Kung Fu Vs. Japanese Arts? How can these even be compared???

Question

In Kung Fu, you are taught mainly hand-to-hand combat, then you art taught weapons, all in the same art, and weapons as the great masters say, "Are an extention on the hand". But in Japanese martial arts, the sword is the highest form of fighting. In Japanese arts, swords are so special and it's like the Japanese are obsessed with them, while in Wushu, they're only weapons, extentions of the hand. In Japanese arts, there are hardly any classic styles of hand-to-hand, like Jujutsu, Ninjutsu, and...... Thats about it. While they develope weapon arts so much, you'd think the samurai would be hapless without their arms. To put it simply, In Chinese martial arts, Imperial Gaurds didn't even need to use weapons, their bodies were weapons, and in battle, they had all ready been taught to use dozens of exotic weapons, but In Japan, as long as you knew Kenjutsu, you were considered a master... So who were the more reliable fighters, Samurai who depended on weapons or Chinese soldiers/warriors?

Answer 1

However, no matter how adept a Chinese soldier was with his hands and feet, the sword's longer range makes it a better weapon. When fighting in combat, since the dawn of time, it's almost always armed.

    I used to study Filipino stick fighting (arnis), but with a heavy Japanese focus. We rarely learned any hand strike-we started our first class learning with the sticks. However, we knew the stick was an extension of the arm, and any attack could be translated to an empty-hand technique.

    I currently study a mix of Indonesian poekoelan and Kung Fu. We work entirely free hand until we reach an advanced level. Many of the strikes I recognize from arnis, and I still use many arnis techniques while sparring.

      Although knowing how to fight freehand is an important skill and focusing too much on weapons may be a weakness in an opponant, if I was to actually fight someone, I'd want to do it with a stick in my hand.

Answer 2

This is from a official report made to the IMPERIAL CHINESE COURT by a CHINESE chronicler who reported on the JAPANESE invasion of KOREA 1300 years ago in which the CHINESE EMPEROR sent 150000 troops to aid the KOREANS.

"These JAPANESE warriors are fierce and unrelenting and kill at a rate of 20 to 1"THAT'S KILLED NOT WOUNDED

And your wrong about JAPANESE weapons skills being relegated to just the sword.

They were also masters of '

SOJITSU THE SPEAR

KYUJITSU THE BOW AND ARROW standing and mounted

NAGINATA JITSU THE HALBERD

They defeated the MONGOLS on their 1st invasion attempt and when the MONGOLS tried again their ships were swept away by a typhoon which the JAPANESE called KAMIKAZE or divine wind.The MONGOLS by the way defeated the CHINESE no problem.

Answer 3

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080172/

this movie explains everything.

Answer 4

I don't think you know what you are talking about.

Chinese guards and warriors relied on weapons as well as Japanese.

They used crossbows and swords.

What are you blathering about?

Answer 5

Chinese arts are more PowerFul then the Japanese art, Kung Fu is the mother of every Martial Art and are very great on Hand to Hand Combat

You Say that the Japanese really very much on there weapons and on the Chinese art Wushu they only use weapons.

Japanese Ninjas are Masters on Disarming an Enemy or when they are Fighting an Armed Enemy.

And on Wushu they only use weapons and because they do that a Japanese Ninja Can Disarm them Easily But the Chinese Have Kung Fu that can beat Japanese Ninja Art

Well i can't say you can compare them, on Kung Fu You Learn Hand-to-Hand Combat, use Weapons and You will Get Both Mental and Physical Strong

Wushu - Ninja Art

Wushu - Samurai

Kung Fu - Ninja Art

Kung Fu - Samurai

i would anyway say Kung Fu Cause that creates Very Much Physical Strength and Mental

Answer 6

My Okinawa te master would be very vexed with your opinion, and your lack of knowledge of Asian history and Japanese martial arts....

Answer 7

what the h**l are you smokin'

i've 420ed a LOT and never had any **** good enough to hallucinate like that.

in NO culture was unarmed fighting prefered to armed fighting.  the whole "sword as a mystical art" is a myth, swords were (for certain among european cultures, logically among others) more a judicial dueling weapon than a battlefield one- yes, there is no doubt it was used on the battlefield but in the same way a bayonet was in ww2- as a backup to weapons more suited to battlefield and unit combat, spears, bows, warhammer type of weapons.  

samurai had the same emphasis on bows, yet no one makes any reference to the daiku or this art, why? because its all hollywood c**p- the bow was a more effective and lethal battlefield weapon.  

no, you can't compare the arts but for different reasons you mentioned. AND fyi- the differential hardening methods were first seen in chinese dao before the katana.

also jiujitsu didn't win the japanese world war 2 now did it?  why am i mentioning this- not to c**p on the japanese, but to c**p on the notion that a culture ANY culture with access to superior technology will use it. weapons are superior technology to hand to hand and guns and bombs superior to swords and spears.

so tossing some "fortune cookie" slogans designed to promote a samurai or martial arts has little to do with facts as to why you can't compare two sets of different culture's arts in such a broad way, you will find as much difference between juijitsu and kyokoshin karate as you will between hung gar and juijitsu or hung gar and preying mantis or between preying mantis and kyokoshin.

you need to be more specific and give a technical analysis if you are familiar enough with the systems you mention to do so.

Answer 8

Kung Fu is not mainly hand to hand combat. Hand to hand combat is a large part of their physical training but most of them have a specific type of weapons they use, whether its spears, swords, axe, hammers, sticks, bow and arrows. When going into battle, its obviously an advance to have a weapon since its easier to chop someones head off then punch them to death. Kung Fu uses a large variety of weapons because each weapon have its own advantage depending on the situation. The sword is the most common weap in Japanese fighting because its the most balanced and one of the most deadly but they uses other type of weaps as well as well. Personally I think Kung Fu is a more balanced way to fighting but both are deadly and its hard to compare which is better. It all depends on the skills of the fighter.

Answer 9

You don't know what you are talking about.  Japanese arts also consider weapon an extension of your body.  Also many Japanese arts including Judo and Karate (empty hand) teach hand to hand combat against resisiting apponents.  From what I have seen very few Kung fu schools these days actually spar, where as both Karate and Judo not only actively spar, but also compete.

Answer 10

I don't think there is any comparing these styles, the samurai were very reliant on their blades against enemies, but they were also taught jujitsu just in case they lost their blades in battle, but when the samurai did have their swords they could be very deadly opponents. You really can't speak generally about these warriors, no two are alike. The chinese warriors were taught how to use swords and their bodies, so I think they were somewhat equal. The only difference between them is the style.

Answer 11

I don't think you know what you are talking about.

Fights are won by individual fighters, not the style that they have learned or mastered.

Things like experience, speed, quickness, timing, vision, flexibility, balance, athletic ability and power go a lot further in determining the outcome of a fight than what style the fighters are using.

Also, the Kung Fu practitioners had exposure to many weapons, but usually specialize in 1 or 2.

James

Answer 12

So you want to compare a martial art to a martial art?  Why not compare tennis to tennis?  Or soccer to, let's say, soccer?  The country of origin, methodology of practice and tools utilized have no merit on their own.  The only measure here is the skill of the Instructor at passing on the knowledge and the skill of the student at learning and successfully employing the skills and knowledge given.  Even that depends on how long and how hard or disciplined each student trained as compared to the other.  There is no one martial art style or system that is better than another.  There is only what works for the individual in regards to what their personal goals and desires are at that time.

Answer 13

No offense but you have your facts all mixed up. You have obviously formed your opinions based on your limited, mixed up ideas.