the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Hello all, I haven't posted in a few years but I was hoping to get some assistance on a project I'm working on.
I'm researching a character for my next book/series. He's a monk style character that uses a spear as his main weapon. I've never done any spear work so I was hoping to get pointed in the direction of some good resources on the subject. I haven't looked into it much, still finishing up my current book, but I thought I could get a head start here. Books, videos, websites, anything that's quality/authentic would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance. Hope you've all been well and safe!

Shoot Dale Dugas an email. He's got some spear skills.

Thanks Peacedog, will do. Haven't talked to him in a while.

Why a spear? A monk using a spear is a strange choice - they are usually portrayed as having a wooden pole (or sometimes 'spade') - taking life is against their religion, so no spear tip. (Or so the cliché goes).

GrahamB wrote:Why a spear? A monk using a spear is a strange choice - they are usually portrayed as having a wooden pole (or sometimes 'spade') - taking life is against their religion, so no spear tip. (Or so the cliché goes).

Agreed. Buddhist monks traditionally make pilgrimages with a begging bowl and a wooden staff, not with swords, sabers, spears, or other classical military weapons by reason of their religious prohibition against killing.

I write fantasy, so informed by real world but not restricted by it. I never said he was a Buddhist, just that he was a monk.
To answer the question of why a spear? Because I'm interested in it and it fits what I'm trying to do.

Ben as a reference starting point may I suggest to you:

https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/re ... rtial-arts

https://www.universitypressscholarship. ... 0824831103

Good luck on your endeavor!

Spear is an interesting weapon. In Japan, monks or monk-soldiers were known to use it (a famous style is Hozoin-ryu, due to its association with Musashi, and has a crescent added to the tip - so it looks a bit like a trident). Many forms of it (short spears, medium spears, long spears; one-headed or two-headed), and many ways to use it.

- Southern China: tends to be right-handed (right hand in front)
- Northern China: tends to be left-handed (left hand in front), but some styles train both and freely switch sides (e.g. bagua)
- Double-headed spear: a tricky, rare variant. Some bagua, mantis, and eagle claw schools seem to have it.

A monk perhaps could use the spear skills without having a sharp tip. Still very dangerous to be hit by the end of a long staff, due to all the force being concentrated into a small area.

ebedebed brings up a good point there - many of the Japanese 'warrior monks' were no different from the samurai...they were just vassals to a different landowner (i.e. a temple). Others were more closely integrated into the temple structure. In any case, they were especially famous for using bladed weapons (naginata), and, as pointed out, spears as well in some cases. Trevor Legget's Zen and the Ways has a few nice translations of verses from the Hozoin Ryu (and others) on spear use if you happen to come across it (but maybe not enough to make it worth buying the book).

Here are a couple of articles from my blog that deal with spears. You might find them interesting.
http://ichijoji.blogspot.com/2014/08/yari-long-and-short-of-it.html
http://ichijoji.blogspot.com/2020/01/zen-secrets-of-spear.html

Graculus
[url]ichijoji.blogspot.com[/url]

Ben wrote:I write fantasy, so informed by real world but not restricted by it. I never said he was a Buddhist, just that he was a monk.
To answer the question of why a spear? Because I'm interested in it and it fits what I'm trying to do.

OK, fair enough. However, most Asian monks are Buddhist, since every nation in the Far East has traditionally been Buddhist. Just saying.

If one has learned staff, applied it (utility) and their completed the 10,000 ritual gong, then spear is nothing.
Learning staff is key to many weapons since the hand positioning has done its job when played/performed assiduously.

Learn staff, if you haven't done it already.

Hah. You guys beat me to Hozoin... good couple books of Vagabond when Musashi is battling the young monk there...

If you can find a copy of this article you might want to use it:

"Gold Spear Xun Ning and Sickle-hook Spear Methods," Ma Ming Da (translated by Zhao Shiqing
Journal of Chinese Martial Arts, Winter 2012, Issue 6, pp. 56 - 75

Bajiquan (Eight Cardinal Boxing) and Liuhe daqiang (Six Harmony Spear)[1]
Ma Mingda
http://www.martialstudies.com.hk/article3.html

http://www.martialstudies.com.hk/


Also

https://imperialcombatarts.com/spear-tr ... 21433.html