Ginger, on the martial arts behind Firebending

Today is the fourth and final post in my mini series, the martial arts Behind Avatar: The Last Airbender. I started this because I wanted to know more about the martial arts used to create the different bending styles in the Avatar cartoon. (Creaters Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Koniezko brought in martial arts specialist Sifu Kisu to ensure authenticity.) To recap a little: I posted about Airbending first because Aang was the title character and it wouldn't be fair to start without him. Next I posted about Waterbending because Katara is really the first person to join team avatar in the series. After that, it just seamed right to post about Earthbending since Toph was next A-Team member outside of the water tribe peeps. So, last but not least, we come to Firebending and Prince Zuko - outcast turned traitor turned ... hero? Yeah, that's about right.

Firebender Zuko (Source: Kirk Quilaquil)

When we talk about Firebending, Zuko is probably the first person to come to mind. Hot-headed and high strung, Zuko is exactly what you'd expect for a person who's inner element is fire. His story is probably the most realistic of all the characters. Though the course of the series, he struggles between what he thinks he needs to do and what he thinks he should do and then again later between the person he thinks he should be and he person he's actually become. In short, trying not to spoiling anything, I think Zuko is very brave and weird as it sounds, his character is the one I'm most proud of by the end.

The movements in Firebending itself are based on the Chinese martial art style Northern Shaolin. In its broadest sense, Northern Shaolin refers to the external (as opposed to internal) martial arts of Northern China referring to those styles from the Northern Shaolin Monastery. At its most specific, Northern Shaolin refers to a style called Fist taught at the gates of Northern Shaolin, disseminated by Gu Ruzhang.

Some history: the original Shaolin Monastery is located in Henan. Here the monks began to practice military weapons sometime around the Tang Dynasty and became famous for aiding the future Emperor,Li Shimin, in struggles against rebellious forces. The monks were primarily known for their spear and staff techniques until the Ming-Qing transition when they began to specialize in unarmed combat. As the reputation of the Shaolin martial arts grew during the following centuries, its name became synonymous with martial arts, regardless of whether an individual art traced its origins to the Shaolin Monastery in Henan or not. As a result, the "Shaolin" moniker was applied to other Buddhist temples with strong reputations for martial arts. The characteristics of the martial arts taught at each temple were so different from each other that they became identified with their place of origin.

Uncle Iroh (Source: Josh Duncan)

The Northern Shaolin style associated with Gu Ruzhang was first taught to a layman disciple, the celebrated 18th century master Gan Fengchi of Jiangsu Province, by a Shaolin monk named Zhao Yuan (born Zhu Fu) who was actually a member of the Ming royal family who joined the sangha after the Ming was overthrown by the Qing in 1644. (Gan is also remembered for founding the martial art Huāquán, literally "flower fist", about which he wrote the book Introduction to Huāquán.) Gan in turn taught Wan Bangcai, who taught Yan Degong, who taught Yan Sansen, who taught Yan Jiwen, who *take a breath* taught his nephew Gu Ruzhang (1894–1952). Talk about a hand me down! (Yan Jiwen also taught Gu the skills of Iron Body and Iron Palm. On a famous occasion in 1931, Gu is said to have demonstrated the latter on a horse. (Poor horse right?)

Among the martial artists who gathered at the Central National Martial Arts Institute in Nanjing in 1928, Gu placed in the top fifteen and was included - alongside Fu Zhensong, Li Xianwu, Wan Laimin, Wan Laisheng, and Wong Shao Chou - in the Five Southbound Tigers, five masters of the Northern Chinese martial arts sent to Guangzhou to organize another National Martial Arts Institute. In Guangzhou, the name "Shaolin" was already associated with Hung Gar and other styles, so Gu's style came to be known by the name Northern Shaolin. (His style is also known by the names Bak Sil Lum in Cantonese and Bei Shaolin in Mandarin.Yay knowledge!)

A Shaolin Temple in Henan. Absolutely beautiful.

Currently, the Northern Shaolin style of kung fu is one of the most prominent traditional northern styles of Chinese martial arts. The northern styles of kung-fu generally emphasize long range techniques, quick advances and retreats, wide stances, kicking and leaping techniques, whirling circular blocks, quickness, agility, and aggressive attacks. The system teaches empty-hand techniques and weaponry through predetermined combinations, known as forms, routines, or movement of sets. The students learn the basics by practicing the routines until the movements in the routines can be executed naturally based on instinct. Then, two or multiple man sets are practiced to train responses and applications of techniques learned from the sets. The practice sets/routines are not only practical in applications but are also graceful and artistic in nature. The fluidness of the movements combined with acrobatic techniques are trademarks of the Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu sets. The Northern Shaolin style of Kung-Fu was made famous by the late Ku Yu Cheung. There are many legends of Ku; according to tales related by his close students, Ku's father was an accomplished exponent of the Tan Tui (Snapping Kicks) Kung-Fu form. When he was young, Ku traveled throughout Northern China to learn all the northern kung-fu systems. He was renowned for his Iron Palm techniques and the application of the long spear. He organized all his learnings into what is the Northern Shaolin Kung Fu today.

Of the four bending styles, the Northern Shaolin Firebending is probably the most ... attractive (?) style. It has a lot of flourishes that the other forms lack, but in a way I guess that kind of mimics fire. Fire itself is beautiful to look at; it's so many colors all rolled up together, it's constantly moving- almost like it's dancing. If you watch a fire in a controlled situation, you could forget what a destructive force it is. Maybe that's where the creators pulled Zuko from - the idea that if properly guided and controlled fire can be a creating force instead of a deathly one. You just have to come to terms with which one you want to be.

What Sifu Kisu has to say about it:


I hope you've had as much fun reading this series as I did writing it.
May the fun never end:

Dance Party! (Source: Johane Matte)