Shaolin-si
'Small forest temple'. The name of a
Chinese Buddhist temple on Songshan mountain in Henan (496).
The Indian monk Bodhidharma introduced principles of unarmed combat to
the Chan (Zen) monks. The purpose was to defend themselves and to strenghten
their body for meditation.
There are two Shaolin styles: The 'hard or external style' (Waijia) relies on
muscular strenght and skill. The 'soft or internal style' (Neijia) uses methods
of yielding to attack and using the opponent's momentum to bring him down.
Shinkage-ryu
'New Kage-ryu'. An ancient school of
sword-fighting, using both Ju-jutsu techniques of unarmed combat and those of
the sword. Taken from the principles of Zen are Munen or 'no thought',
and Muso, a state of total emptiness.
Shuriken-jutsu
The art of Shuriken throwing. A Japanese throwing star mainly used by the Ninja.
Made of steel and between 5 and 10 cm in diameter. The edges are sharp and often
poisonous. They come in all shapes and forms. The Shaken was starshaped, the
Bo-Shuriken has the form of a knife. Semban-shaken have a hole in the middle. A
very small needle-shaped version was also used by Ninja and was blown from the
mouth into the eyes of an enemy.
Sila-buah
See Bersilat
Sila-pulat
See Bersilat