Noah_Legel
Blue Belt
Hello everyone,
My question may seem a bit strange, since I'm asking about a karate style in a CMA forum, so I'm afraid my explanation will be a long one--sorry about that!
For those who are unaware, Shuri-Ryu (which I used to practice) is an eclectic American karate system that was created by Robert Trias. It has a somewhat shrouded and controversial history and lineage, and part of that is Trias' insistance that a major component of his style comes from training in Hsing-I/Xingyi under a man named Tung Ji Hsing (various spellings), who may or may not have existed. Since I don't do that style, anymore, but still have friends who do, I've pretty much steered clear of all the arguments about its history and legitimacy, although I'm fully aware of them.
Lately, though, I've been seeing a lot of discussions about one of the kata in the system, in particular, called Go Pei Sho, otherwise known as the "Tearing Peacock Form." Now, I have been told by several people that Trias made up this kata, which I suspect is highly likely. On the other hand, I have also been told that he learned the form from Hsing-I/Xingyi, and simply modified it to be more karate-like. The people who have told me this also say that one of Robert Smith's books shows a student of his performing the original version. I have one of his books, but it doesn't have anything in it remotely resembling Go Pei Sho.
For reference, here is a video of the kata:
My question is; are any Hsing-I/Xingyi practitioners, here, familiar with any form that could have been the origin of this version, and do you see any connections, whatsoever, to your art? Since the discussions about Shuri-Ryu and Go Pei Sho have been largely held on karate forums, I wanted to get some legitimate CMA input on it for my own clarification.
Thanks!
My question may seem a bit strange, since I'm asking about a karate style in a CMA forum, so I'm afraid my explanation will be a long one--sorry about that!
For those who are unaware, Shuri-Ryu (which I used to practice) is an eclectic American karate system that was created by Robert Trias. It has a somewhat shrouded and controversial history and lineage, and part of that is Trias' insistance that a major component of his style comes from training in Hsing-I/Xingyi under a man named Tung Ji Hsing (various spellings), who may or may not have existed. Since I don't do that style, anymore, but still have friends who do, I've pretty much steered clear of all the arguments about its history and legitimacy, although I'm fully aware of them.
Lately, though, I've been seeing a lot of discussions about one of the kata in the system, in particular, called Go Pei Sho, otherwise known as the "Tearing Peacock Form." Now, I have been told by several people that Trias made up this kata, which I suspect is highly likely. On the other hand, I have also been told that he learned the form from Hsing-I/Xingyi, and simply modified it to be more karate-like. The people who have told me this also say that one of Robert Smith's books shows a student of his performing the original version. I have one of his books, but it doesn't have anything in it remotely resembling Go Pei Sho.
For reference, here is a video of the kata:
My question is; are any Hsing-I/Xingyi practitioners, here, familiar with any form that could have been the origin of this version, and do you see any connections, whatsoever, to your art? Since the discussions about Shuri-Ryu and Go Pei Sho have been largely held on karate forums, I wanted to get some legitimate CMA input on it for my own clarification.
Thanks!
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