english - I CHUAN video #1

on old masters

This video is taken from the documentary Eat Your Enemy.

The camera follows Jan Kallenbach (1943-2021), a celebrated name in the (Kyukushin) karate world. During a stay in Japan, he comes into contact with Kenichi Sawai, the founder of Taikiken.

Kenichi Sawai had been stationed in Beijing as an army officer during the war and had learned of Wang Xiang-Zhai's fame there. The story goes that for Sawai, the only way to get in touch with Grandmaster Wang was to challenge him to an open fight. Sawai, with high graduations in Judo and Kendo, had no chance and was so impressed that he studied Grandmaster Wang's I Chuan and zhan zhuang through one of his top students until the end of the war. After returning to Japan, Kenichi Sawai named his style, which was largely founded on I Chuan, Taikiken.

Eventually, Kenichi Sawai advises Jan Kallenbach to go to China to get closer to the source of Taikiken and I Chuan. Wang Xiang-Zhai is long deceased by then, but Jan comes into contact with Li Jian-Yu in Beijing. Li is a calligrapher by profession and trained and studied directly under Wang Xiang-Zhai. In the video, Li trains single and double pushing hands with Jan, in which they succeed wonderfully despite the big difference in body height.

Then Wang Yu-Feng, grandmaster Wang's daughter, also appears. Briefly, she talks about how difficult it has been to bring I Chuan through the turbulent times after the Chinese revolution. In 1999, I met Ms Wang on a study tour with my old sifu and a group of colleagues. It was clear to us that Ms Wang had not come through turbulent times physically unscathed, but during a vital Jian Wu demonstration she gave, nothing could be seen of any disability.

Then Cui Rui-Bin, another prominent direct disciple of Wang Xiang-Zhai, spoke on the foundation of I Chuan: Zhan Zhuang, the practice of silent postures.