Martial arts timeline

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This Martial arts timeline is designed to help describe the history of the martial arts in a linear fashion. Many of the articles for particular styles have discussions of their history. This article is designed to help visualize the development of these arts, to help better understand the progression of the separate styles and illustrate where they interrelate.

The history of martial arts is challenging to document precisely, because of the lack of historical records, secretive nature of the teacher-student relationships and political circumstances during much of its history. It is likely that many techniques were learned, forgotten, and re-learned during human history.

Contents 1 Bronze Age (2000 to 1000 BC) 2 Iron Age and Antiquity (1000 BC to AD 500) 3 Middle Ages (500 to 1500) 4 Early Modern period (1500 to 1800) 5 19th century 6 20th century 7 21st century 8 References

[edit] Bronze Age (2000 to 1000 BC)

• ca. 20th century BC - Murals in tomb 15 at Beni Hasan, depicting wrestling techniques.

• ca. 18th century BC – the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic describes includes the major hand-held weapons (sword, axe, bow and spear) used prior to the gunpowder era.

[edit] Iron Age and Antiquity (1000 BC to AD 500)

Many of the martial arts practiced today have their roots in India and China, where extensive trade and cultural interchange is believed to have occurred beginning around 600 B.C. This trade expanded to Japan and Okinawa thereafter, likely resulting in the interchange of technique and philosophy among a subset of practitioners for over two thousand years.^[1]

• 8th century BC - Roughly the start of Greek Olympic Competition. Through the popularity of the Olympics, martial arts like boxing, wrestling, and pankration flourished.

• 8th century BC - Homer's Iliad describes many scenes of hand-to-hand combat in detail.

• 6th century BC – Sun Tzu writes “The Art of War,” one of the seminal works in military strategy and tactics, during the Warring States period of Chinese history.

• 300 B.C. – Foundation of Taoism, which later influences Chinese internal or soft styles such as Hsing-i and Tai Chi, which involve the cultivation of chi and the study of nature and animal movements.

• 264 BC - First recorded Gladiatorial combat staged in Rome by Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus

• 50 B.C. - Earliest records of Korean indigenous martial arts called Taekkyon found in paintings in the Muyong-chong, a royal tomb from the Koguryo dynasty.^[2]

• AD 72 The Colosseum opens in Rome, providing the public with the world's largest martial arts venue for over the next three hundred years.

• 2nd century - P.Oxy. III 466

[edit] Middle Ages (500 to 1500)

• 500 The primary Shaolin Temple is built at the western base of the Chinese Shongshan mountain range, at the orders of Emperor Hsiao-wen. Successive Chinese emperors authorize fighting monks to train in the Temple. Other Shaolin temples are built in China thereafter.

• 550 Indian monk Bodhidarma (called Dharuma in Japan) founds Zen Buddhism and contributes to Shaolin temple boxing. His philosophy includes static meditation and related breathing techniques, and includes the martial virtues of discipline, humility, restraint, and respect for life.

• 728 - Date of the "combat stele" at the Shaolin Monastery

• 630 Hindu temple artwork in India depicts unarmed combat techniques.

• 782 Japanese Heian period begins. Curved swords called Tachi (large sword) appear. Although samurai did not technically appear until the 12th century, in appearance these are the early curved swords commonly recognized as "samurai swords."^[3]

• 1156 - 1185 Japanese Samurai class emerges during the warring period between the Taira and Minamoto families. The warriors code of Bushido also emerges during this time.

• 13th century - Malla Purana (Gujarat)

• ca. 1300 - MS I.33, the oldest extant martial arts manual detailing armed combat.

• 1338 Japanese Ashikaga period, during which Samurai caste expands its influence further. Many schools of swordsmanship flourish. The period ends around 1500.

• 1400 China sends delegations to Okinawa, which then begins trading extensively with China and Japan. The indigenous Okinawan unarmed combat art called “Te” is likely influenced by Chinese and Japanese arts over the next three centuries, forming the basis for the modern art of Karate.

• 1477 The Okinawan king Sho Shin, influenced by the Japanese, bans the carrying of arms. Similar bans occurred in Japan in 1586. Both apparently led to the underground development of striking arts and may have encouraged unarmed combat techniques designed for use against armored soldiers, such as Jujitsu.

[edit] Early Modern period (1500 to 1800)

• 1549 Hayashizaki Minamoto is born and later founds the art of Iiajutsu or Iaido, the art of drawing and cutting with the sword in a single motion. Successive masters of his school can be traced to the present day.

• 1600 A newer style samurai sword, called a katana or daito is widely used.

• 1643 Legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is believed to have written "The Book of Five Rings" a seminal work regarding the art and philosophy of the samurai and swordsmanship.^[4]

• 1674 Chinese Emperor K'ang Hsi's army burns the Shaolin Temple at Shongshan, perhaps due to concerns around the capabilities of its fighting force. The temple is rebuilt, but this event disrupts 1,100 years of concentrated training in that facility. Many of the surviving monks are believed to have moved to other temples, spreading Shaolin boxing further.

• 1700 Chinese temple frescoes depict Shaolin Temple monks practicing unarmed combat. Okinawan Te and Chinese Shaolin boxing styles mix as part of trade between the countries.

• 1750 Techniques of Chinese martial art Tai Chi are written down.

[edit] 19th century

• 1882 Jigoro Kano modifies traditional Japanese Jujutsu to develop the art of Judo. He opens his school, Kodokan. One of his training methods, called randori, removed more dangerous striking techniques to emphasize grappling and submission locks between students practising at full-force. His students taught Judo using randori around the world during the early 20th century.

• 1892 The first world heavyweight boxing championship is fought under the Marquess of Queensbury rules of 1867, which are similar to those used today. Jim Corbett defeats John L. Sullivan.

• 1893-1901 Edward William Barton-Wright studied Jujutsu in Japan and created Bartitsu upon returning to England, one of the earliest introductions of Japanese martial arts in the West and the first known martial art to combine Asian and European fighting styles.

[edit] 20th century

• 1900 British and American soldiers in Japan begin learning techniques from the Japanese Army.

• 1908 Amateur boxing becomes an Olympic Sport.

• 1920-1925 Mitsuyo Maeda, a student of Jigoro Kano's, travels to Brazil (among other places) to spread Judo and Jiu-Jitsu teachings. He also participates in several challenge matches. In 1925, Carlos Gracie, a student of Mitsuyo Maeda, opens his school, the first for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The art is further refined by the Gracie clan thereafter, particularly by Carlos' brother Helio Gracie.^[5]

• 1928 Shaolin temple records were burned, destroying many documents and records of earlier martial arts.

• 1935 Karate becomes official name of the Okinawan martial arts, based on the traditional art of “Te” (hand) and the term Kara (empty or unarmed).

• 1936 Gichin Funakoshi publishes the first edition of his book "Karate-Do Kyohan," documenting much of the philosophy and traditional katas (forms) of modern Karate. A second edition was published in 1973, many years after his death in 1957.^[6]

• 1942 Morihei Ueshiba begins using the term Aikido to describe his art, which is related to aiki-jujutsu. He is credited as the father of Aikido.

• 1943 Judo, Karate, and Kung Fu officially introduced in Korea, likely beginning to mix with the indigenous Korean arts.

• 1945 First Korean dojang, or martial arts school, opens in Seoul, Korea. Many other schools follow. Korean military personnel receive training in martial arts.

• 1945 World War II ends, with many more American and British soldiers stationed in Asia exposed to the martial arts.

• 1956 Master Shimabuku held a meeting with his students and proclaimed his new system as “Isshinryu.”

• 1957 Tae Kwon Do becomes the official name of the Korean martial arts.

• 1959 Korean Tae Kwon Do Association (KTA) is formed.

• 1960 Keichu Ryu is first taught publicly, on August 10, in Crowley, Louisiana.

• 1966 International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF) is formed.

• 1972 Judo becomes an official Olympic sport.

• 1973 The Bruce Lee film "Enter the Dragon" brings Asian martial arts to the United States domestic audience. He dies that same year.

• 1973 World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) is formed.

• 1975 Bruce Lee's book "Tao of Jeet Kun Do" is published post-mortem. He credits the influence of western boxing and fencing in developing his art, among others.^[7]

• 1988 WTF style Tae Kwon Do becomes an Olympic demonstration sport, later becoming a full-medal sport in 2000.

• 1993 The first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is held. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Royce Gracie wins the event.

[edit] 21st century

• 2001 The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) is formalized.

• 2007 Zuffa, LLC the parent company that owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (a mixed martial arts promotion) purchased PRIDE Fighting Championships from Dream Stage Entertainment.

[edit] References