The earliest Western mention of ‘China’ (as ‘Seres’ - Greek for ‘Land of Silk’) seems to be in the 4th century BCE work of the Greek physician and historian ‘Ctesias’ (Κτησίας) of Cnidus (now in Turkey) who was born c. 416 BCE. This is described in the 2008 Chinese language book entitled ‘中国与罗马 - Zhong Guo Yu Luoma) or ‘China and Rome’ written by the esteemed Mainland Chinese academic Qui Jin (丘进). In a book of anecdotes describing the inhabited regions of the world, Ctesias is quoted as saying,  ​

‘The people of Seres and North India are said to be strong and tall in stature! It is said that some can grow as tall as 13 cubits! (a single ‘Coudee’ or ‘Cubit’ = approximately 0.5m). It is not uncommon for these people to live for 200 years!’ ​

‘赛里斯人和北印度人身材高大，甚至可以发现某些身高达13肘尺（Coudée，约合0.5米）的人。他们可以寿逾200岁。’ ​

The modern science of archaeology – when applied around the world - tends to support the idea that both China and the Greek and Roman worlds possessed vague and hazy ideas regarding one another’s existence certainly during the early centuries BCE. We are on firmer ground during the year 97 CE, when it is recorded that the Eastern Han Dynasty of China attempted to send an emissary - named ‘Gan Ying’ (甘英) - to Rome but that his journey was blocked by the Parthians. Han Dynasty records further state that the Roman emperors Antoninus Pius (86-161 CE) and Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) both sent envoys from Rome to China. In the case of the latter, the Roman emissary reached China in 166 CE – landing at a place called ‘Rinan’ (日南) County before being escorted to Louyang! The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire, however, conducted commercial trade prior to making direct political contact from around the 1st century CE (through third parties and middlemen, etc) using the maritime and land-based Silk Roads. The Han Dynasty exported fine silk to Rome, whilst the Romans exported glassware and equally high-quality clothing fabrics to the Han Dynasty. ​

This early history is relevant when considering the interesting historical finds announced in the Japanese press during 2016! Around September 26th, 2016, The Japan Times (and many other publications) broadcast the story that Japanese archaeologists had been conducting exploratory excavations (since 2013) within the grounds of the ruined Katsuren Castle in Okinawa (which had existed between the 12th-15th centuries CE) located near Uruma City. On this day, however, things were a little different as Japanese archaeologist - Toshio Tsukamoto it was announced - had discovered four badly worn copper coins (measuring between 1.6 and 2 cm in diameter) thought to have been minted at in ancient Rome at some point during the 4th century CE. Hiroki Miyagi, an archaeologist at Okinawa International University, explained: "Katsuren Castle belonged to the Ryukyu Kingdom during the 14th and 15th centuries and was the only channel for trade between Japan and China. At that time, East Asian merchants mainly used Chinese ‘square-hole’ (方孔 - Fang Kong) money as currency, and Western currency was unknown in this part of the world. If Roman-era coins were circulating in Japan, it is speculated that this ancient currency may have flowed into the Ryukyu Kingdom from China or Southeast Asia.” It was also reported that one 17th century CE Ottoman Empire coin had been discovered during the ‘dig’, together with five other metallic objects also thought to be coins. Of course, what Hiroki Miyagi falls to mention is that when these coins were thought to have been deposited on the island - ‘Okinawa’ (or more properly ‘Liuqiu’) was part of China and not part of Japan! It was only from 1609 onwards following the Satsuma invasion that ‘Liuqiu’ became nominally a part of Japan – whilst its three Kings continued to send tribute to the Chinese emperor out of respect. It was only with the 1879 ‘annexation’ of ‘Liuqiu’ (and the surrounding islands) by the Imperial Japanese Army that ‘Liuqiu’ was renamed ‘Okinawa’ and the island chain it is a part of became known as ‘Ryukyu’ (the Japanese pronunciation of ‘Liuqiu’).  ​

When did ‘Liuqui’ become a distant part of the Chinese empire and when was this small island integrated into the umbrella that it is Chinese culture? Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) records mention contact with an island referred to as ‘Liuqiuguo’ (流求國) - or the ‘Flow Attract’ Country (perhaps suggesting a country the tides of the South China Sea will take you toward quite naturally). This is recorded in the: ​

a) ‘Sui Dynasty Historical Records’ (隋書 - Sui Shu) – with the relevant data entered as follows: ​

b) Volume 81 - ‘Eastern Barbarian – List of Histories and Descriptions’ (東夷列傳 - Dong Yi Lie Chuan) ​

c) Chapter 29 - ‘Chen Ling Biography’ (陳稜傳 - Chen Ling Chuan) ​

c) Chapter 46 - ‘Flow Attract Country History and Description’ (流求國傳 - Liu Qiu Guo Chuan)  ​

d) Chapter 64 - ‘List of Histories and Descriptions’ (列傳 - Lie Chuan) ​

This history records (and details) the Sui emperor ‘Yang’ (煬) [569-618 CE] who reigned 604-618 CE – and his mounting of a successful seaborne expedition to attack and conquer the distant island known as ‘Liuqiu’. Liuqiu (pronounced ‘Ryukyu’ in the Okinawan and Japanese languages) lies around 500 miles due East of the coast of Fujian province. This was not an act of wanton aggression upon the part of the Chinese State – but rather a policing action whereby Chinese villains and rebels had fled China and were carrying out pirate activities and other disruptive endeavours. Although some scholars have tried to suggest these records are discussing the island of Taiwan, the academic consensus is that Taiwan is far too big and far too close to Mainland China to serve as a safe haven for fleeing Chinese bandits, and is so close to the Chinese Mainland, that it does not fit the description of the difficulties the Chinese fleet had locating and navigating its way to the island of ‘Luiqiu’! Furthermore, no one in Taiwan had heard of the Chinese descriptive term of ‘Liuqiu’ - whereas in Okinawa the local people have referred to their island as ‘Ryukyu’ (‘Liuqiu’) for centuries!  ​

The Sui Dynasty Historical Record States: ​

1) 607 CE - During the second month of the third year of the reign of emperor Yang (607 CE) – the Cavalry Commander Zhu Kuan (朱寬) was ordered to travel eastward to visit and make contact with the people of ‘Liuqiu’! Due to the language barrier, however, all that was achieved was the kidnapping of one local person who was forcibly returned to China!  ​

2) 608 CE - During the fourth year of the reign of emperor Yang (608 CE) - Cavalry Commander Zhu Kuan was ordered to lead a military expedition and invade the ‘Liuqiu’ island – but he refused to obey the order and instead ‘returned his cloth armour’!  ​

3) 610 CE - During the sixth year of the reign of emperor Yang (610 CE) – a very large seaborne military expedition (consisting of 10,000 soldiers) was launched from Mainland China – led by General ‘Chen Ling’ (陳稜) and Senior Minister ‘Zhang Zhenzhou’ (張鎮州) - which was successful in traversing the rough seas, finding and landing on ‘Liuqiu’ island – where the local forces were met in combat and defeated! Thousands of men and women were captured and returned to Mainland China.  ​

4) It is said that this third militarised seaborne expedition was the consequence of Chinese rebels that had: ​

a) Defied and opposed the Sui Dynasty emperor before fleeing to ‘Liuqiu’, before  ​

b) Being pursued, confronted, apprehended and finally returned to the Mainland China to face trial.  ​

The Chinese name ‘Liuqiu’ was used during the Tang and Song Dynasties (referring to the Ryukyu Islands) and was even retained during the Islamic Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 CE). Although ‘Liuqiu’ (流求) was retained as a place defined as being under the influence of the Chinese cultural umbrella – the Yuan Dynasty - however, altered the spelling of the name to the similar sounding ‘琉求’ (Liuqiu). This changed the usage of the traditional first ideogram of ‘流’ (liu2) [meaning ‘flow’ or ‘tradition’] and replaced it with the new ideogram of ‘琉’ (liu2) [which means ‘precious’]. This was only a very slight change – adding the beautifying particle ‘⺩’ (yu4) meaning ‘jade’ to the left-hand side of the ideogram – a typical Islamic gesture of respect and good will. Despite this recognition, the treacherous seas separating Mainland China from ‘Liuqiu’ meant that communication was spasmodic. Even though Japanese envoys routinely visited China – it was clear that the ‘Ryukyu’ Island were not considered part of Japan by the Japanese themselves - certainly not prior to the 17th century. All of this background information is required if the 2016 discovery of Roman coins on the island of Okinawa is to be properly contextualised and understood.  ​

During 1372 CE, the Ming emperor ‘Taizu’ (太祖) sent his envoy – Yang Zai (楊載) - to ‘Liuqiu’ to formalise diplomatic relations. King Zhongshan (中山 ) of the Ryukyu Islands agreed that a regular ‘Tribute’ (貢 - Gong) should be paid to the Chinese Court in exchange for military protection, political affiliation and cultural exchange (all favouring the Ryukyu people). A major problem hindering this arrangement was a) the distance of around 500 miles one way, and b) the unpredictable and terrible weather and rough seas! The Chinese Court attempted to solve this issue in 1392 CE by despatching the so-called thirty-six families (or ‘name clans’) from various areas of Fujian province to be resettled on the ‘Liuqiu’ island. This probably amounted to hundreds of men, women and children who were settled at a place termed ‘Kume Village’ or the ‘Chinese Village’. These people were chosen for their skills in growing, harvesting and sustaining forests (for producing wood), ship designing and ship building, as well as ship navigators and pilots! The purpose of this relocation was to establish efficient, open and permanent sea-lanes between ‘Liuqiu’ and Mainland China (mainly with the adjacent Fujian coast). With these people came many other important arts and crafts – including house building, animal husbandry, Chinese medicine, farming and various forms of Fujian martial arts.  ​

Of course, Chinese martial arts had been deployed on ‘Liuqiu’ since 607 CE, and it is thought a general transmission of these arts were made to the island from that time onward. As ‘Liuqiu’ people were considered ‘Chinese’ in the political sense, then in all likelihood it is plausible to assume that Mainland Chinese soldiers stationed on ‘Liuqiu’, and Chinese migrants living in ‘Liuqiu’ were willing to teach their martial arts to individuals outside of their immediate families (probably more so in the case of soldiers). From 1392 CE onwards, however, the Chinese settlers on ‘Liuqiu’ were acting under orders to relay as much Chinese cultural knowledge as possible to the local ‘Liuqiu’ people. This arrangement existed for 217 years without interruption until the Japanese ‘Satsuma’ invasion of the ‘Ryukyu’ Islands in 1609 CE! There was intense military resistance from the local ‘Chinese’ and indigenous ‘Liuqiu’ people – but being so far from Mainland China (and so close to Mainland Japan) the local inhabitants were eventually defeated. This development led to a dual influence operating on on ‘Liuqiu’ which involved the local population still voluntarily sending tribute to China – whilst nominally acknowledging a political association with Japan. This situation persisted for another 270 years before the modern soldiers of Imperial Japan invaded and annexed ‘Ryukyu’ - renaming the island ‘Okinawa’ and ‘banning’ any and all ‘Chinese’ cultural influence! From 1879 onwards the ‘new’ history of Okinawa sought to downplay, negate and expunge the extensive cultural input China exercised over the development of ‘Liuqiu’! ​

This poat-1879 negative attitude toward China is very different to the respect and deference once shown by many Japanese people from the Sui Dynasty onwards, including the 13th century Japanese Zen Buddhist monk known as ‘Dogen’ [道元 - Dao Yuan] (1200-1253) - as recorded in his magnus Opus entitled the ‘Shobogenzo’ (正法眼蔵 - Zheng Fa Yan Cang) - which records his travels to China and respectfully represents the Chinese cultural education he received, valued and preserved!  What this suggests is that a) ‘Liuqiu’ was not considered part of Japan until the late 19th century despite an unconvincing Satsuma claim in the 17th century – which was half-hearted at best – and b) neither ‘Liuqiu’ nor Japan were part of any known ancient pathway or trade route which would have linked these areas with 4th century CE Rome! At least not officially, although accidental shipwrecks cannot be totally ruled out. This is important as many of the 2016 news stories edge toward the idea that ‘Okinawa’ (as an active and prominent part of ancient Japan) was part of a ‘hidden’ or otherwise ‘obscure’ ancient trade route that neither ‘Rome’ (nor any other major participant) bothered to name or record in their otherwise extensively kept trade histories! In other words, there is no known or recorded ancient trade route which linked Japan (much less ‘Liuqiu’) to 4th century Rome! ​

The earliest mention of what is thought to be ‘Liuqiu’ (Ryukyu) is in 607 CE, although there is some debate about whether this might refer to the island of Taiwan. If this is not ‘Liuqiu’ (Ryukyu) then it is not until 1372 CE (during the Ming Dynasty) that ‘Liuqiu’ (Ryukyu) is mentioned. This is 765 years later and would imply that ‘Liuqiu’ (Ryukyu) remained obscure and isolated for far longer than first thought! To add another layer of uncertainty to this issue, it is also true that toward the end of the Ming Dynasty, The Northern part of Taiwan was known as ‘Xiao Liuqiu’ (小琉求) or ‘Small Liuqiu’ with what is today known as ‘Okinawa’ being referred to as ‘Da Liuqiu’ (大琉求) or ‘Great Liuqiu)! Even so, the balance of probabilities suggest that the 607 CE (and after) encounters strongly suggest that the current Okinawa was the location of the Chinese seaborne expeditions, particularly when it is considered that the island nation itself possessed ‘three Kings’ - a point of historical fact certainly not attributable to Taiwan! If the date ‘607 CE’ is the time that ‘Liuqiu’ (Ryukyu) enters the history books, then this is 270 years after the death of the Roman emperor – Constantine I (272-337) - also known as ‘Constantine the Great’. When all this information is considered, what were these Roman-era coins doing in the foundations of a ruined ‘Liuqiu’ castle?  ​

The thirty-six families that relocated in ‘Liuqiu’ from Fujian province must have resulted in hundreds of people suddenly arriving on the island and establishing a settlement from 1392 CE onwards. Perhaps Roman coins had found their way to Fujian province (the gateway to China for centuries) and had become symbols of good luck to be placed in prominent places. Japanese language sources state that the four Roman-era coins were discovered within the 14th and 15th century layers of the ruined foundations of Katsuren Castle – which was destroyed in 1458 CE during internecine fighting. These layers of excavation coincide with the arrival of highly skilled Fujian migrants from the Mainland of China. I suspect these 2016 Roman coin finds were deliberately dropped into the foundation of Katsuren Castle by the Fujian Chinese migrants (for good luck) when they were helping to build and/or repair the structure (as there is a disagreement within Japanese academia as to exactly ‘when’ the castle was ‘built’ and started ‘functioning’)! The point I am making is that ‘Liuqui’ was part of China during this part of its history and so these Roman-era coins, regardless of how they arrived in ‘Liuqiu’, were in a remote part of ‘China’ and not an external ‘Prefecture’ of Japan. Between 1897-2000 CE, forty-six (Byzantine) Eastern Roman Empire (330-1453 CE) coins were discovered in China (mostly in old tombs but occasionally already held in museums or as artefacts under private ownership). To date, there has now been over fifty (ancient) Roman coins discovered throughout China, all mostly gold and belonging to the earlier Byzantine Roman period (these gold coins begin to appear in a significant number during the 6th century CE, with copper and Sassanid silver preceding). A few examples of the finds of Roman coinage in China include: ​

a) 1895: At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Westerners obtained sixteen Roman copper coins in Lingshi County, Huozhou, Shanxi Province, which were cast from the time of the Roman emperor Tiberius (42 BCE–37 CE) to emperor Antoninus Pius (86-161 CE). Technically speaking, these finds cover the periods of the ‘Roman Republic’ (509-27 BCE) and the ‘Roman Empire’ (27BCE-395 CE). ​

b) 1953: It is ironic that ‘Liuqiu’ first enters the written history books during the Sui Dynasty of China, as in 1953 Chinese archaeologists unearthed a gold ‘Justin II’ (d. 578) Roman-era coin, minted during the early (Byzantine) Eastern Roman Empire (330-1453 CE) period and discovered in the Sui Dynasty tomb of ‘Dugu Luo’ (獨孤羅) [534-599]! This tomb was situated in a small village of ‘Dizhangwan’, near the city of Xianyang in Shaanxi province.  ​

c) 1961: A replica gold coin featuring the image of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius I (575-641 CE) was discovered within a Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) tomb located in Tumen Village in the Xi'an (Chang’an) area of Shaanxi province.  ​

d) 1977: Whilst excavating the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550 CE) tomb of the Official ‘Li Xizong’ (李希宗) [501-540] situated in the Zanhuang County area of Hebei - a Roman coin featuring the portrait of ‘Theodosius II’ (401-450 CE) was discovered - an emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire!  ​

e) 1977: The same dig at the Tang Dynasty tomb site in the Zanhuang County area of Hebei – there were discovered two gold coins featuring the co-rulers of emperor ‘Justin I’ (450-527 CE) and his ‘nephew’ (Justinian) - who would eventually become emperor ‘Justinian I’ (482-565 CE).  ​

f) 1978: At a dig in the Ci County area of Hebei province, a Roman gold coin was found in the tomb of Princess ‘Linhe’ (邻和) [538-550 CE] of the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550 CE). This Roman coin dated to the reign of emperor Anastasius I Dicorus (431-518 CE) of the Eastern Roman Empire! The coin is 17.6 mm in diameter, 0.54 mm thick, and weighs 3.1 grams. ​

g) 1998: During early June in the Guyuan County area of Ningxia (near Gansu province), a Roman coin dated to the reign of emperor Anastasius I Dicorus (431-518 CE) of the Eastern Roman Empire was found on farmland! The coin is 17.6 mm in diameter, 0.54 mm thick, and weighs 3.1 grams and was discovered alongside fragments of a yellow-glazed porcelain flat pot. ​

h) 2000: A farmer from Anbian (安边) Town was out tending his fields in Dingbian County, Shaanxi province, when he discovered an early Eastern Roman Empire (330-1453 CE) gold coin that had been welded onto a metal ring. The date and Roman emperor could not be discerned due to the corroded state of the artefact.   ​

The copper coins discovered in Okinawa in 2016 are very badly worn and difficult to read, but it is believed they belong to ‘Constantine I’ (227-337 CE) and he ruled over the ‘unified’ Roman Empire (27BCE-395 CE). My view is that Fujian province, as a gateway into China, probably experienced a wealth of foreign goods, artefacts and many different types of currency. I suspect the hundreds of people who comprised the thirty-six Fujian clans of China carried with them tons of equipment, weapons, tools and all sorts of everyday and cultural objects – as well as various forms of paraphernalia – to build a new life on the island of ‘Liuqiu’ from 1392 CE onwards. Although Kasturen Castle on Okinawa is sometimes reported as existing between the 12th-15th century, there is still much debate about the exact date within Japanese archaeology, with many experts stating that the castle only existed between the 13th or 14th centuries before being destroyed in 1458 CE. One possibility missing in all these narratives is that the local Chinese population, many of whom were experts in construction of one sort or another, participated in the planning, designing, constructing and maintaining of Kasturen Castle. If this did happen, then I would suggest that a number of ‘foreign’ copper coins were placed in the foundation when the castle was being built, rebuilt or extended, etc, by the local Fujian (Chinese) population who were following a common practice back in their home country! Archaeology demonstrates that these ‘foreign’ coins were believed to possess some type of magical value in the afterlife whilst being placed in the tombs of the nobility, whilst ordinary Chinese people thought of these coins as objects of ‘feng shui’ (風水) or ‘wind’ and ‘water’ significance in the maintaining and augmenting of the natural flow of energy throughout the environment. What better way of ensuring the ‘safety’ and ‘strength’ of a fortified building than giving it a semi-magical ‘boost’ in the fulfilment of its defensive design capabilities. It is entirely plausible that ever since Roman envoys started landing on the coast of China during the 2nd century CE - it was Fujian province they were making first contact with, and it is through this interactive capacity that a number of Roman coins bearing the portrait and Latin mottoes of ‘Constantine I’ came into the possession of ordinary Fujian people. By latter generations laying these Roman coins in the foundations of Kasturen Castle – they were fulfilling part of their imperial duties which involved educating the ‘Liuqiu’ inhabitants in ALL aspects of Chinese arts and sciences – with ‘feng shui’ (geomancy) being viewed as being very important at the time – certainly as important as the ability to build seaworthy ships, fight properly or to understand and apply Chinese medical knowledge correctly!  ​

Chinese Language Sources: ​

http://www.nxkg.org.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=15&id=474 ​

https://baike.baidu.com/item/中国与罗马/471858 ​

https://art.icity.ly/entries/hc2v0jl ​

https://collection.sina.cn/2016-10-03/detail-ifxwkzyk0869963.d.html ​

Japanese Language Sources: ​

https://www.katsuren-jo.jp ​

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20160927/k00/00m/040/094000c#:~:text=沖縄県うるま市教育,出土するのは初めて。 ​

https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/63866 ​

English Language Sources: ​

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/26/national/history/ancient-roman-coins-unearthed-castle-ruins-okinawa/ ​

http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/newsletter/vol3num2/4_ying.php ​

From July 27th to August 1st, 2016, at the invitation of the Naha City Cultural Association of Japan and the Okinawa (International) Goju Ryu Karate-Do Federation, a group of Buddhist monks from the Putian (莆田) Chan Wu (禅武) - or ‘Meditative Martial Arts’ - Southern Shaolin Temple visited Japan to give a demonstration of their ancient martial arts skills! This was part of a mutual exchange programme which promotes music, dance and the arts - to build friendship and closer ties between the two countries.  ​

During the visit, the Putian Southern Shaolin Temple group first went to the "Okinawa Traditional Ancient Martial Arts Preservation Association" to visit the President Nakamoto Masabu (仲本政傅). Nakamoto Masabu visited Fujian in 1988 to study under ‘Chen Yijiu’ (陈依九) - the Fourth Generation Master of the ‘Ground Method Fist’ (地术拳 - Di Shu Quan) - also termed ‘Dog Fist’ (狗拳 - Gou Quan)! In 1995, he led a Japanese team that participated in the China (Putian) Southern Shaolin International Martial Arts Competition. ​

Afterwards, the Putian Southern Shaolin group next visited the Okinawa Prefectural Budokan to participate in the "Okinawa (International) Goju Ryu Karate-Do Federation World Budo Festival" which is held every four years. The Putian Southern Shaolin Temple group showed their skills at the opening ceremony of the Martial Arts Conference. On display was the Shaolin ‘Stick’ (棍 - Gun), Closed-Fist Arts (拳术 - Quan Shu), Broad Sword (刀 - Dao), Long Swords (剑 - Jian) and all kinds of ancient military weapons! There was also various other performances of endurance, strength and power, etc, that impressed the crowd and attracted warm-hearted applause! The monks of the Putian Southern Shaolin Temple were praised for their calm state of mind, technical expertise and fierceness during combat! ​

The Head Monk of the Putian Southern Shaolin Temple - ‘Kong Xing’ (空性) said that ‘Okinawan Goju Ryu is a Southern style of Chinese martial arts defined as being a combination of the “Southern Boat and Northern Horse”, and which developed through the White Crane Gate of the Southern Shaolin Temple!’ The name of the style derives from a once secret book associated with the White Crane Gate entitled the ‘Martial Preparation Records’  (武备志 - Wu Bei Zhi) - where this text states ‘The methodology involves the continuous interchange of hard and soft whilst the body absorbs (like swallowing) and emits (like spitting)!’  ​

The Putian Southern Shaolin Temple has a special relationship with the Okinawan martial arts community and is very happy to facilitate cultural exchanges between China and Japan! The Head Monk went on to explain that a Special Research Department is active at his temple which assists groups and individuals to visit and stay at the temple to study Ch’an meditation and ‘Southern Fist’ (南拳 - Nan Quan) - whilst an Administrative Section carries-out historical and cultural research involving martial arts and associative subjects. Together, the Putian Southern Shaolin Temple and Naha City Cultural Association share a common (non-political), martial arts history that can only benefit the people of China and Japan! This friendship is facilitated by the Okinawa (International) Goju Ryu Karate-Do Federation, which continuously offers its support, guidance and encouragement!  ​

The Putian Southern Shaolin Temple adheres to the spiritual and physical teachings as taught by the ancient Indian Buddhist monk – the Great Master Bodhidharma (达摩 - Da Mo)! Through hours of sitting in Ch’an meditation he calmed, stilled and expanded his mind (eradicating greed, hatred and delusion and cultivated loving kindness, compassion and wisdom), whilst through martial arts practice of various kinds, he eradicated illnesses, healed wounds and extended his longevity! By emulating this practice, we can live healthy and wise lives and benefit the entire world! This is why the Head Monk - Kong Xing - further stated the Southern Shaolin Temple invites friends from all over the world and welcome everyone who comes to the Putian Southern Shaolin Temple to experience the charm of its meditative and martial Buddhist culture! At the same time, Kong Xing invited friends from all over the world to jointly promote the spirit of peace, compassion and altruism, and contribute toward the happiness and stability of human society by cultivating harmony between human beings and nature! ​

It is understood that also attending this conference - in addition to the staff of the Karate-Do Headquarters in Japan – was more than 1,500 participants from 52 national Karate-Do organisations, including the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia! The Head Monk of the Putian Southern Shaolin Temple – Kong Xing – then presented special calligraphy to his Japanese hosts! The monks from the Putian Southern Shaolin Temple performed various ‘Southern Fist’ (南拳 - Nan Quan) routines during their exchange visit in Japan. ​

Source: Meizhou Daily ​

Chinese Language Source:

http://www.hinews.cn/news/system/2016/08/05/030593828.shtml?wscckey=70d51dc7d4f29072_1470363283 ​

冲绳刚柔流空手道源自南少林拳白鹤门 
来源：湄洲日报 作者： 时间：2016-08-05 08:22:36 
本报讯7月27日至8月1日，应日本那霸市文化协会和冲绳（国际）刚柔流空手道联盟的邀请，莆田南少林寺禅武团前往日本进行武术、音乐、艺术等方面的交流，共同推动两地的文化交流与友好往来。　 
访问期间，莆田南少林寺禅武团首先前往“冲绳传统古武道保存会”，拜访会长仲本政傅。仲本政傅曾于1988年来福建向地术拳第四代传人陈依九学艺，1995年带队前来参加中国（莆田）南少林国际武术大赛。之后，禅武团一行前往冲绳县立武道馆，参加四年一届的“冲绳（国际）刚柔流空手道联盟世界武道祭”演武大会。 
南少林寺禅武团在演武大会开幕式上大展身手，少林棍、拳术、刀剑兵器类等表演，引得现场一阵阵热烈的掌声，大家直夸南少林寺武僧们武术功底扎实，打得虎虎生威。　　莆田南少林寺方丈空性说，冲绳刚柔流空手道系中国“南舟北马”中的南派功夫，源自南少林拳白鹤门，其流派的名称来源于白鹤门流传秘书《武备志》中“法刚柔吞吐，身随时应变”。此 
次民间武术交流活动，对加强莆田南少林寺与那霸市文化协会、冲绳国际刚柔流空手道联盟的友好关系，增进文化交流与武术互鉴、深化合作具有积极意义。　　南少林寺一贯秉承达摩大师的宗风，以武术强健体魄，以禅法静心明智，以慈悲利益世间，进而成就自他圆满的智慧人生。 
空性说，南少林寺向世界各国的朋友发出邀请，欢迎大家来莆田南少林寺，体验南少林禅武文化的魅力，感受佛教的人文艺术。同时，还邀请世界各国的朋友共同弘扬和平、慈悲、利他的精神，为人类社会的幸福安定、人类与自然的和谐奉献一份力量。 
据了解，此次大会，除了日本刚柔流空手道本部人员外，有来自美国、俄罗斯、英国、西班牙、澳大利亚等52个国家的空手道组织共1500余人参加。　　南少林寺方丈空性赠送书法给日本友人。　　莆田南少林寺武僧在日本交流期间表演各种南拳。原标题:冲绳刚柔流空手道源自南少林拳白鹤门 ​

​China News Service, Xiamen, June 28th, 2016 (Wang Jing) - The Fujian 'Tang Shou' Karate-Do Association held its inaugural meeting in Xiamen on the 28th. Regarding the Association's use of the name 'Tang Shou' (唐手) or 'China Hand' - the China General Administration Centre for the Practice of Martial Arts and Sports has approved - stating it has 'no objection'.

Whereas modern Japan (from the early 20th century onward) renamed this Chinese derived martial arts as 'Empty Hand' (空手 - Kong Dao) - as a means to hide or obscure the genuine 'Chinese' origins' of 'Karate-Do' - the concerned martial arts practitioners of Fuzhou have decided to come together and reclaim China's cultural heritage! From now on this Chinese art will be called by its correct name of 'Tang Hand'!

"After 'Southern Boxing' (南拳 - Nan Quan) was introduced into Ryukyu (now Okinawa), it was called 'Tang Shou' ('China Hand') by the Ryukyu people to show that it originated from China (Fujian). The pronunciation of the characters '唐手' (Tang Shou) in Japanese remains the same when the characters '空手' (Kong Shou) are used - as the Japanese people pronounce these two phrases as 'Kara-Te'." Stated Weng Xinhui (翁信辉) - a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Sports Anthropology at Waseda University in Japan and Associate Professor at the School of Physical Education at Jimei University.

Weng Xinhui has studied the Five Ancestors (五祖 - Wu Zu) of Heyang Fist (鹤阳拳 - He Yang Quan) from Lineage Masters such as Weng Rongnan (翁荣南), Xu Jinmin (许金民), and Ceng Mouyao (曾谋尧) amongst many others from a young age! He studied and lived in Japan for 12 years - during which time he studied at the Graduate School of Education, in Tokyo's Gakugei University - and was engaged in the advanced study of Judo (and other Japanese martial arts) under Professor Kaise Terufu. During his research in Japan he was shown 'sensitive' historical documents proving that 'Karate-Do' originated in the Fuzhou area of Fujian province! In 2015, following his return to China, Weng Xinhui applied to the National Social Science Fund to sponsor his research project entitled "Research on the Cultural Transformation of Fujian Southern Fist in Ryukyu from 'China Hand' into 'Empty Hand'". The research results were clear and with a doubt -  Japanese 'Karate-Do' originated from Fujian 'Southern Fist' and is entirely Chinese!

Chinese Language Source:

​https://finance.ifeng.com/a/20160628/14536906_0.shtml

福建省唐手（空手道）协会成立2016年06月28日 20:39
来源：中国新闻网


中新网厦门6月28日电 (王婧)福建省唐手(空手道)协会28日在厦门举行成立大会。对于该协会使用“唐手”这一名称，中国国家体育总局拳跆中心已批复，并表示“无异议”。
要解释什么是“唐手”，就不能不提到空手道。
很多人都会认为空手道是日本武道，尤其是在空手道等五大项运动有望进入2020年东京奥运会的背景下，人们更容易将空手道贴上日本的标签。中国学者的长期研究表明，中国是空手道的发源地。该观点已得到相关体育部门认可。
“福建南拳传入琉球(今冲绳)后，被琉球人称为‘唐手’，以示源于中国(福建)之意。传入日本后，‘唐手’改为‘空手’，但在日语中的发音不变。”日本早稻田大学体育人类学的博士后、集美大学体育学院副教授翁信辉对记者说。


翁信辉从小师从翁荣南、许金民、曾谋尧等学习五祖鹤阳拳，曾在日本留学及旅居12年，其间在东京学艺大学教育学研究科学习，师从贝濑辉夫教授从事日本柔道及武道论研究。2015年，翁信辉立项申报了国家社科基金课题《从福建南拳到琉球唐手、空手道的文化变容研究》，目前的研究成果足以证明，空手道来源于福建南拳。
谈到“唐手”，翁信辉滔滔不绝。“20世纪二三十年代，一批有关‘唐手’的著作在日本相继出版，都证明了这个项目是从琉球传到日本，而且原名称是‘唐手’。日本著名的词典《广辞苑》和日本武道馆2007年主编的《日本的武道》中都写明，空手道是以中国传来的武术为原型。”
“我个人认为，将协会名称称为‘唐手(空手道)协会’，有利于弘扬中华传统文化，也有利于该项目在中国的普及推广。”翁信辉说。(完)