Talk:Lin Kuei

The Lin Kuei clan, also known as forest demons, were an ancient secretive cult that operated in northern China many hundreds of years ago. This individual clan's past and history is shrouded in mystery. However, it is believed that they resided in the deep parts of the forests, and they captured unsuspecting travelers and forced them to breed with the clan in order to grow their numbers and members. Children are usually brainwashed and were chosen at birth to work as spies, assassins, and thieves for the benefits of the clan (similar to the thugees in India). When more and more people began moving into their territories, their numbers dwindled and went their separate ways.

Probably during China's Tang Dynasty, some of the Lin Kuei members traveled to Japan to teach their secret arts and ways to the local villagers. Over the years, many of these methods were used and were incorporated into the art of ninjutsu. It is believed that some Lin Kuei stayed in Japan and made a living as mountain hermits or priests, known as the Yamabushi. They have since disappeared. Other Lin Kuei traveled to Korea and continued their teachings and the warriors there became known as the 'Sulsa'.

It is believed that they were monks who practiced their ways and customs. They lived secretly in caves and in forests for centuries. After the clan's decline, the last Shr-lin (grandmaster of the Lin Kuei) moved to the United States to reform the clan. The last Shr-lin died during the 1970's, and since then, a clan member known as Li Hsing, who claims to have been a friend of the last Shr-lin. Two books written by Li Hsing are China's Ninja Connection and The Combat Skills of the Lin Kuei: Heritage of the Ninja.

• The Lin Kuei (or Lin Gui - 林鬼 in Mandarin) The Foshin Lin Qui (KUEI), were an ancient clan that operated in Southern and Northern china many hundred of years ago. This individual clan’s past history was shrouded in mystery until now. The true Lin Qui were farmers that resided in the deep parts of the forests around 587. Some of the farmers were masters in different self defense systems. The villages were attacked by thugs and bandits etc. The farmers came together and designed a self defense system like no other. The art never got a name from its founders. The name Lin Qui came from the bandits and solders of Emperor Wen of Sui (541-604), personal name Yang Jian, was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty. during China's Sui Dynasty (Hanyu Pinyin: suí cháo, 581-618) followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. The Tang Dynasty (pinyin: tángcháo) (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907) followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. The dynasty was interrupted by the Second Zhou Dynasty (October 16, 690 – March 3, 705) when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne. The dynasty was founded by the Li family.. It ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes some of the Lin Qui traveled to other parts of Asia, Japan and Korea to teach their secret arts and ways to the local villagers. The Lin Qui broke up in to two main family's. Over the years, many of these methods were used and were incorporated into the art of Ninjutsu, also called shinobi no jutsu, is a collection of techniques originally practiced for espionage purposes. It includes methods of gathering information, non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection techniques. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, and explosives.

Practitioners of ninjutsu have been seen as assassins for hire, and have been associated in the public imagination with other activities which are considered criminal by modern standards. Even though it was influenced by Chinese spying techniques and the strategic principles of Sun Tzu, ninjutsu is believed by its adherents to be of Japanese origin. One version is that the basis of ninjutsu was taught to a Japanese household who fled to the mountains after losing a battle. There they came across Chinese warrior monks who had fled China. Later, the skills were developed over 300 years to create ninjutsu.

Although the popular view is that ninjutsu is the art of secrecy or stealth, actual practitioners consider it to mean the art of enduring - enduring all of life's hardships. The character nin carries both these meanings, and others.

In the modern world the word ninjutsu usually refers to a certain system (Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu) of self defense, and its offshoots. It is true that ninjutsu has a long and myth-filled history, but today almost anyone is allowed to practice modern ninjutsu. As one makes progress in ninjutsu the system gets more sophisticated, and one might realize that the system contains more than fighting skills. To avoid misunderstandings, "ninjutsu" should just refer to a specific branch of Japanese martial arts, unless it is being used in a historical.

It is believed that some Lin Qui stayed in Japan and made a living as mountain hermits or priests, known as the Yamabushi.

Yamabushi began as yamahoshi, isolated clusters (or individuals) of mountain hermits, ascetics, and 'holy men,' who followed the path of shugendo, a search for spiritual, mystical, or supernatural powers gained through asceticism. This path may or may not have had a founder, as the myths surrounding En no Gyoja are numerous and complex; he is quite similar to a Japanese Merlin in this way. Men who followed this path came to be known by a variety of names, including kenja, kenza, and shugenja. These mountain mystics came to be renowned for their magical abilities and occult knowledge, and were sought out as healers or mediums, known as miko. Most of these ascetics, in addition to their devotion to shugendo, studied the teachings of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, or the Shingon sect, established by Kobo Daishi in the 8th century. Shingon was one of the primary sects of Esoteric Buddhism, according to which enlightenment is found through isolation, and the study and contemplation of

oneself, as well as nature, and esoteric images called mandala. Both the Shingon sect and the Tendai viewed mountains as the ideal place for this sort of isolation and contemplation of nature. In their mountain retreats, these

monks studied not only nature and religious/spiritual texts and images, but also a variety of martial arts. Whether they felt they had to defend themselves from bandits, other monks, or samurai armies is questionable, but the idea of studying martial arts as a means to improve oneself mentally and spiritually, not just physically, has always been central to Japanese culture, outside from the specific tenets of one religious sect or another. Thus, like the sohei, the yamabushi became warriors as well as monks.

As their reputation for mystical insight and knowledge grew, and their organization grew tighter, many of the masters of the ascetic disciplines began to be appointed to high spiritual positions in the court hierarchy. Monks and temples began to gain political influence. By the Nanboku-cho Period, in the 13th and 14th centuries, the yamabushi had formed organized cohorts called konsha, and these konsha, along with sohei and other monks began to take direction from the central temples of their sects. They assisted Emperor Go-Daigo in his attempts to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate, and proved their warrior skills to be up to the challenge of fighting professional samurai armies.

Several centuries later, in the Sengoku Period, yamabushi could be found among the advisors & armies of nearly every major contender for dominion over Japan. Some, led by Takeda Shingen, aided Oda Nobunaga against Uesugi Kenshin in 1568, while others, including the abbot Sessai Choro, advised Tokugawa Ieyasu. Many fought alongside their fellow monks, the Ikko-ikki, against Nobunaga, who eventually crushed them and put an end to the time of the warrior monks.They have since disappeared. Other Lin Qui traveled to Korea and continued their teachings and were named the sulsa warriors.

[edit] Ridiculous fanboy fantasy

None of this information on the "Lin Kuei" presents any sort of reference. After doing a search myself all over the web, I've found absolutely ZERO sources of information regarding the "Lin Kuei" info found here other than what is copied from this wiki.

It should be deleted immediately. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.65.186.196 (talk) 23:04, 27 March 2007 (UTC).