Kuntao

• Kun Tao
• Kune Tao
• Kun Dao
• Kun Do
• Kuon Tao
• Kuntow
• Kuntou

• Brunei Brunei
• People's Republic of China People's Republic of China
• China Republic of China Republic
• Indonesia Indonesia
• Malaysia Malaysia
• Philippines Philippines
• Singapore Singapore

Kuntao ( Hokkien: Way of the Fist ,拳 道) is a common in South East Asia Southern Chinese martial art origin and is often the family of southern Boxstile (南拳, Pinyin: Nan Quan ) counted. Mainly it is used in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. Because of the different Latinisierungen Southeast Asian languages ​​, there are many existing parallel to each other spellings, also some Kuntaostile were mixed over the centuries with other Southeast Asian styles. In the western world the word Kuntao is often mistakenly dismissed as Hokkien reading of Quanfa (principle of Faust拳法​​) and translated.

• 5.1 Kuntao in the U.S.

History

According to legend, the monk Lama Darmon brought the art at the time of the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368) from China to Indonesia. However, it is not recorded where the monk landed or where he lived and taught. In addition, it is often said a Shaolin monk and / or a Taoist monk to have been, although his name identifies him as a Lama. At the same time there is also a flow claiming Darmon was a Tibetan monk who lived from 1912 to 1942 in Java, Indonesia under the name Liem Ping Wan and taught. However, the latter does not explain why Kuntao is considered considered traditional martial arts and heritage in Sulu, Philippines, and in Mindanao, Philippines. Backed 's just that Kuntao very strongly with the ostindonesischen, malaisischen, Brunei and southern Philippine culture is intertwined.

However, historians believe that Kuntao spread in this space in the course of trade relations between Southeast Asia and China. Trade relations between Southeast Asia and China, up to the 1st century. traced AD, for example, how based on Chinese ceramics, which were found during excavations on the islands of Java and Sumatra from this period can be set. In addition, it was discovered warrior sculptures from Sumatra, their armor have distinctive Chinese features. Southeast Asian Kuntaostile differ somewhat from the Chinese and Taiwanese styles since they were adapted to the local environment, as well as the original Southeast Asian styles and weapons. Since martial arts in Asia but were often further taught only within family associations to direct relatives, a mutual exchange of knowledge in this regard seems unlikely.

Etymology

The character combination "拳 道" is a common in the world of Asian martial arts, such as at martial arts like Taekwondo can see names (跆拳道) or Jeet Kune Do (截拳道). While the characters拳(Pinyin: Quán ) fist means and stands for all hand and arm techniques, is道(Pinyin: Dào ) the sign for road, lies in a broader sense for teaching and is the same character as in Taoism (道教). Literally translates Kuntao can therefore classified as " way of the fist ", or " method / teaching fist " translate, but means literally only martial art. Nevertheless Kuntao should not Quánfǎ (拳法, Hokkien: Kun Huat ) what method of Faust is, be confused. The latter is an ancient, general term refers to Chinese martial arts whereas Kuntao to a specific subspecies of Chinese martial arts.

Philosophy

Alone, because of his name can be argued that Kuntao was not designed for self-defense.

Kuntao in Asia

The southern Chinese culture has strongly influenced the Southeast Asian, both in the political, linguistic, cultural, religious and even familial sense. In all nations are also there accordingly endemic terms for Chinese and half-caste children from Chinese and Malay, the latter are called in Indonesia and the Philippines Babah Mestizo or Tsiñito. This clash of both cultures has also changed the fight schools in the respective regions.

Kuntao in Indonesia

At the time of the Dutch East India Company was set amplified from different economic and political reasons for migration of Chinese into the malaiisischen archipelago. This stayed the various colonial powers in Southeast Asia that possible no fraternization between the Malay and the Han Chinese were to be completed. This is one of the fundamental reasons why Kun Tao, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia remained almost exclusively within the Chinese society. Nevertheless, the Indonesians synchretisierten their schools with the Chinese and called the result Kuntao Silat.

Kuntao in the Philippines

Although she is considered one of the FMA, Kun Tao is to be found in the Philippines, mainly in the southwest of the country and is traditionally practiced by the Tausug.

Kuntao at the Philippine police

Kuntao is part of the Trainingkurrikulums the Sonderkommando of the Philippine police (SAF, Special Action Force ), the National Office of Investigations ( NBI National Bureau of Investigation ) and the Crisis Intervention Department (CRG, Crisis Response Group).

Kuntao in the Western world

Kuntao is both in the Western world as well as in Southeast Asia itself a relatively unknown martial art and there are no large associations still a solid dress code.

Kuntao in the U.S.

Especially after the May riots in Indonesia in 1998 and during the dictatorship of Haji Mohamed Suharto many Indonesian Chinese fled into exile. Since among the refugees also were also masters and students of Kuntao, this number Kuntao - schools founded addition including in the United States are added still a large number of Filipino migrants who migrated during and after the U.S. colonial period to America now and there teach their native styles.

Differences between Kuntao and Silat Kuntao

While Kuntao can both describe the purely Chinese and Southeast Asian form of martial art of Kuntao Silat refers exclusively to the Malayan forms of this type of battle. The main difference is that in the latter the focus is on Southeast Asian weapons and combat methodologies, Kuntao this was merged with the existing styles such as Pencak Silat or Arnis.