Posted By gm on August 19, 2010
G/GRAND MASTER
ON DESK/ FILE
SECOND RELEASED
KUNTAW RELATION WITH KUNTAO AND KOONTAO
THE KUNTAW SOMETIMES CALLED KUNTAO/ OR KOONTAO BUT IN REAL SENSE, THE KUNTAO, IS AN INDONESIAN ANCIENT MARTIAL ARTS MODIFIED AND SYNTHESIZED WITH THE SYSTEM OF PENCHAK-SILAT OF MALAYSIAN ART OF SELF-DEFENSE NOW CALLED INDONESIAN PERSILAT/ OR BERSILAT, WHILE HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES LANGKA PENCAK-SILAT ADOPTED BY THE NATIVE FILIPINOS YET ORIGINATED FROM CHINA. LIKEWISE,
THE KOONTAO AN ANCIENT CHINESE FORM OF MARTIAL ARTS WAS ORIGINATED ABOUT 3,500 YEARS AGO IN SOUTHERN COSTAL PROVINCE OF FUKIEN CHINA. IT IS A CHINESE STYLE OF BOXING PRACTICE BY TAOIST PRIEST OF SHAOLIN TEMPLE. THIS WAS BROUGHT AND INTRODUCED BY THE CHINESE TRADERS AND MERCHANTS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE PHILIPPINES, ADOPTED BT THE NATIVE FILIPINOS DURING THE EARLY PARTS OF THE 10TH CENTURY.
IN THE SAME MANNER, THE KUNTAW IS BEING MISINTERPRETED OF MANY. IT IS A FILIPINO NATIVE MARTIAL ARTS BEING PRACTICED BY FILIPINO MUSLIM ESPECIALLY BY THE TAU-SUG OF SULU, JOLO IN MINDANAO. HOWEVER, BEING CLAIMED ITS ORIGINALITY ALSO FROM FUKIEN CHINA SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE INDO-MALAYSIAN COUNTRIES WHEN DURING THAT ERA FILIPINO KUNTAWAN EXPERT MIGRATE TO MALAYSIA TO SEEK FOR EMPLOYMENT WHEREAS LATER ON THEY WERE HIRED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF BRUNEI AS INSTRUCTORS FOR THE SECURITY PERSONNEL OF THE KING.
IN KUNTAW IT EMPHASIZES AN OPEN AND CLOSED -HAND TECHIQUES BASE ON SLY CAT SOFT MOVEMENT CHARACTERIZED FROM DIFFERENT ANIMAL, BIRDS AND SHAPE OF PETAL. IT IS A GRACEFUL ART OF COMBAT FIGHTING YET EFFECTIVE IN INDIVIDUAL PHYSICAL HEALTH..
THE FIGHTING SYSTEM OF KUNTAW EXECUTES COMBINATIONS OF TECHNIQUES THROUGH SOFT AND HARD DANCE TECHNIQUES CALLED SAYAW-AN. IT DIFFERS FROM THE JAPANESE KYUKUSHIN KARATE KNOWN AS THE STRONGEST KARATE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WITH FORCE TO FORCE SYSTEM WHOM MASTER MASUTATSU OYAMA KILLED A BULL BY HIS BARE HAND KARATE CHOP USING HIS EXTREME STRENGTH.
THE PRINCIPLE OF KUNTAW IS BASED ON LAO-TZU THOUGH. “ THERE IS NOTHING UNDER HEAVEN MORE SOFT AND YIELDING THAN WATER. YET NOTHING CAN EQUAL WATERS STRENGTH. THE WEAK OVERCOME THE STRONG; THE GENTLE OVERCOME THE VIOLENT, HENCE THE HARD AND POWERFUL WILL DISINTEGRATE; THE SOFT AND YIELDING WILL PREVAIL.
FILIPINO KUNTAW DERIVED FROM COMBINATION OF TWO WORDS, KUN CAME FROM “KUNSAGRADO”, MEANS SACRED, AND TAW “HATAW” MEANS STRIKE. THUS THE REAL MEANING OF KUNTAW IS SACRED STRIKE DUE TO THE SYSTEM THAT THIS IS BEING PRACTICED BY THE FOREFATHERS OF THE MUSLIM ROYALTIES (MAHARLIKA) IN PROTECTION OF THEIR OWN TRIBES.
LONG BEFORE IN MARANAO ISLAND, PHILIPPINES THE PRACTICED OF KUNTAW, IS A MUSLIM ANCIENT ART OF EMPTY-HAND AND FOOT FIGHTING WAS CONSIDERED A VERY DANGEROUS MARTIAL ARTS, BECAUSE OF ITS CHARATERISTICS THAT THEIR KUNTAWAN MASTER (LAKAN DATU) WERE USING MYSTICAL POWER BUT LATELY DECLINED UNTIL THE ART BECOME REFINED.
THIS ANCIENT SACRED ART OF SELF DEFENSE WAS POPULARIZED IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE PHILIPPINES WHICH WAS BANNED DURING THE SPANISH REGIME AND PROHIBITEDLY DECLARED THAT ANYBODY CAUGHT INVOLVED IN ITS TRAINING IS PUNISHABLE BY THE SPANISH LAW.
SO THE SECRET TRAINING SITE OF KUNTAW WAS MOVED FROM MINDANAO ISLAND TO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LUZON WHERE THE RE-ALIGNMENT OF THE ARTS WAS INTRODUCED AND PROPAGATED PARTICULARLY IN OLONGAPO CITY WHERE US MILITARY SERVICEMEN ADOPTED ITS TRAINING; DOWN TO TAGALOG AND BICOL REGION WHERE THE ARTS IS AT PRESENT EXTREMELY POPULAR; REFINED ITS ANCIENT ART BY GREAT GRANDMASTER, (DAKILANG APO RAJAH ) CARLITO LANADA,SR.
THERE ARE TWO DISTINCT TYPES OF KUNTAW; THEY ARE BUNO AND SIKARAN. THE BUNO IS A NATIVE FORM OF WRESTLING SOMETIMES CALLED GUMOL/ OR KAPLOBUD IN MARANAO VERSION WHICH LAID ON THE EMPHASIS ON THE USE OF HAND BEING POPULARLY PRACTICED BY FISHERMEN OF COASTAL TOWNS. LONG BEFORE IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES, IN SITANGKAI ISLAND, A REMOTE COASTAL PLACE CALLED LAWAN MEANING ABANDONED BY ALLAH. SITUATED BETWEEN TAWI-TAWI AND BORNEO, WHICH HAD BEEN RESIDED BY A GROUP OF SHY AND GENTILE PEOPLE CALLED TAO-LAUS. ON THIS ISLAND, THE BUNO HAD BEEN THEIR FAVORITES PAST TIME SPORTS. LIKEWISE IN THE ISLE OF LAMINUSA OF CENTRAL OF SULU HEDGING THE SOUTHERN RIM OF SULU SEA LIVES A SENDENTARY GROUP OF MARITINE PEOPLE WHOSE MAIN SOURCE OF LIVELIHOOD IS FISHING, THE KUNTAW-BUNO IS ALSO BEING PRACTICED AS THEIR COMMON SPORT.
WHILE THE SIKARAN/ OR KUNTAW-SIPAAN A FOOT-FIGHTING ART LITERALY TRANSLATED AS KICKING. THE HAND ARE LIMITED TO USE FOR BLOCKING, ALTHOUGH IN REAL COMBAT THEY ALSO USE THEIR HANDS FOR ATTACKS. THIS WAS BEING PRACTICED BY FARMERS BECAUSE THEIR LEGS ARE WELL-TRAINED DUE TO THE NATURE OF THEIR WORK. TODAY FEW ENTHUSIASTS REMEMBER SIKARAN BECAUSE A FOREIGN ARTS MOSTLY BEING PRACTICED BY YOUNG MEN WHICH IS CLOSELY SIMILAR TO THE SYSTEM OF SIKARAN.
SIX YEAR AGO SOMETIMES IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2003, THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CULTURE AND ARTS (NCCA) LAUNCHED A KUNTAW TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF LIVING TRADITION (SLT) AT MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY (MSU) IN JOLO, SULU AT MSU’S RAJAH BAGINDA HALL. THE NCCA THUS PROVIDED ASSISTANCE FOR THE CREATION OF SLT IN VARIOUS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE PHILIPPINES TO REVIVE THE COUNTRY’S FILIPINO MARTIAL ART CALLED KUNTAW IN ORDER TO KEEP THE ANCIENT TRADITION ALIVE. THAT THE KUNTAW TRAINING PROGRAM BE INTEGRETED WITH THE SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES FOR THE NATION-WIDE PROPAGATION OF THE ARTS.
BY:
TONY CEA VILLAREAL, SR./ JOURNALIST
7TH DEGREE RED, WHITE & RED BELT (LAKAN DATU)
IKF ASST. EXEC. DIRECTOR & ADVISORY COUNCIL
MARTIAL ARTS HISTORIAN (MAH)
NOTE:
FOR ADDITIONAL ISSUES, INTEGRATE THE RECENT ACTIVITIES OF GREAT GRAND MASTER, ( DAKILANG APO RAHA ), GGM LANADA OF INTERNATIONAL KUNTAW FEDERATION DURING HIS TRAVEL HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Contact Address:
KUNTAW USA
P.O. BOX 969
NATIONAL CITY, CA 91951
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