Fut Gar (Buddhist Family Boxing)
佛家拳Southern Chinese style that by tradition arose as a synthesis of five Cantonese family styles in the Qingyun Temple. It uses fist and palm strikes and low kicks.
Quick Facts
ChinaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
About Fut Gar (Buddhist Family Boxing)
Fut Gar, literally the Buddhist family fist, is a southern Chinese style from Guangdong province. According to Wikipedia, tradition traces it to the Qingyun Temple near Mount Dinghu, where monks adopted the five southern systems Lau Gar, Li Gar, Mok Gar, Choy Gar and Hung Gar. The monk Leung Tin-jiu is named as the founder, who selected the best techniques from them and called them Sil Lum Fut Gar. Fut Gar is therefore not one of the five Cantonese family styles but their synthesis. According to Wikipedia, the style uses fist and palm strikes and low kicks with evasive footwork and circular blocks. Chen Rong-en (1922–2015) was, according to the same source, the only direct student of Leung Tin-jiu who spread the style, and his branch is known for the flying dragon staff set. The International Fut Gar Federation was founded in November 2007. Fut Gar is not on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage or in the Hong Kong inventory, and we have not been able to find a Chinese source on the founder. It is a poorly documented style, so we are still looking for reliable sources. In the film Kung Fu Hustle, according to Wikipedia, the main character uses it.
History
According to Wikipedia, the Fut Gar tradition leads to the Qingyun Temple near Mount Dinghu in Guangdong. Monks there adopted the five southern systems Lau Gar, Li Gar, Mok Gar, Choy Gar and Hung Gar. The founder is said to be the monk Leung Tin-jiu, who chose their best techniques and called them Sil Lum Fut Gar. Wikipedia calls the style a relatively modern southern Shaolin style, and we have not found the exact year of origin.
How it differs
Fut Gar is not one of the five Cantonese family styles but is, according to Wikipedia, their synthesis. Mo Gar, one of its sources, has been separately on the national intangible heritage list since 2021 under number 1452. Wikipedia describes the relationship to Hung Fut inconsistently: once as a mix of Hung Kuen and Buddha's palm, or as a descendant of Fut Gar.
Technique
According to Wikipedia, the style mainly uses fist and palm strikes and low kicks, complemented by evasive footwork and circular blocks.
Today
Chen Rong-en (1922–2015) was, according to Wikipedia, the only direct student of Leung Tin-jiu who spread the style, and his branch is known for the flying dragon staff set. The International Fut Gar Federation was founded in November 2007. Fut Gar is not on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage or in the Hong Kong inventory.
Did you know
According to Wikipedia, the hero of the film Kung Fu Hustle uses Fut Gar.
Frequently asked questions
What did Fut Gar originate from?
According to tradition cited by Wikipedia, from a synthesis of the five Cantonese family styles Lau Gar, Li Gar, Mok Gar, Choy Gar and Hung Gar in the Qingyun Temple.
What techniques does Fut Gar use?
According to Wikipedia, mainly fist and palm strikes, low kicks, evasive footwork and circular blocks.
Is Fut Gar protected heritage?
No. We have not found it on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage or in the Hong Kong inventory.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.