Dear Tony

中国传统长兵 虎叉
Chinese Traditional Long Weapon - Tiger Fork (Trident)

At the above link is a video of the Tiger Fork. I believe this is a Southern weapon the Hakka developed to protect their farm land, crops, and livestock from attack by a type of "leopard" - not really a "Tiger" (in the Indian sense) as the translation suggests. These leopards were small (about the stature of a medium-sized dog) - but ferocious like a wild-cat found in Scotland, the US and other places. These cats were thought to have gone extinct in the 1950s - but I understand some have been discovered in remote areas of China and are now a protected species. I never saw one when visiting the Chan ancestral village in the New Territories - but I was taught the fork as part of farming. If you notice, the leopard was known to close-in quickly and scramble all-over the victims body - biting a clawing as it went. The fork follows the supposed trajectory of such a fluid attack - seeking to deflect, trap, stab, and impale. The highly mobile fork is used as a shield - but its counter-measures give an idea of what the Tiger-Leopard was capable of doing. In other words, its attack protocol. 

Of course, the ideogram "虎" (hu3) is used to mean "Tiger" - as in the head, torso, feet, and tail of a "fierce", "brave" and "stern" creature - usually associated with an Indian or Siberian Tiger, but I suspect these creatures would easily smash-through this (Tiger Fork) weapon. Therefore, logically working backwards from the fork technique to the actions of the creature it is combatting - the animal must be smaller in stature - but equally dangerous to encounter in tooth and claw. I think a Leopard or Panther (豹bao4) if a far more likely culprit (literally a small animal shaped like a horse - but covered in spots). A Puma (彪biao3马ma3) - is an Asian Golden Cat (shaped like a small horse) - or a brightly coloured small tiger (which can also be Black or White in the case of a Snow Leopard). 

Tiger Fork Definition:

虎 (hu3) 叉 (cha1) - Tiger Fork (Trident)

虎 (hu3) = Ferocious small tiger-like cat

叉 (cha1) = Wooden shaft with metal trident head

The fork repels (pushes away) - traps (pins-down) and pulls the animal near for despatch. The older ideograms in fact show "two" forks coming together to interlock something trapped between them. This correlates with the idea of communal self-defence and the idea that more than one person at a time would be on duty protecting the boundary of the farming area. As Hakka are a practical people - this weapon would also be used to protect against physical attack from other humans. Indeed, I was taught to use the fork as a means to pin an attacker's feet to the ground - and to break their shins, etc. I think that the Tiger Fork is similar in design to the much more compact Okinawan "Sai" (釵Chai1) - (Japanese) Kan-on: さい (sai): 

The Chinese ideogram 釵 (Chai) is comprised of a left and right-hand particle:

Left-hand particle = 釒(jin1) a conjunction of "金" - consisting of the lower element of "士" (shi4) an upside ritualistic axe made of metal - which is multiplied by the power of two (hence "a lot of") through the middle element "丷" (ba1) - and concentrated in one-place for greater strength (亼ji2) in the upper element. 釵 (Chai) means a metal object of great (condensed) physical and spiritual strength.

Right-hand particle - 叉 (cha1) = in the old dictionaries - related to "study" and "archery" - that is good, correct, and enlightened behaviour. Basically a "right-hand" (又you4) - the outer element - which is skilfully used to grasp a desired object - hence a cultivated "skill" - used in writing with a brush-pen and firing a bow. Infact, the picture above is a left and right hand clasping one-another - representing the use of two Tiger Forks. The "丶" (zhu3) - as the middle element - represents iron ore (minerals) or probably "metal". 叉 (cha1) refers to a three-pronged, metal object used to "grasp" and "hold". 

It is said that 釵 (Chai) represents a "hair-pin" which may well be the case - as in the body clean and tidy is part of the Confucian teaching regarding correct, ritualistic behaviour. Arranging the hair is very much a part of correct behaviour. It would seem that the weapon was named after the hairpin. This would suggest that a Tiger Fork borrows the ideogram related to "hairpin" due to a similarity of shape - with the hairpin being older. A modern Chinese language dictionary states:

'This character was originally used in Japanese to mean (ornamental) hairpin, and was read with a kun'yomi of kanzashi. The similarity in shape between a hairpin and the weapon called a sai later led to this character being used to refer to the weapon. In modern Japanese, this character is read primarily with its on'yomi of sai, and is used to refer to the weapon. The hairpin sense and kanzashi reading are more often spelled 簪.' 

Many Thanks

​Adrian Chan-Wyles

​A community is a group of people that live together in close proximity on a daily basis. This cooperation maybe loose in affiliation but consistent in existence. Passage in and out of the community can be fluid – whilst different sub-groups contribute to the cultural texture of the collective. When there is peace throughout the land – and there exists ample resources – then threats to any community will be at a minimum. However, should these conditions change at any time – then conflict might erupt both within and without the community structure. Scapegoating and buck-passing often leads to friction between different ethnic groups so that violence replaces peaceful discourse and profitable commerce. Violence becomes the only currency through which individuals and groups communicate.

​When this violent situation develops – it is often beyond the control of any single group or individual - and appears to take-on a life of its own. In other words, there is a force of motion away from peaceful co-existence and toward violent interaction. Human organisation reverts to primitive instincts similar to the situation portrayed during the beginning of the (1968) Stanley Kubrick film entitled “2001 – A Space Odyssey” – which sees a group of Hominids (early humans) suddenly develop the ability to use objects in the environment as “weapons” against one another. This evolutionary process quite literally changes the balance of tribal power around the local watering hole. The human brain develops an extraordinary power to dialectically “think” about the physical environment it inhabits – and together with an opposable thumb – the evolved human-being eventually develops advanced technology and space travel! 

Survival against external attack is the primary purpose of genuine self-defence. Although political and religious beliefs (which vary considerably from one culture to another) might contribute to fighting-spirit and the ability to self-sacrifice – these attributes should not distract from the primary point - which states that combat effectiveness equates to a greater chance of survival. This being the case, and given that we practice traditional (Hakka) Chinese martial arts, the broader point is not the specific conditions that define our martial reality – such as Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism (as well as Asian politics) – it is important to remember that we are also British and possess a rich texture of English and Irish cultural input, as well as Welsh and Scottish influence. All these things give us strength when we take our place in the frontline. Once we manifest our cultural strength of bravery and stoicism – it is the efficacy of our martial technique which will define the course of events.

In other words, regardless of cultural influence, the manner in which a fight (or combative experience) will unfold relies entirely upon the individual’s mastery of their mind and body - whilst experiencing extreme environmental pressure. In such a situation, “grace under pressure” is required – so that each punch, kick, elbow, or head-butt, etc – will be dodged when incoming - and landed cleanly when outgoing the moment such a blow is required to do so. The ideological programming of the aggressive opponent will be short-circuited by the superior martial technique of the group (or individual) being targeted – proving that correct martial training, positioning, and movement overcomes any purely "cerebral" ideological programming – regardless of what that ideology might (or might not) include. Simply believing something to a pathological extent will not necessarily generate the desired effect in the physical environment. Manic ideology is not enough to cause a lasting change – if various other groups retain a superior (and more realistic) approach to martial training. Genuine self-defence requires the perfect mastery of the martial moment. 

Building upon my previous work, I am considering the theory that the various Karate-Do Styles originally possessed 'different' and ‘diverse’ terms for their techniques - as each evolved from its foundational gongfu Style. For instance, traditional Chinese gongfu does not possess the unity or conformity that defines modern (Okinawan) Karate-Do - an attribute which gives Karate-Do an inherent robustness and strength – achieved through the process of removing of diversity. On the other hand, even within Chinese gongfu Forms contained within the same Style - exactly the same movement often possesses a completely different name!  

This is often due to a) metaphysical interpretations (linked to TCM) and b) to material practicality. A lower block may be performed with an open hand or closed fist - use the edge, palm or back of the open hand - or the 'Hammer Fist' of closed hand. The contact surface might be the boney areas of the wrist, or the bones of the fore-arm - similar to the 'Iron Arm' training performed in deep Horse Stance with fore-arms and wrists robustly striking one another (this is a Hakka speciality, and we do this from childhood - generating tremendous power when an adult)! I remember performing this type of conditioning within the Goju Ryu Karate-Do Style - only in a higher (Sanchin) Stance. Experts tend to adjust their technique to become like 'water' - which envelops and controls any 'stone-like' techniques! 

The metaphysical reasons are far too in-depth to cover in a single article – but what follows is a basic summary. The 'jing' [精] (retained sexual energy) and 'qi' [氣] (breath, food, drink and moral thought) are circulated up the 'Governing Vessel' (督脈 - Du Mai) and down the 'Conception Vessel' (任脉 - Ren Mai) in a continuous microcosmic cycle (小周天 - Xiao Zhou Tian). What the Japanese people renamed the 'Hara' (はら) - or '払 (fan3) in the Chinese language (this ideogram has no immediate metaphysical meaning within the modern Chinese language) - is I believe a reworking of the well-known lower ‘丹田’ (Dan Tian) situated 1.5-3 inches below the navel. The three 'Dan Tian' locations (分 - Fen) are found in TCM as follows: 

1) Upper Dan Tian (上丹田 - Shang Dan Tian) - situated in the centre of the forehead (the so-called 'Third-Eye' or 'Yin Tang' [印堂] point [穴 - Xue]) situated on the ‘Governing Vessel’. This is where '神' (Shen) - or 'empty' and 'all-embracing' consciousness is first formed prior to 'expanding' through the body (uniting the three 'Dan Tian') and penetrating the physical environment.  

2) Middle Dan Tian (中丹田 - Zhong Dan Tian) - situated around the Solar Plexus (the 'Tan Zhong' [膻中] point) on the ‘Conception Vessel’. 

3) Lower Dan Tian (下丹田 - Xia Dan Tian) - situated 15 - 3 inches below the navel - depending upon medical source (the 'Guan Yuan' [关元] point) on the ‘Conception Vessel’. 

These three pressure-points all exist upon a unified line of inner energy flow that demarks the ‘Governing Vessel’ and the 'Conception Vessel' situated on the front of body – extending deep into the tissue of the body reaching to the back of the spinal bone. This three-dimensional TCM can be observed at work with the 'Upper Dan Tian' (Governing Vessel) - which is comprised of a three-way link between the exact inner-centre of the brain-mass (泥丸宫 - Ni Wan Gong) and the exact centre-point situated at the top of the skull-bone - the so-called 'Bai Hui (百会) point.  

All genuine (traditional) Chinese gongfu is comprised of TCM thinking, methodology and spirituality. Killing, maiming (hurting the opponent's mind and body - either temporarily or permanently) or stopping the opponent without hurting their mind or body - are the physical objectives. As for the spiritual side (which I think is also embedded in the 'Gedan Bara-I' - 'Gedan Hara-I') - this is a complex issue.  Gee reminded me that one form of the lower block we practice in our Hakka Family Style is performed on each side of the body - and does not cross the front of the torso at all (and therefore does not traverse the Lower Dan Tian point – or ‘Hara’ in the Japanese language). 

The 'Governing Vessel' and ‘Conception Vessel’ ‘connect’ between the roof of the mouth (just behind the front upper-teeth) and is connected to the 'Conception Vessel' via the top of the tongue. Whereas the Upper Dan Tian appears within, upon and around the ‘Governing Vessel’ - the Middle and Lower Dan Tian appear within, upon and around the 'Conception Vessel'. However, the following analysis is a correct correlation of Karate-Do ‘Blocks’ and ‘Dan Tian’ pressure-points: 

Jo-Dan (Upper Level) Uke (Block) = Upper Dan Tian 

Chu-Dan (Middle Level) Uke (Block) = Middle Dan Tian 

Ge-Dan (Lower Level) Hara-I (Block) = Lower Dan Tian 

This suggests that the Upper Block (when performed to the immediate front of the body) travels through the Upper Dan Tian. The Middle Block (when performed to the immediate front of the body) travels through the Middle Dan Tian, and the Lower Block (when performed to the immediate front of the body) travels through the Lower Dan Tian. 

I have accessed a Japanese language page regarding the 'Dan Tian' and this confirms the link between the Lower Dan Tian and the 'Hara'. The Chinese name for the Lower Dan Tian is '关元' (Guan Yuan) which is rendered into the Japanese language as '関元' (Seki Gen). This is also referred to as 'はら' (Hara) supposedly due to the influence of Zen Buddhist practice - but as a Chinese Ch'an Buddhist myself, I have no idea why this should historically be the case. However, by building upon my earlier work regarding ‘Ge-Dan Bara-I’ (下段払い)’ - if we follow this line of reasoning, the original (or 'early') Karate-Do Blocks could have been called something like this: 

Jo-Dan Gindo-I (上段 銀堂 い) = Upper Level 'Gindo' (Upper Dan Tian) Forceful Execute! 

Chu-Dan Nichu-I (中段 丹中 い) = Middle Level 'Nichu' (Middle Dan Tian) Forceful Execute! 

Ge-Dan Bara-I’ (下段払い) which should read ‘Ge-Dan Hara-I’ = Lower Block 'Hara' (Lower Dan Tian) Forceful Execute! 

To arrive at the above speculation - I have 'reversed engineered' the structure of the Lower Block (conventionally and incorrectly rendered into English as ‘Ge-Dan Bara-I’ - [下段払い] - when it should read ‘Ge-Dan Hara-I') into the Middle and Upper versions. I have used Japanese language transliterations of the original TCM designations regarding the Dan Tian points even though I do not know the 'slang' terms for these Japanese words. I say this as I am told that 'Hara' is a slang term for the Chinese TCM language term '关元' (Guan Yuan) [which refers to the Lower Dan Tian point] - which translates as to 'Seal the Source' or 'Stop the Leakage to Strengthen the Foundation'. Traditionally, the Japanese people developed the ritual of 'cutting-open' (Hara-Kiri) this anatomical area as a means of 'releasing' what they thought to be their 'life spirit'. I know of no Chinese cultural equivalent to this practice. The 'Blocking' techniques of Karate-Do, however, serve the exact 'opposite' of this destructive practice – and this is achieved by the Karate-Do Blocks 'protecting' these three energy centres - which are considered vital for the evolution of life!