The Origin of Pyung Ahn Hyungs

[Makalakumu]

I wanted to start a thread to discuss the origin of the Pyung-Ahn Hyungs. These forms cross the arts back and forth and are recognizable in many systems. Consequently, because of the politics involved, the stories have gotten somewhat muddled.

Here is what I learned...

In TSD it is acknowledged that Master Itosu "created" them, but the story I learned gets more complicated. For instance, Pyung Ahn Ee Dan is said to be a derivitive of a Chinese form called Jae Non and I've heard (but not actually have seen) that some Kung Fu styles still do this form. Anyway, Master Itosu is said to have "adapted" Jae Non and its techniques into Pyung on Ee, Sam, Sa, and O. Pyung Ahn Cho Dan is accredited to Master Itosu's senior student.

Maybe this is a load of crap. Maybe not. That is what I am trying to figure out.

upnorthkyosa

 

[Matt]

I wanted to start a thread to discuss the origin of the Pyung-Ahn Hyungs. These forms cross the arts back and forth and are recognizable in many systems. Consequently, because of the politics involved, the stories have gotten somewhat muddled.

Here is what I learned...

In TSD it is acknowledged that Master Itosu "created" them, but the story I learned gets more complicated. For instance, Pyung Ahn Ee Dan is said to be a derivitive of a Chinese form called Jae Non and I've heard (but not actually have seen) that some Kung Fu styles still do this form. Anyway, Master Itosu is said to have "adapted" Jae Non and its techniques into Pyung on Ee, Sam, Sa, and O. Pyung Ahn Cho Dan is accredited to Master Itosu's senior student.

Maybe this is a load of crap. Maybe not. That is what I am trying to figure out.

upnorthkyosa

I'm more of a 'Karate' background guy, so I hope you won't mind me using their 'pre-TSD' / 'pre-TKD' names.

Itosu Anko (of Okinawa) is generally credited with the creation of the Pinan series of forms, but there are many versions of the story.

This site offers three of them:
http://www.karate.org.yu/articles/kata_pinan.htm

There is a belief in some cases that an earlier karate form "chanan" was chopped up into five parts to make simple forms resulting in the pinan series. This is counfounded a bit by some styles that still have a "Chan-an" in them. The series was developed as part of the movement to introduce to-de / kara-te into the okinawan school system, with one form for each of the five grades.

The pinan series was adopted by several of the karate styles as a 'new' beginner form replacing the naihanchi (later renamed tekki in shotokan) forms at the beginner level.

From an article I wrote(I replaced the footnotes with the addresses of the original sources):

A Korean named Woon Kook Lee studied under Gichin Funakoshi in Japan, attaining a 3rd degree black belt in Shotokan karate. When he returned to Korea, he applied for a license, formed the Chung do Kwan, and began to teach Tang Soo Do, which is the Korean pronunciation of the ideograms for Karate-do, or in English, “China hand way.” (Kluzek, Erik “History of Chung Do Kwan and U.S.U. Tae Kwon Do Club ...” Online. 11/26/01 http://www.usu.edu/taekwond/history.html
) In a similar fashion, Hong Hi Choi, acknowledged as the ‘Father of Taekwon-do,’ studied Shotokan Karate in college in Kyoto, then Tokyo attaining the rank of 2nd degree black belt. In 1957 he formed and became president of the Korean Taekwon-do Association, coining the name ‘Tae-kwon do’ in the process. Originally, the Shotokan forms were used, but eventually the organizations developed their own forms.(Power Kix Karate “Power Kix Karate – History of Tae Kwon Do” Online, 11/26/01. http://www.powerkixusa.com/history/history.htm
)

As early students of Funakoshi in Tokyo they would have learned them as the pinan series, as Funakoshi did not change the name (pinan to heian)and order (2,1,3,4,5) until later. The name actually comes from the Chinese characters for peace (P'ing) and Tranquility (Ahn).

Does that help any?

Matt

 

[monkey-a-go-go]

I am strictly a journeyman but one constant has been pinan and its relatives. I may be stating info you have found by now. Matt knows his stuff. Some other ideas or myths etc. :Bushi Matsumura of okinawan karate derived the first 2 from channan and laid the groundwork for the 3,4 possibly. Itosu developing 5. Another story is that Itosu only taught the first three with zeal (or gumption whatever LOL) possibley out of respect for his teacher. One shorin style (I want to say Kobayashi/Chibana? - I am relying on memory) said its founder taught only the last out of respect to Itosu. Now to play devils advocate: Choki Motobu okinawan fighting legend alleges this is a new direction in to-de. There is evidence that this is Itosu's "best of" the tomari and shuri-te techs in a form for mass instruction and military close combat. Its roots can been seen in the some okinawan kata kushanku, naihanchi, passai, jion(memory lapse). And what I have found to be the missing element:Hsing I (internal chinese style). Check out pi chuan and tsuan chuan. Btw Dr. Elmar Schmeisser has a book and video out on Channan. I haven't seen it but he seems like a brain but some applications I have seen from him in the past aren't what I am into. Whew! Have Fun! but wait theres more...lol.

 

[TSDMDK16485]

acording to some historical texts master itosu took the classical hyung of kong sang koon and broke it down into what we call the pyunh ahn hyungs to this day..