Taikiken (Yi Quan) Documentary

A brief history of Taikiken.

Kenichi Sawai's teacher, Wang Xiangzhai the founder of Yiquan, traveled throughout China in his younger years. He visited many masters along the way, including Kuo Yun-shen who taught him Hsing-I.

Later on, Wang Xiangzhai combined all of his knowledge and skills to create Yiquan. It is often said that Yiquan or Taikiken, is one of most recently developed forms of real combat.

Taikiken is the Japanese version of Yiquan, enriched with essential techniques and principles of the different budo disciplines.

The founder of Taikiken, Master Kenichi Sawai was a direct student of Wang Xiangzhai. After his return to Japan, Sawai sensei changed the Chinese name Yiquan into Taikiken (Taiki-ken, Taiki, I-Ken).

Category:

Sports

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• Taikiken
• Taiki-ken
• Taiki
• I-Ken
• Yi
• chuan
• ichuan
• yichuan
• yiquan
• yi
• quan
• xing
• xingyichuan
• hsing-i
• hsing
• japanese
• budo
• wang
• xiangzhai
• master
• kenichi
• sawai
• japan
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• chinese
• kung
• fu
• martial
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• arts
• karate
• ki
• chi
• qi

[CEITCOGIDO]

@acquafredda75 According what I read was Yao, master Wang's first disciple, who show Yi Quan to Sawai, but not the true essence. Even with that, so to speak, watered down Yi Quan Sawai was able to beat Oyama's students at very advance age (70 years old or so). Really impressive

[iexcalibui2]

and man the ending part, the guy has crazy footwork!

[iexcalibui2]

taikiken translation = tai qi quan??



[acquafredda75]

I read on several Yiquan books that Mr.Sawai didn't learn from the great Master WXZ, because the Chinese master was very sad with the Japs because of the atrocities of the sino-japanese war . So taught to his first student. master Yao Zong Xun to teach him SOMETHING. Despite of the generical instructions, Sensei Sawachi came back in Japan far stronger, beating also sumo wrestlers... please let me know if U guys know more or differently. cheers from europe

[papertiger7]

@shiqing2006 Actually, I do know the atrocities committed by the Japanese government back then. All I'm saying is that some people don't generalize an entire ethnic group based on the bad actions of the government. I think its natural to hate foreign invaders but some people look at one another on an individual basis. Maybe Wang thought that Sawai had a good enough character to teach him.

[papertiger7]

@shiqing2006 I think your taking some liberties with the story...you have to consider that some people weren't ultra nationalist back then.

[shiqing2006]

@michinco Sincerely, it is not sarcastic. Don't you know the historical background at that time? You should simply take a look. For instance, would a Jewish master of Krav Maga really teach the essence of his skill to a German officer in WWII?

[michinco]

@shiqing2006 come on man! stop being so sarcastic about this story. Just say there was a chinese taught this style to the Japanese people, and then the Japanese made the style popular all over the world!

[shiqing2006]

It is said that there is a Japanese officer challenged Wang Xiangzhai and the Japanese was defeated no matter with empty hand or with Japanese sword (Wang only used a staff). This Japanese forced Wang to teach him Yi Chuan. Since a part of China was invaded by Japan, Wang cannot reject this Japanese, but he asked his student to teach this Japanese, and ask his student not to teach him the essential technique of Yi Chuan because they will use Yi Chuan to bully Chinese.

[David43515]

@queimbastz

Apparently he didn`t know hw was changing the name. If he just slipped in the wrong character , one with the same Chinese pronounciation. Then when he returned to Japan they pronounced the characters in てぇJapanese style. Like the way Paris is pronounced Paree by the french.