along the way he conquered many other tribes, assimilating the survivors into citizens of his own kingdom showing him to be both a great ge...
Continue reading ...

Mestre Pastinha and his Students

Posted by on Saturday, June 29, 2013, In : Photography

Mestre Pastinha (left) with some of his students playing capoeira near the Pelourinho in 1963. This historical neighbourhood in Salvador, Bahia, was named after the whipping post (Pelourinho means Pillory) situated in its central plaza, which was where African slaves once received punishment for infringements that would have included getting caught practicing fighting techniques.
Continue reading ...

The Death of Sasaki Kojiro

Posted by on Friday, June 28, 2013, In : Art

Title: Sasaki kojiro

Date: c. 1815

Artist: Ashihiro Harukawa

Infomation: This painting depicts the Kabuki actor Ohtani Tomoemon, playing the role of samurai warrior Sasaki Kojiro who meet his end in his famous ill-fated duel with Miyamoto Musashi on Ganryu Island. Kojiro was everything a samurai warrior was expected to be and followed the local Bushido code to the letter. However he was infuriated by his opponent’s lack of respect when Musashi turned up late, was dressed like a tramp and f...
Continue reading ...

Taekwondo Quadruple Kick

Posted by on Friday, June 28, 2013, In : Gifs

The History of Jitte

Posted by on Friday, June 28, 2013, In : Video

Jitte, performed by sensei Imura Takenori with application from Masatoshi Nakayama

Jitte literally means Ten Hands and the name may imply that one must have the strength of ten men, which is how Masatoshi Nakayama interpreted it in his book, Best Karate, Volume 7, (seen by many as a definitive guide to Shotokan kata). An alternative theory is that the name may derive from the raised fists hand position from within the kata, which is said to looks similar to a type of Sai known as a Jitte that ...
Continue reading ...

Legends of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - Chang Sanfeng

Posted by on Sunday, June 9, 2013, In : Art

This image depicts the moment of inspiration for the invention of the art of Tai Chi Chuan, at least according to some sources. Chang Sanfeng is thought to have watched a fight between a snake and a bird in the 15th century and got the idea to build a style of fighting around his extensive knowledge of Taoist philosophy and internal energy.
Continue reading ...

Chojun Miyagi & Juhatsu Kyoda

Posted by on Sunday, June 9, 2013, In : Photography

A young Chojun Miyagi and Juhatsu Kyoda practising what appears to be an
application of the Okinawan kata Saifa.

Continue reading ...

The Bruiser Bruis'D

Posted by on Thursday, June 6, 2013, In : Art

Title: The Bruiser Bruis'D, Or, the Knowing-Ones Taken-In

Date: 1750

Artist: Unknown

Infomation: Engraving of the fight between John 'Jack' Broughton and Jack Slack. Broughton was an instrumental influence on the early boxing scene after introducing the first rules aimed at providing some safety measures for fighters. In contrast Slack, after winning this fight and become the champ, went on to become the first known person to fix prize fights; he is also credited with inventing the rabbit pu...
Continue reading ...

Judo Throw

Posted by on Thursday, June 6, 2013, In : Gifs

Be Like Water

Posted by on Monday, June 3, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Legends of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - Sun Lu-t'ang

Posted by on Monday, June 3, 2013, In : Photography

Sun Lu-t'ang (or Sun Lutang) was a master of the internal arts and was instrumental in the invention of the syncretic art of Sun-style t'ai chi ch'uan. Born in 1860, he was also an expert in Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholarly pursuits and was a master at two other internal martial arts; xingyiquan (hsing-i ch'uan) and baguazhang (pa-kua chang). He came to t’ai chi relatively late in life but mastered it very quickly and spent much of his later career teaching t’ai chi to members of the pu...
Continue reading ...

Mestre Bimba Teaching the Ginga

Posted by on Monday, June 3, 2013, In : Photography

Mestre Bimba teaching a student how to do the most basic movement of capoeira, known as the ginga.
Continue reading ...

Seppuku

Posted by on Sunday, June 2, 2013, In : Art

Title: Seppuku
Date: 1867
Artist: J. M. W. Silver
Info: Illustration from "Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs", which were reproduced copies of
native Japanese art done by using a method known as Chromolithography and published in London.

Vovinam Gif

Posted by on Sunday, June 2, 2013, In : Gifs

A demonstration of the Vietnamese martial art, Vovinam.
Continue reading ...

Shaolin Iron Body – Leg Training

Posted by on Sunday, June 2, 2013, In : Video

This video demonstrates a training method used by Shaolin monks to strengthen or condition their legs. Known as Iron Body, by repeatedly hitting parts of their body over a period of years they make it gradually get stronger and stronger.

Continue reading ...

Sensei Chojun Miyagi Teaching Goju Ryu Students

Posted by on Thursday, May 30, 2013, In : Photography

Sensei Chojun Miyagi (far right) teaching his students Goju Ryu karate c.1929 in Okinawa.
Continue reading ...

Illustration of James Figg - First Boxing Champion

Posted by on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, In : Art

An illustration of James Figg, the first champion in modern pugilism history and an influential ambassador to the sport. His reign lasted from 1719 – 1730 when he retired undefeated after just under 300 fights. As a former fencer, he was able to bring new types of movement and technique to the art of boxing and after he quit the ring, he set up the world’s first boxing school to teach others.
Continue reading ...

Shaolin Mural

Posted by on Saturday, May 25, 2013, In : Art

A mural found at the Shaolin Temple in the province Henan, China that is believed to be around 500 years old.
Continue reading ...

Taekwondo Kick

Posted by on Saturday, May 25, 2013, In : Gifs

Yip Man - Siu Lim Tao

Posted by on Friday, May 24, 2013, In : Video

Grandmaster Yip Man performing Siu Lim Tao, a basic form from Wing Chun.
Continue reading ...

San Salvador

Posted by on Friday, May 24, 2013, In : Art

Title: San Salvador

Date: 1835

Artist: Johann Moritz Rugendas

Infomation: Illustration by German artist Johann Moritz Rugendas, inspired by his time on an expedition to Brazil.

Continue reading ...

Mestre Besouro Manganga

Posted by on Thursday, May 23, 2013, In : Art

An old sketch of Mestre Besouro Manganga fighting against a group of Brazilian police.
Continue reading ...

Koshiate

Posted by on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, In : Art

Title: koshiate
Date: 1735
Artist: Hayakawa Kyuukei
Info: This woodblock from the Edo period depicts a series of Japanese samurai swords on their koshiate
(Sword Hangers) and is from a Japanese book on samurai armour called Tanki Yoriaku: Hi Ko Ben
Continue reading ...

Karate Sweep

Posted by on Sunday, May 19, 2013, In : Gifs

Kalarippayattu Stick Fighting

Posted by on Saturday, May 18, 2013, In : Video

This video is a demonstration of stick fighting from Kalarippayattu, an ancient Indian martial art that is said
to be over 3,000 years old and the ‘mother of all martial arts’.
Continue reading ...

The Boxing Boys

Posted by on Saturday, May 18, 2013, In : Art

Title: The Boxing Boys

Date: c. 1600 B.C.E.

Artist: Unknown

Date: c. 1600 B.C.E.

Infomation: This fresco from Thera (modern-day Santorini in Greece) depicts two Minoan
boys engaged in boxing and is the earliest image depicting the use of boxing gloves.
Continue reading ...

Mestre Jose Antonio do Nascimento

Posted by on Friday, May 10, 2013, In : Photography

A rare photograph of legendary capoeira fighter Mestre Jose Antonio do Nascimento
(1842 - 1936), commonly known as Nascimento Grande (Great Birth).
Continue reading ...

Moko Shurai Ekotoba

Posted by on Friday, May 10, 2013, In : Art

Title: Moko Shurai Ekotoba

Artist: Unknown

Date: c 1293

Infomation: This picture depicts the samurai facing Mongol arrows and bombs and is from a set of near contemporary illustrations known collectively as the Moko Shurai Ekotoba. They were commissioned by the samurai warrior Takezaki Suenaga to record for prosperity his heroic deeds during the Mongol Invasions of Japan, which consisted of two failed attempts to conquer the country in the second half of the 13th century.

Continue reading ...

Taekwondo KO

Posted by on Thursday, May 9, 2013, In : Gifs

Nihon Kendo Kata

Posted by on Sunday, May 5, 2013, In : Video

Nihon Kendo Kata, forms 1 to 10.

Continue reading ...

Goro Nyudo Masamune (c.1264 – 1343 CE)

Posted by on Saturday, May 4, 2013, In : Art

Title: Masamune

Date: Unknown

Artist: Unknown

Infomation: This old image is of Gorō Nyūdō Masamune (c.1264 – 1343 CE), widely considered to
be the best sword smith that ever lived. He lived during the Kamakura Period and is said to
have made swords that had the perfect balance between strength and flexibility.

Continue reading ...

Entellus vs. Dares

Posted by on Saturday, May 4, 2013, In : Art

Title: L'Énéide

Date: c.1927 (?)

Infomation: Painting depicting the famous boxing contest between Entellus and Dares, as described in Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid, written sometime between 29 and 19 BCE. The older Sicilian champion Entellus went on to win the fight against his younger opponent from Troy, which is said to have taken place in games held by Aeneas in Sicily.
Continue reading ...

The Shaolin Temple Before 1928

Posted by on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, In : Photography

A photograph of the front gates of the Shaolin Temple, taken before the 1928 destruction
of the legendary Buddhist place of worship and home of Kung Fu.
Continue reading ...

Legends of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - Yang Lu-ch'an

Posted by on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, In : Photography

Yang Lu-ch'an also known as Yang Fu-k'ui or Yang Fukui (1799-1872), was an influential master of t'ai chi ch'uan during the 19th century who founded the Yang-style. After a modest upbringing, Yang was hired by the Imperial family in 1850 to teach them and several of their élite Manchu Imperial Guards Brigade units martial arts.

At this time, he taught the Taijiquan style and is credited with spreading it throughout China, being named by four of the five Taijiquan families as having transmitt...
Continue reading ...

Spinning Jumping Roundhouse Kick - Tony Jaa

Posted by on Monday, April 29, 2013, In : Gifs

Tony Jaa executing a spinning jumping roundhouse kick in his hit movie Ong Bak.
Continue reading ...

The Fear of Death

Posted by on Sunday, April 28, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Capoeira Painting by Augustus Earle

Posted by on Sunday, April 28, 2013, In : Art

Title: Negros Fighting

Date: c1824

Artist: Augustus Earle

Infomation: This painting is an early rendition of an illegal capoeira fight in Rio de Janeiro.
It was painted by English born artist Augustus Earle during his three year spell in Brazil in the 1820s.

Continue reading ...

The Mongol Invasion

Posted by on Saturday, April 27, 2013, In : Art

Title: Mongols Invasion

Date: 1847

Artist: Kikuchi Yoosai

Infomation: This Ink and water colours on paper depicts the destruction of the Mongol fleet in a typhoon that prevented them conquering Japan. This happened not once but twice, prompting the Japanese to believe it to be a Devine Wind or kamikaze.
Continue reading ...

Traditional Fighting in Africa - Engolo

Posted by on Saturday, April 27, 2013, In : Art

Drawings by Neves e Sousa, 1965

Engolo or NGolo (strength / power) is a ritualistic form of combat performed at various traditional ceremonies by several ethnic groups around the Cunene River in Southern Angola. Engolo consists of kicks, dodges, and leg sweeps, with particular emphasis on inverted positions, i.e. with one or more hands rooted to the ground. Many of the moves are reminiscent of capoeira fighting techniques and the African system may well have been one of the influences on the B...
Continue reading ...

Lenny McLean vs Roy Shaw

Posted by on Friday, April 26, 2013, In : Video

Lenny McLean Vs Roy Shaw in their second fight. There is some dispute over who won the first fight they had but there can be no doubt that McLean won the second and third.

Lenny McLean Vs Roy Shawin in their third and final fight

Chasing Rabbits

Posted by on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

(Image - Women hunting rabbits with a ferret. From the Queen Mary Psalterc.1316)
Continue reading ...

The Thrilla in Manila

Posted by on Monday, April 8, 2013, In : Photography

Muhammad Ali avoids a punch from long-time adversary Joe Frazier in their third and final fight. Known as ‘The Thrilla in Manila’, the Heavyweight Title fight was fought on October 1st and is seen by many as one of the best boxing matches of all time.

Continue reading ...

Bodhidharma on an Elephant

Posted by on Monday, April 8, 2013, In : Art

Image: Bodhidharma on an Elephant
Date: c.17th Century
Artist: Yiran
Info: This picture on a silk hanging scroll depicts Bodhidharma, the
Indian monk who is credited by many as being the founder of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Continue reading ...

Legends of Fencing - Henri de St. Didier

Posted by on Monday, April 8, 2013, In : Art

Henri de St. Didier was a fencing legend who came from France and was very influencial in the 16th century. In 1573 he became the first master of his country to write a treaties on fencing and acknowledged that the Italian style was the best. The main lessons he gave to the fencing world was how to counter-attack effectively and instruction on disarming an opponent.

More Fencing Legends
Continue reading ...

The History of Sochin

Posted by on Sunday, March 24, 2013, In : Video

Sochin (Tranquil Force) may have its origins in martial arts history in Dragon Style Kung Fu and then later come through the Naha-te school in Okinawa, where it was taught by Seisho Arakaki. According to legend, Higaonna Kanryo learned it from him then passed it down to Kenzo Mabuni, the founder of Shito-Ryu.

Mabuni is said to have spent some time instructing Gichin Funakoshi’s son, Yoshitaka in the art of kata and as a result of these instructions, the Shotokan syllabus gained not only S...
Continue reading ...

The Measure of Success

Posted by on Sunday, March 24, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Retiarius vs. Secutor

Posted by Andrew Griffiths on Friday, March 22, 2013, In : Art

Artist: Unknown
Date: Second – third century CE
Info: In this mosaic from the villa at Nennig, Germany, a retiarius gladiator, who fought with a net and a three pronged trident, stabs at his opponent who is a secutor gladiator, whose weapon of choice was usually a short sword or a gladius.

Continue reading ...

Master Pastinha Demonstrating Capoeira c.1963

Posted by on Thursday, March 21, 2013, In : Photography

Here, the great master is preparing to throw his opponent using body leverage.

Pastinha aims a kick at his opponent (he was around 74 years old when these pictures were taken).

This move is a counter attack from a defensive position
Continue reading ...

Traditional Fighting in Africa – Nuba Fighting

Posted by on Thursday, March 21, 2013, In : Photography

Nuba fighting is a form of African combat mainly practiced in central Sudan. It is a mixture of stick fighting and wrestling and began, according to local tradition, hundreds of years ago with the moves being developed through the imitation of monkeys and local insects. It serves as a passage of rites for young men and has religious & cultural significance, mainly taking place at special tournaments and events.

In-Kungfu.com
Continue reading ...

Jackie Chan in Drunken Master

Posted by on Friday, March 8, 2013, In : Gifs

Jackie Chan demonstrating his skills in the classic Kung Fu movie Drunken Master.
Continue reading ...

Experience

Posted by on Friday, March 8, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Jack Broughton - The Father of English Boxing

Posted by on Tuesday, March 5, 2013, In : Art

Title: Jack Broughton

Artist: Francis Hayman (1708 – 1776)

Infomation: This is an illustration of John ‘Jack’ Broughton, commonly thought of as the
‘Father of English Boxing’. He was champion from 1729 – 1750 and was the first
to add a set of widely accepted rules to the sport, which included stopping when
an opponent was knocked to the floor and using gloves, though only for training
purposes.

Continue reading ...

Bodhidharma Scroll

Posted by on Sunday, March 3, 2013, In : Art

Title: Bodhidharma

Artist: Hakuin Ekaku (1685 to 1768)

Infomation: This calligraphy scroll is Japanase in origin and reads;
“Zen points directly to the human heart, see into your nature and become Buddha”.

Continue reading ...

Legends of Fencing - Giacomo di Grassi

Posted by on Sunday, March 3, 2013, In : Art

Giacomo di Grassi was an Italian master from the 16th century who had a great influence on the development of fencing right up to the modern day. He is often credited with inventing the modern parry and through his best known work, ‘His True Arte of Defence’, taught fighters from his day to think more about defence than had previously been the norm.

More Fencing Legends
Continue reading ...

The History of Nijushiho

Posted by on Friday, February 22, 2013, In : Video

Nijushiho being performed by Tetsuhiko Asai (1935 – 2006)

Nijushiho (Twenty-four steps) is of unknown origins though some scholars believe that like Sochin, it originally comes from the Chinese Dragon style of fighting. Others believe the kata was created by the 19th century Okinawan master Seisho Arakaki, who may have also invented Sochin and Unsu.

The Okinawan name, Niseishi, was changed by Gichin Funakoshi however both mean the same thing. Whenever it was created, its development fo...
Continue reading ...

Sword Dance

Posted by on Saturday, February 16, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Jigoro Kano & Yoshiaki Yamashita

Posted by on Saturday, February 16, 2013, In : Photography

Jigoro Kano (the founder of Judo) on the left and Yoshiaki Yamashita
(the first to achieve a 10th degree red belt) performing Koshiki-no-kata
Continue reading ...

Private Joe Louis Says...

Posted by on Monday, February 4, 2013, In : Photography

This poster depicts Heavy Weight boxer Joe Louis and was aimed at getting new recruits to join the American army during World War Two. It was produced around 1942 during the ‘Brown Bomber’s' reign, which stretched from 1937 – 1949.
Continue reading ...

Legends of T'ai Chi Ch'uan – Chen Fake

Posted by on Monday, February 4, 2013, In : Photography

Chen Fake practicing Xin Jai

Chen Fake (1887–1957) was a master of t’ai chi ch’uan who was instrumental in the spread of his style, Chen-style taijiquan, when he took it from his home in the Henan Province in 1928 and started teaching it in Beijing. As the style is largely based on internal energies, Chen Fake feared its subtle properties may be lost to future generations so he created an external form known as Xin Jia (New Frame) to add a visual framework to the internal movements.
Continue reading ...

Wrestling KO

Posted by on Thursday, January 31, 2013, In : Gifs

When to Fight

Posted by on Thursday, January 31, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Gichin Funakoshi - Shuto Uke

Posted by on Wednesday, January 30, 2013, In : Photography

Gichin Funakoshi executing a shuto uke (knife hand block)

Continue reading ...

Tsukahara Bokuden

Posted by on Wednesday, January 30, 2013, In : Art

Tsukahara Bokuden (1489 - 1571)
Continue reading ...

Legends of Fencing – George Silver

Posted by on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, In : Art

George Silver was a late 16th, early 17th century English teacher of defence who wrote two major works, "Paradoxes of Defence" and "Brief Instructions on my Paradoxes of Defence", in which he promoted the use of small-swords and staves in favour of the rapier, a weapon which he strongly criticised. He believed that the rapier was dangerous, and was concerned with the number of duels that were happening in his time and worried that too many arguments were being settle that way. According to Si...
Continue reading ...

The History of Gankaku

Posted by on Monday, January 28, 2013, In : Video

Gankaku, as performed by JKA Chief instructor Masaaka Ueki (1939 – Present)

Gankaku Gankaku (Crane on a Rock) is a very old kata that was originally named Chinto (Fighter/Battle to the East), until it was changed by Gichin Funakoshi. In this case the change was brought about not only to make it more acceptable to the Japanese, but to remove any connotations of war the name might have as a result of Master Funakoshi’s pacifist beliefs. He also made modifications to the kata, changing its...
Continue reading ...

A Ship in the Harbor

Posted by on Monday, January 28, 2013, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Takasugi Shinsaku

Posted by on Monday, January 21, 2013, In : Photography

Takasugi Shinsaku, a Kendo practitioner from 19th Century Japan

Continue reading ...

Adolph Wolgast Vs.Tommy Murphy

Posted by on Monday, January 21, 2013, In : Photography

Adolph Wolgast fighting Tommy Murphy in February 1913

More vintage boxing pictures
Continue reading ...

Legends of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - Wu Quanyou

Posted by on Wednesday, December 26, 2012, In : Art

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 leg...
Continue reading ...

Kalaripayattu Gif

Posted by on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, In : Gifs

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

Continue reading ...

The First and Noblest of all Victories

Posted by on Monday, December 17, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Manduca da Praia Gang Fight

Posted by on Saturday, December 8, 2012, In : Art

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

Continue reading ...

Shaolin Wall Mural

Posted by on Saturday, December 8, 2012, In : Art

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

Legends of Fencing - Camillo Agrippa

Posted by on Friday, December 7, 2012, In : Art

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 ...
Continue reading ...

The History of Meikyo

Posted by on Friday, December 7, 2012, In : Video

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...
Continue reading ...

Mother, what was war?

Posted by on Friday, December 7, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Tsukahara Bokuden and his No Sword School

Posted by on Friday, December 7, 2012, In : Art

Picture: Bokuden's No sword school
Date: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Info: The painting depicts a tale about the legendary samurai warrior Tsukahara Bokuden,
and how he defeated a young warrior with guile alone. He agreed to fight on an island then
abandoned the warrior there, telling him; “Here is my No Sword School!”

Continue reading ...

Sensei Gichin Funakoshi Demonstrating Basics

Posted by on Thursday, December 6, 2012, In : Photography

Sensei Gichin Funakoshi demonstrating some basic karate moves.

Continue reading ...

Taekwondo History Legends – Nam Tae Hi

Posted by on Thursday, December 6, 2012, In : Photography

Major Nam Tae Hi with some of his students from the Vietnamese Army in the early 1960's

Nam Tae Hi is a modern day Taekwondo Legend who was instrumental in the formation of the art in its current form. Born in Seoul, Korea in 1929 he began his martial arts training as a school boy. After demonstrating the art to the President of South Korea (Syngman Rhee) in 1954, it was introduced to the military and five years later, Nam and a team took Taekwondo oversees for the first time when they demonst...
Continue reading ...

Contra

Posted by on Saturday, December 1, 2012, In : Retro Games

Arrows Keys to move
k = jump
j = fire
Change guns using: N,M,L,F,S keys
Continue reading ...

Hidden Worries

Posted by on Friday, November 30, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Arthur Bento dos Santos & Manduca da Praia

Posted by on Friday, November 30, 2012, In : Photography

Arthur Bento dos Santos & Manduca da Praia, taken in the 1940s (?)

Continue reading ...

Tomoe Gozen - Female Samurai Warrior

Posted by on Wednesday, November 28, 2012, In : Art

Title: Tomoe Gozen

Artist: Kikuchi Yōsai (1781-1878)

Infomation: Tomoe Gozen was one of Japan’s few famous female warriors who fought
alongside her master, Yoshinaka Minamoto, in the Gempei War (1180 – 1185).

Read article - Tomoe Gozen – Female Samurai Warrior

Continue reading ...

Muay Thai Boxing Legends - 1920s Footage

Posted by on Wednesday, November 28, 2012, In : Video

An interesting look at Muay Thai boxing through the eyes of a 1920s Englishman. Siamese boxing (as it was known in the West) had begun to grow in popularity by this time, having first being taken to Europe during the First World War. Note that the fight takes place to music, much like the Brazilian martial art Capoeira.
Continue reading ...

The History of Chinte

Posted by on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, In : Video

Chinte (Strange Hands) (performed by Master Masataka Mori above) is a very old kata that probably has its origins in China, though it has been suggested it is actually derived from an Okinawan folk dance. Favoured more by women than men, unlike most Shotokan kata it consists of predominantly circular movements instead of the more common linear ones.

If it did derive from a dance, some suggest that it symbolizes all the things a woman should know about life according to the culture at the ...

You Must Not Fight Too Often With One Enemy

Posted by on Friday, November 2, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Daruma (Bodhidharma)

Posted by on Friday, November 2, 2012, In : Art

Title: Daruma (Bodhidharma)

Date: 14th Century

Artist: Unknown (Inscription by Issan Ichinei)

Infomation: This ink painting from the Kamakura Era depicts
Bodhidharma, the founder, according to legend, of Asian martial arts.

Continue reading ...

John Graham Chambers

Posted by on Thursday, November 1, 2012, In : Art

Title: Illustration of John Graham Chambers
Date: 1883
Info: John Graham Chambers (1843 – 1883) was an all-around sportsman from Wales who excelled in several disciplines including rowing, walking, cycling, wrestling and athletics. However his major contribution was to devise the rules for boxing, known as the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.

Continue reading ...

Taekwondo History Legends – Song Duk Ki

Posted by on Thursday, November 1, 2012, In : Photography

Song Duk Ki demonstrating his art in Seoul in 1964

Song Duk Ki was a master of taek kyon, (a precursor of taekwondo), who was instrumental in preserving Korean martial arts in the first half of the 20th century. Taek kyon and soo bak were the main forms of art being practice at the time and they would later go on to be blended together along with moves from karate and kung fu, to help create modern taekwondo.

However this would have been impossible without a group of masters, led by Song Duk K...
Continue reading ...

Final Fight

Posted by on Sunday, October 28, 2012, In : Retro Games

Arcade Games

Move Left - A
Move Right - D
Move Up - W
Move Down - S

Jump - K

Punch - J
Kick - L

Go to Bed With a Dragon

Posted by on Saturday, October 27, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Yip Man & Bruce Lee Practicing Chi Sao

Posted by on Friday, October 26, 2012, In : Photography

Yip Man and his most famous student Bruce Lee, practicing Chi Sao or Sticky Hands (c.1955). Chi Sao is an exercise that is designed to improve the reflexes of the martial artist and is a favourite technique amongst Wing Chun practitioners of all levels.
Continue reading ...

Capoeira Drawings by Kalixto

Posted by on Sunday, October 21, 2012, In : Art

Title: Capoeira Drawings
Artist: Kalixto Cordeiro
Date: c.1906
Info: A series of drawings that depict a couple of well-dressed Capoeira fighters in battle.
Note the use of the ‘navalha’ (barber’s razor) in the centre picture, a weapon synonymous
with the ‘o malandro’ (criminal/bad boy)
Continue reading ...

Muay Thai Boxing Legends - Prince Narusuan

Posted by on Sunday, October 21, 2012, In : Photography

Prince Narusuan was a key figure in the development of the martial arts in Thailand (formerly Siam). In c. 1585, Narusuan succeeded in reorganizing a defeated Thai army. He made sure his men all learned martial arts leading to successful campaigns against the Burmese soldiers who had occupied the country since 1568.

Then, in a dramatic final showdown, he faced the leader of the Burmese army in open battle, both on the backs of war elephants. After a violent fight, Narusuan’s martial arts sk...
Continue reading ...

The History of the Kanku Kata

Posted by on Thursday, September 20, 2012, In : Video

Kanku (Looking into the sky) Sho (minor) and Dai (major) are advanced kata in the Shotokan syllabus and practiced by many styles including those of Japanese, Okinawa and Korean karate. Kanku Sho (Performed above by Takayuki Mikami) is the younger of the two Kanku kata and was probably developed from kanku Dai and handed down as a part of Master Anko Itosu’s teachings.

It contains moves that are typical of Itosu kata, such as double punches and moves that are designed to control and or ...
Continue reading ...

For Beasts to Fight

Posted by on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Emperor Akbar Training His War Elephant

Posted by on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, In : Art

Title: Emperor Akbar tames an elephant

Date: c.1609

Artist: Unknown

Infomation: The 16th century Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great is shown training a war elephant.
Continue reading ...

Tomoe Gozen

Posted by on Thursday, September 13, 2012, In : Art

Title: Tomoe Gozen

Date: 1899

Artist: Toyohara Chikanobu (1838–1912)

Infomation: This painting depicts the legendary female warrior Tomoe Gozen at the Battle of Awazu
in 1184. So the story goes, she killed one of the warriors shown with her, Uchida Ieyoshi, and
escaped capture from the other, Hatakeyama Shigetada.
Continue reading ...

Taekwondo History Legends – Lee Duk Mu

Posted by on Thursday, September 13, 2012, In : Art

During the Yi dynasty (1392 – 1910), interest in learning martial arts in Korea faded considerably, partly as a result of a growing emphasis on classical learning on subjects such as music, art, literature and poetry, as opposed to physical pursuits that were favoured in earlier periods.

By 1790, the martial art forms that would later develop into Taekwondo were at risk of dying out so in a bid to retain their knowledge, King Chong Jo ordered Lee Duk Mu, one of his generals and a martial ...
Continue reading ...

Mortal Kombat

Posted by on Monday, September 10, 2012, In : Retro Games

Use arrow keys to move
To punch - A
To block - S
To kick - D

Indistinguishable From Evil

Posted by on Sunday, September 9, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Anko Itosu - 1908

Posted by on Sunday, September 9, 2012, In : Photography

Anko Itosu (just left of centre sporting a big white moustache), at a martial arts exhibition in 1908.

Continue reading ...

Capoeira Slaves About to be Whipped

Posted by on Saturday, September 1, 2012, In : Art

Name: Negroes Going to be Whipped
Artist: Frederico Guilherme Briggs
Year: c.1832
Info: This print by the young Brazilian artist was one of a set that depicted common people. Here, one of the unfortunate men that are being lead off to be whipped is carrying a sign that says Capoeira.

Continue reading ...

Muay Thai Boxing Legends - Nai Khanom Tom

Posted by on Saturday, September 1, 2012, In : Photography

Nai Khanom Tom is a Muay Thai boxing legend of the highest calibre. Known as the ‘Father of Muay Thai’, Nai Khanom Tom was taken prisoner along with thousands of his countrymen when the capital Ayutthaya fell in 1767 to the Burmese. In 1774, a great festival was held by the King of Burma and as part of the celebrations, Nai Khanom Tom, still a prisoner of war, was to fight ten of the king’s men in a row.

After dispatching each of them, the Thai boxer became a legend and was rewarded wi...
Continue reading ...

The History of the Gojushiho Kata

Posted by on Tuesday, August 28, 2012, In : Video

Gojushiho (54 steps) is a set of two kata (sho/minor and dai/major) that both have their origin in a single kata from the Shorin-ryu style which was called Useishi (meaning 54). In a strange quirk of martial arts history, the kata known as Gojushiho Sho was previously known as Gojushiho Dai and vice-versa, but they got reversed.

Legend has it that in the 1960s or the 1970s during the All Japan Karate Championships, a high ranking karateka of the JKA announced Gojushiho Dai then did the wrong k...

Dance Under Those Lights

Posted by on Tuesday, August 28, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Yoritomo Minamoto

Posted by on Tuesday, August 28, 2012, In : Art

Yoritomo Minamoto (1147 - 1199) , after he defeated the ruling Taira Clan and
ushered in the Kamakura period and the rule of the Minamoto Shogunate.
Continue reading ...

Sensei Anko Itosu with Kenwa Mabuni & Gichin Funakoshi

Posted by on Saturday, August 25, 2012, In : Photography

Sensei Anko Itosu (with the glasses), pictured with some of his students including
Kenwa Mabuni (standing) & Gichin Funakoshi (to Itosu's left).

Date: c.1880.

Update - Having recently read an article on dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com it has come to my attention that Kenwa Mabuni can not be in this picture as he was not born until 1889, 21 years after Gichin Funakoshi. It seems likely that the boy seated is in fact Funakoshi though there is some doubt as to weather or not it is Anko Itosu sat be...
Continue reading ...

Taekwondo History Legends – Chin Heung and the HwaRang

Posted by on Saturday, August 25, 2012, In : Art

One of the earliest influences on taekwondo history and philosophy was the twenty-fourth King of Silla, Chin Heung. He organised a special fighting unit for his army who were well trained, elite warriors known as the HwaRang who were prolific with weapons as well as an unarmed combat system called SooBak.

They became taekwondo history legends because their whole lives were dedicated to protecting their realm. They were also taught spiritual matters and they were expected to live by an honou...

Street Fighter Two

Posted by on Thursday, August 23, 2012, In : Retro Games

Soft vs. Hard

Posted by on Wednesday, August 22, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

War Elephants

Posted by on Wednesday, August 22, 2012, In : Art

Title: The Battle of Zama

Date: c.1890

Artist: Henri-Paul Motte (1846–1922)

Infomation: The war elephants of Hannibal’s Carthaginian army fighting
against the Roman infantry at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC
Continue reading ...

Yim Wing Chun

Posted by on Thursday, August 16, 2012, In : Art

Title: Yim Wing Chun

Date: Unknown

Artist: Unknown

Infomation: Yim Wing Chun training on a wooden dummy

Continue reading ...

Muay Thai Boxing Legends - The Tiger King

Posted by on Wednesday, August 15, 2012, In : Art

King Prachao Sua, A.K.A The Tiger King (1662 – 1709) loved Muay Thai so much that he would often sneak off in disguise and enter tournaments. He is remembered for his bravery in the ring and fought many notable fighters from nearby villages who, had they known who he really was, would have never have fought him. The Tiger King helped popularize Thai Boxing amongst his subjects and formally made it a part of the army’s training. He influenced the fighting styles, equipment and the martial ...
Continue reading ...

The History of Unsu

Posted by on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, In : Video

Unsu (Hands in the Clouds) is a high level kata and one of the oldest practiced within Shotokan karate. Its exact origins are unknown but it is believed to be of Chinese origins, and of the Dragon Style of Kung Fu. According to Masatoshi Nakayama, anyone who tries to master Unsu before first mastering the Heian kata, Kanku-Dai, Empi and Jion will look like “a scarecrow trying to dance".

Symbolism is a recurring theme in the history of the martial arts and it has been suggested that the mo...

Zen Proverb

Posted by on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, In : Proverbs & Quotes

Ainu Hunters

Posted by on Sunday, August 12, 2012, In : Art

Title: Ainu Hunters

Date: 19th Century

Artist: Unknown

Infomation: The clothes, weapons and characteristic thick beards
of the Ainu went largely unchanged for much of the history of Japan.
Continue reading ...

Capoeira Angola

Posted by on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, In : Photography

Capoeira Angola being performed in 1930s Brazil

The Roots of Capoeira
Continue reading ...

Mestre Joao Grande vs.Mestre Joao Pequeno

Posted by on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, In : Photography

Reknowned Mestre Joao Grande and Mestre Joao Pequeno playing capoeira on a dock.

The Roots of Capoeira
Continue reading ...

Training at Shuri Castle

Posted by on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, In : Photography

Training at Shuri Castle c.1938. Photographed by Nakasone Genwa

The History of Okinawan Karate
Continue reading ...

Early Karate Training in Japan

Posted by on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, In : Photography

Students of karate training on a roof top in Japan c.1934

The History of Okinawan Karate
Continue reading ...

The Dance of War

Posted by on Monday, July 30, 2012, In : Art

Title: Capoeira or the Dance of War

Date: c1823

Artist: Johann Moritz Rugendas (1802 - 1858)

Capoeira Home
Continue reading ...

Mestre Bimba Performing the Ginga

Posted by on Monday, July 30, 2012, In : Photography

Mestre Bimba performing the ginga in the early 1930s
(His opponent is Asclépios Ferrer)

Capoeira Articles
Continue reading ...

Chojun Miyagi Training (1929)

Posted by on Monday, July 30, 2012, In : Photography

Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953), Founder of Goju-ryu teaching in Okinawa
Picture taken in 1929

Karate Home

Continue reading ...

Kanga Tode Sakugawa

Posted by on Monday, July 30, 2012, In : Photography

Photograph of Okinawan karate master Kanga 'Tode' Sakugawa (1733 - 1815).

(Update, although several sources around the web clam this to be a photograph of the great master, as he died in 1815 and photography had not been invented yet, this is not possible).

Karate History Articles

Continue reading ...

Prince Yamato

Posted by on Sunday, July 29, 2012, In : Art

Title: Yamato Takeru Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892)

Date: 1886

Infomation:This is a woodblock print on paper of Prince Yamato Takeru dressed as a maidservant, preparing to kill the Kumaso leaders. Yamato is held up as an ideal samurai and as an example for others who followed him.

Samurai History
Continue reading ...

Musashi vs. Bokuden

Posted by on Saturday, July 28, 2012, In : Art

Title: Musashi vs. Bokuden

Date: Between 1868 – 1892

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Information: This woodblock print depicts a fictional fight or training session between legendary samurai warriors Tsukahara Bokuden (1489 - 1571) and Miyamoto Musashi (1584 - 1645)

Continue reading ...