So Rim Jang Kwon
So Rim Jang Kwon
Literally: „Shaolin Long Fist“
Also known as: Sorim Jang Kwon, Shaolin Chang Quan
A tang soo do hyung whose name means Shaolin Long Fist. It did not enter the style via the Okinawan route like most forms, but through the Chinese-Korean line via Hwang Kee.
Quick Facts
About the kata
So Rim Jang Kwon is a tang soo do hyung that the Asia Pacific Tang Soo Do Federation, in its history overview, places among the few hyungs of the style that did not come through the Chinese-Okinawan line like most others, but directly through the Chinese-Korean line – via Hwang Kee and his school, Moo Duk Kwan. We have not been able to confirm who put the form together; the federation lists both the author and the form's history as unknown. According to the English Wikipedia, Moo Duk Kwan teaches the Shaolin Long Fist and taiji forms only at higher ranks. We have not found in our sources either the number of movements or the rank the form is prescribed for. We believe a single number may not even exist, since the federation itself writes about many different versions depending on each master's lineage. John Hancock, in an article on kidokwan.org, describes seeing Han Chi Sup practice this form in a gym at the Yongsan base in Seoul in August 1984. He found the form threaded with strong points of emphasis, yet clearly circular overall. Knowing Chinese martial arts, he recognized its Chinese origin.
The kata in different styles
| Style | Name in the style | Movements | Kiai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tang Soo Do | Sorim Jang Kwon | — | — |
Meaning of the name
The APTSDF federation gives, alongside the Korean name Sorim Jang Kwon, also the Chinese Shaolin Chang Quan, and translates both as "Shaolin Long Fist," or as "Temple long fist." The name thus does not refer to a person or an event, but to the Chinese long fist associated with the Shaolin monastery.
Creator and history
The English Wikipedia lists the Shaolin long fist, alongside Okinawan karate and taiji, as one of three influences tang soo do draws on. Hwang Kee, founder of Moo Duk Kwan (1945), claimed, according to it, that he studied under a Chinese master, Yang Kuk Jin, while working on the Manchurian railway; some of his contemporaries dispute this. So Rim Jang Kwon does not appear in Wikipedia's list of traditional tang soo do hyungs. We believe this is because, according to it, long fist forms are taught only at higher ranks.