|
Kyusho Jutsu—Continued
The roots of Kyusho Jutsu go way back into ancient China, and before written history. Physicians two thousand years ago developed an theory of the human body that relied on the life force, Chi, running along lines of meridian around the body. They believed most illness was the result of blockage or imbalance in the chi and developed a way of releasing and re-balancing this energy using needles inserted into specific points, known as tsubo points. This became known as acupuncture, and is today practised the world over and rapidly gaining respectability in Modern Western Medicine. At the root of many of the Chinese philosophies lies the theory of Yin and Yang, the good and bad, positive and negative. The natural step therefore, was for the healing art of acupuncture to have a dark side, Dim Mak, the Death Touch.
The Bubishi records how gruesome experiments were conducted on prisoners to discover the negative effects of attacking certain tsubo points. These points were meticulously studied then recorded and handed down in great secrecy through generations of martial artists. One of the methods of recording where these points were, and how to attack them, was through the use of Kata. In a period of history when only the privileged few could read and write, Kata represented a very efficient way of passing down information. Sequences of moves were carefully combined with hand and feet movements to show angle and force of attack on these points. Unfortunately, many of these moves were not understood, and became lost within the kick, punch, and block mentality of many martial arts schools and instructors.
Fortunately, due to the sterling work of people like Rick Clark, George Dillman, Patrick McCarthy, Vince Morris, Erle Montaguie, Bruce Miller and many others, these secrets are once again being untangled. We can now see the true meaning of many of these seemingly obscure Kata movements.
Modern Western Medicine versus Traditional Chinese Medicine. 'It doesn't matter why it works, it only matters that it works!' Rick Clark. Under TCM theory, the chi is carried around the body using meridian lines. Moreover, the chi flows along these lines in a particular direction, not only along each meridian, but also from one to the other. Twelve of the fourteen meridians are associated with the elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. TCM theorists claim you can disrupt the function of the associated organ by attacking its meridian, with certain sequences resulting in the organ stopping and the victim dying, either instantly, or days later, the so-called Delayed Death Touch. TCM theorists also believe that the sequence of meridian attacked and the time of day can all have an effect. Zoltan Dienes of the University of Sussex carried out a study on this system, although the results were not conclusive.
MWM theory uses an understanding of the way the body works. Certain points are over specific nerves and cause pain, some points are located over Golgi Tendons which cause reflexive action, with others over baro-receptors which can cause unconsciousness. Whether you subscribe to either TCM or MWM, the effectiveness of Kyusho Jutsu is without doubt. It is also well worth taking the time to learn the names of the points by their TCM names, as these are used by both sides as an accurate method of identifying the locations of these tsubo points |
