Kung Fusion!

I wish I had come up with “Kung Fusion,” but I didn’t. It’s the title of a chapter in Vijay Prashad’s book Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian Connections and the Myth of Cultural Purity, which is now on my must-read list. I’m happy to see that chapter is available in Google Books, so I can get a start before tracking down a copy. Thanks for the recommendation Manjeet!

I also started bounding my way through the Wikipedia articles on Martial Arts and am going to see what I can find out about Edward William Barton-Wright, who was regarded to be one of the first Europeans to teach Japanese martial arts. In particular, I like the accompanying collage to the article because the poses remind me of a still from Eadweard Muybridge. And because he has an amazing mustache and intense stare.

The other amazing Wikipedia find was the work of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, a master of Japanese Ukiyo-e, a Japanese form of woodblock prints. I can’t stop staring at the following illustration of Bodidharma, a 5th/6th Century Buddhist monk who is credited as having introduced Zen to China.

Zen, China. China, Zen.

I love the colours and composition and can’t help but think he looks like the Dude. Now to find a book on his work and see some physical prints.