Hi Tony!

Just a quick note for your records. 

Grand Mystery Classic (太玄經 - Tai Xuan Jing) 

This book of Chinese wisdom and divination (written around 2000 years ago) is a re-working of the Book of Change (it uses tetragrams comprised of straight, broken, and double-broken lines). It has 81 Chapters (like the Dao De Jing of Laozi) and mentions Yin-Yang from the first chapter. However, this is Chapter 17 entitled "Imperial Edict" and in Section 1 it says this:

'𝌖䎡。陽氣能剛能柔，能作能休，見難而縮。'

'Yang energy (qi) can be both "Hard" (剛 - Gang) and yet "Soft" (柔 - Rou) - capable of action and capable of rest -  and when encountering difficulties - it withdraws.'

Thanks

Adrian

Dear Tony

This is the bottom line of Hexagram 44 which reads in translation as: 

Line 1 (姤 – Gou) [Meeting] – “Fastened” (繫 – Xi) to a “Metal” (金 – Jin) “Brake” (柅 – Ni) – the “Gentle” (柔 – Rou) “Way” (道 – Dao) acts as a “Guide” (牽 – Qian).

1 姤: 繫于金柅，柔道牽也。

Although "hard" (剛 - Gang) and "soft" (柔 - Rou) [Go Ju] are mentioned fairly regularly throughout the Book of Change Commentaries - after translating 48 Hexagrams - I have only found the term "Soft Way" (柔道 - Rou Dao) mentioned just once. Of course, within the Japanese language these two ideograms are pronounced "Ju Do". I am wondering whether Jigoro Kano - the founder of modern "Judo" had read the Book of Change - which exists all over Asia in many translation. In many ways, this is the Bible of the East - although much older.

Thanks

Adrian

Author’s Note: I believe that the term “Goju” Ryu derives from the Book of Change – as the concept of “hard” and “soft” recurs throughout from the earliest lines of text. Only later in the history of the evolution of Book of Change is the ideal of yin and yang incorporated and superimposed over the far-older hard-soft dichotomy. I find it interesting that the concept of the trigram and hexagram is used as a component within the Goju Ryu technique of “Kaki-e” or “Kake-te” – often described as “pushing-hands” or “sticking-hands” in English translation. Perhaps “circling-hands” might be a better description of this technique – with a practitioner philosophically (psychologically) and physically manoeuvring in a “circular” fashion around an aggressive opponent. This would imply a magnificent foundation to the spiritual and physical construction of the Goju Ryu style in China – prior to its transmission to Okinawa! ACW (29.12.2025)

Dear Tony
​
I was watching a video of traditional Judo self-defence kata techniques that contain punching, kicking, and locks – all integrated with “hard” throwing. The throw is “soft” – but the landing is “hard” – to cause maximum damage to the attacker. These self-defence katas also involve unarmed responses to sticks, knives – and since 1956 – a pistol. However, one of the techniques featured is named:

​Ushiro-Kakae-Dori (後-抱え-取り) – Reverse-Bear-Hug Turned Around (Reversed)-Gripped Removed

This is an unarmed technique where a bear-hug from behind is countered, reversed, and via a double-handed hold around the back of just one of the elbows and fore-arms of the attacker – the attacker is effortlessly uprooted and thrown to the ground in an impressive style. Sometimes, there is a double-meaning in this naming. One is obvious and superficial (the bear-hug and its countering) – the other is deep and obscure (by the defender placing the knife-ridge of one hand and the palm of the other on one arm of the attacker – the attacker is uprooted and thrown). This made me think of the “Kakie-Kakete” in Goju Ryu:

​a) Ka-ki-e - カキエ
b) Ka-ke-te - 掛け手

​And whether there is any linguistic or martial connection between this Goju Ryu technique and that of the traditional Judo technique of: 

​後-抱え-取り - Ushiro-Kakae-Dori

​This requires the comparing of:

​1) 掛 (2nd ideogram from “Ka-ke-te”) - 掛 Chinese - (gua4) and Japanese (ka) = both languages agree on the meanings of to - hang, suspend, depend, and arrive

​2) 抱 (2nd ideogram from “Ushiro-Ka-kae-Dori”) - 抱 Chinese (bao4) and Japanese (ka) = both languages agree on the meanings of to – to hug, to grasp, to carry, and to halt using the arms

​Both ideograms (1 & 2) share the same left-hand particle of “扌” – which is a contraction of the ideogram “手“ (shou3) – or “te” in Japanese – referring to an “open-hand”. The difference in meaning lies in the difference in right-hand particles – but you can see that an action of using an “open-hand” is being discussed. 

1) The right-hand particle of “掛” (as used in Goju’s “Kake-te”) is “卦” (gua4) in Chinese (or “ka” in Japanese). This ideogram represents the trigrams and hexagrams found in the Book of Change (I Ching) symbols of divination and change. This particle is comprised of the element “圭” (gui1) in Chinese and “ka” in Japanese – which represents two jade-axes (士 + 士) – one balanced on top of the other (this is also used to denote an Emperor’s Seal of Authority). The right-hand element is “卜” (bu3) which represents a “crack” in a turtle plastron or ox scapulae – used thousands of years ago in the earliest version of divination. 

​2) The right-hand particle of “抱” (as used in Judo’s “Ka-kae”) is written as “包“ (bao1) in Chinese and “ka” in Japanese and represents a foetus enveloped within a womb – hence the meaning of “enveloping”, and “enwrapping” – so that all movement is naturally prevented at root or source. 

​Therefore, although there is a broad connection between the two martial terms – in that the hands are expertly used to nullify an aggressive opponent and remove all further danger (this explains the similarity in sound) – a difference in meaning then spirals out as each term is developed toward its different technical conclusion. The Goju version is a broad and all-encompassing philosophical and technical method – whilst the Judo version is a single technique amongst many which are different.

​Best Wishes
 
Adrian 

By clicking on the above picture - you can enter the Qi Journal's publication of my English translation of the "Great Treatise" contained within the Book of Change. Indeed, virtually all of the Chinese martial tradition finds its philosophical basis in the commentarial material of the Book of Changes. The "hard", "soft", "yin" and "yang", the "internal" and the "external" - as well as the "integrated". There is the idea of the "Gentlemanly Scholar" (who is enlightened and knows much) and the "Small Person" (who knows little and needs to gain knowledge from the Sages). The "Divine-Sky" is the universe above - whilst the "Broad Earth" is the ground upon which we live, thrive, and exist. This multi-sided polarity guides humanity through the "Good" and the "Bad" - and teaches how one situation can be transformed into its exact opposite. Anyone who trains if the Chinese martial arts must make a sincere study of the "Book of Changes". These polarities are amorphous and always in a state of flux. There is nothing outside this flux as "Nothing" and "Something" fits perfectly within it. With the correct training - the "Small Person" can become a "Great person" - but a "Great Person" can lose all their influence, power, and social standing if conditions radically change. 

Dear Adrian

Morning Adrian. This style, with its use of technique is so close to Goju Ryu,
The way they move and the techniques used - a very similar way. I very uncanny. Tony

On 2 Oct 2025, at 21:54, Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Tony
​
Being a martial arts master isn't easy anymore; renowned Baguazhang master Liu Lianjun (连俊讲) faced a challenge from a member of the audience during his demonstration.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1QU4y1s7hh?spm_id_from=333.788.player.player_end_recommend_autoplay

Dear Tony

​This is Baguazhang at its absolute best. Much of it cuts-throw Taijiquan (and probably Xinyi and Xingyi) - and other arts - so I am not surprised that Goju Ryu contains the essence of these movements. This was the only time this Master allowed filming - thinking he was not good enough! Even Chinese wrestling - which borrows from everywhere - contains these movements as your excellent clips show. Using foot-work to dynamically step "inside" an opponent's stance can be devastating - but is generally not allowed in sport (outside of MMA - but the stance work in MAA is too fluid - and less developed than the traditional arts). As you say, it is the relaxed interchange of hard-soft which causes the devastation! The sudden "stepping" - and withdrawal of "stepping" - literally kicks-out all foundational support for the opponent. As this Master is drawing the full power up from the floor - the "uprooting" is impressive! He adds to this by instantaneously utilising the bodyweight of the opponent - borrowing it if you like - so that in a split second this added weight is borrowed, pressed into the ground through the centre of the shaft of the bones, and rebounded back, emitting out of the hands and feet ("fajin" or "firing force" in Taijiquan)! The power in Baguazhang (although I think I practiced the Baguaquan variant) uses corkscrew power that continuously spirals down to - and out of - the ground through the bones. The limbs are then free to move in any direction that is needed, unshackled from the need to retain any particular stance (although all stances have been mastered - and can used for only a single moment of time before "changing" to a new orientation). This is why the study of the Book of Changes is required - and I interfaced my Taijiquan knowledge with the Yin Baguaquan I was lucky to experience. This is how I know John Davies knew what he was about - as he very gently uprooted me and lifted me a few inches out of my foot-placement - before gently lowering me down back into the Horse Stance I was holding. He looked at me - I looked at him - and no words were spoken. It's like when we were hitting arms together in Cardiff and you adjusted from hard to soft - and I knew you could have broken my bones at anytime! One of those sobering moments in life!

Dear Tony

Thank you for your email - and the very interesting Dragon gongfu video!

Interesting. In the old days, Hakka gongfu was hidden and hardly discussed in public. We learned behind the scenes and always denied knowing anything. This attitude stems from Hakka people being migrants from the North - disliked by the Cantonese population of the South. Quite often, Hakka people spoke only Cantonese in public - but Hakka at home. Many Hakka even learned (superficially) Cantonese gongfu styles to practice in public as part of hiding their identity. We usually dabbled in Wing Chun - and I can still give a good lecture on its basic training (standing around "+" shape on the floor which taught where the feet were placed whilst assuming the Sanchin-type stances - knees-in). Of course, in reality, I know next to knowing about Wing Chun - but I encountered it everywhere in Hong Kong. Master Wang in this video speaks the Chan family dialect of Hakka - so his village would be somewhere near us. The younger Chinese appears to be a linguistic expert who usually speaks Mandarin (Pu Tong Hua) - but he is converting the Hakka into Cantonese and then English. Hakka is a Northern dialect. Even today in the UK - there can be friction between Hakka and Cantonese - as bizarre as that sounds. Still, things are more open today!

This videos also covers the "Arm Grinding" we practice within Hakka gongfu. The idea is to strike the opponent - and not only absorb their power - but do this in such a way that they lose their balance  are uprooted. ​In the early 2000s, I was introduced to a White American man, who was very quiet and humble. He had been accepted into a Chinese lineage of Dragon gongfu and I remember a video of him stood in Horse Stance - which looks just like the Horse Stance found in Goju Ryu - a perfect rectangle - like a bridge! My style uses this as well - but with variations (we never use toes-forward but always 45 degrees). The Hakka ancestors used to ride Steppe ponies without saddles or stirrups. Gripping the girth of the pony is where the Horse Stance developed. Hakka children stood for hours in this stance preparing them for the eventual riding of Steppe ponies. The ponies were directed by the hips being thrust forward, back, left and right - with the legs gripping and steering the animal. The hands were usually kept free for holding and using weapons. A spear, a sword, and sometimes a shield. Our Spear Forms used to be practiced on the back of the pony - but as the Hakka migrated South - they lost their ponies.

Best Wishes

​Adrian

Certainly - when I first saw Goju Ryu in the Hereford Leisure Centre - I couldn't believe my eyes! To that point, I had only seen and physically experienced Wado Kai, Shotokan, and Shukokai - all Japanese arts - but never Okinawan styles. My teacher (Master Chan Tin Sang) told me Karate-Do had come from China - but that the Japanese had altered its physical techniques (deliberately removing the distinctly "Chinese" internal aspect) so that the transplanted arts now resembled Japanese sword arts. Bear in mind that this generation of Hakka-Chinese had just fought a brutal war with the Imperial Japanese - so Okinawa was always viewed as "Chinese" (or so I learned later). Remember, I was only in my mid-teens myself and did not understand things that clearly.

​As matters stood, I experienced three Japanese Karate-Do styles - and then I learned the basics of Goju Ryu from your good-self - and my gongfu teacher was astonished! He couldn't believe the integration of hard and soft! He kept asking me who you were and where you had trained! One time (during 1987) Master Chan came to Hereford to see me - and looked in at your class. He was too shy to interfere - as he wasn't sure of the Japanese involvement (if any) - and I didn't really know (for which he told me off). Until he passed away in 1993, he would sit at dinner-time and tell his Hakka friends about Goju Ryu - and get me to show the basic kata. The circular lower block seems to be the most obvious of the "internal". 

Tony: On Tue, 22 Apr 2025, at 10:29, "morning Adrian. What are your views on this 
Softness as regarding techniques. You can plainly see the Chinese influence. Tony"

Dear Tony

​My teacher used to strike a pressure-point to the upper-calf area - which made all control in my entire leg to "cease". As a young man, my muscles were strong and fit - but being hit like this just wiped it all away. Initially, I fell down - but the lesson was to place my weight on my other leg and attempt to bring back the sensation and control - usually through stamping. Once I perfected this (on either leg) - the next step was for both calves to be hit simultaneously - with the calf muscles being suitably "tensed" to create a natural armouring (this is linked to TCM and Shiatsu points - as you already know).

​Of course, I cannot be sure - but I expect the Sensei in this video is performing this conditioning on his student (striking the back of the upper-calf) - whilst the student is carrying the weighted urns. Genuine pressure-point striking is extremely dangerous and cuts-through all conditioning and will-power.

My teacher once gently "pinched" together my shirt-collar - and the next thing I remember is opening my eyes and seeing everyone's feet as they stepped around my head. I thought I had woke-up in bed and had no immediate memory of what had just happened. I slowly realised I was lying on a wooden floor - and that I was fully dressed and amongst a group of people discussing blood-flow and blood-circulation. I had been out for about 10-seconds or so - but my experience seemed timeless. As I got up, my short-term memory returned. All important life lessons for martial arts practice. 

Blogger's Note: I had the honour to have trained under Sensei Tony Smith in Hereford between 1987-1989 at the Hereford Leisure Centre - and again (briefly) in early 2005 (I graded once - attaining two grades in one sitting - namely 9th and 8th Kyu White Belt - moving on from what was then the starter 10th Kyu White Belt). To my mind, Sensei Tony Smith embodies the true spirit of Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate-Do. ACW (15.2.2025)

Hereford Times - Godan Grading is Reward for Anthony’s Hard Work - 26th April 2010

ANTHONY Smith, Sensei at the Hereford Goju Ryu Karate club, has achieved the grade of 5th Dan.

Smith attained his new grade by participating in an intensive weekend’s training and assessment under chief instructor George Andrews (7th Dan) at the Honbu dojo in London.

Smith has been practising Goju Ryu Karate for over 32 years, 28 of which have seen him in charge at the Hereford club as Sensei.

Having achieved his 5th Dan grade, or Godan, he is now one of the most senior grades in the Okinawan Traditional Goju Ryu Karate-do Association (OTGKA) and principal instructor in the western region of the UK.

“I have had to prepare for this grading for a considerable amount of time," said Smith. "To be successful at this level of karate it is essential that you are both physically and mentally prepared for the trial.

"As well as the psychological pressures you are under during the physical element, you are also required to submit an essay discussing many of the discipline’s philosophies.
"I am extremely pleased to have attained my Godan and hope to continue improving my karate for many years to come.”

While the essay is an essential component in the grading process, the physical element is also arduous.

During the weekend’s assessment, Smith had to demonstrate excellence in Kata (choreographed patterns of movement), the application of Kata in practice and participate in Kumite (sparring).

The weekend’s grading process was overseen by OTGKA chief instructor George Andrews, 7th Dan (Nanadan), who has himself been practising karate for 43 years.
Also in attendance was Smith’s second-in-command and son, Luke Smith, 3rd Dan, who praised his father’s achievement: “Achieving the level of 5th Dan is testament to Dad’s commitment and devotion to Goju-Ryu," he said.
​
"Throughout the years, his students have benefited greatly from his experience and knowledge, as have I, and I would like to personally congratulate him on his success.”
The Hereford Goju Ryu Karate club train every Friday at Hereford Cathedral School gym, from 6pm – 8pm. Newcomers of all ages are welcome.

Dear Tony

I was looking at the Chinese characters used to explain "Suri-Ashi" - namely:

步 = suri [Jap] - bu4 [Chin]

法 = ashi [Jap] - fa3 [Chin]

The second ideogram - "法" - is common in older Chinese language texts, usually found in the context of an authoritative set of rules that cannot be improved upon. This term is used in both religious and secular texts. However, the ideogram - "步" - is the operative character.

The "步" ideogram is comprised of an upper and lower particle:

Upper Particle = 止 (zhi3) - originally - a three-toed bare-foot-print (the mark left by a "still" human foot)

Lower Particle = 𣥂 (ta4) - a foot in motion - stepping forward (or backward) via heel-toe, or toe-heel orientation

In other words, to "step", "pace", and to "measure" a specific "distance" between the two-feet when walking (or "stepping") forward, back, between both sides, and along the diagonals, etc.