Pan Gai Noon
Pan Gai Noon (traditional Chinese characters: 半硬軟), which translates to English as "half-hard, half-soft".
半 - Half (Chin=Ban, Jap=Han)
硬 - Hard (Chin=Ying, Jap=Kou)
軟 - Soft (Chin=Ruan, Jap=Nan)
The idea being to have a hard exterior that can take a blow and have strong defense, while at the same time having a soft interior that can move and breathe and is still flexible.
The symbol of Pangai-Noon is the Mitsu-Dome, which translates into triple comet. The Mitsu-Dome has continually evolved over the generations. The roots are found in Okinawa.
Legend has it that three dignitaries were sent to Japan when the Ryukyu Islands were still independent. In a show of force, the Shogun ordered the three dignitaries put to death by boiling them in hot oil. They were tossed into a large caldron, and began to swirl around, all the while not making any sound, cries of pain or begging for mercy. This thoroughly impressed and frightened the Shogun, so to make amends, he had the three given a heroes funeral and returned to Okinawa. To show the strength of the island, the Mitsu-Dome became the symbol of Okinawa and placed upon its flag. How much truth there is to the story is unknown, but it is very inspiring.
The Mitsu-Dome is associated with many martial arts, including Uechi-Ryu. Pangai-Noon has roots in Uechi-Ryu, and it is from that art that the symbol was adopted.
SOME OF THE MITSU-DOME MEANINGS:
“One leads to two, Two leads to three, Three leads to ten thousand things” This is Proverb 42 from the Tao Da Ching. The symbol reflects the words directly. It is shown with the one symbol, the duel colors, the three comets that swirl in the center and all gives birth to ten thousand techniques.
The three comets swirl in a circular motion, indicative of the techniques in the art. The circle is the strongest shape in nature, because if it is pushed on one side, the force is equally distributed over the rest of the shape.
The octagon, an eight sided shape, is very important. In Taoism, Buddhism, and many other philosophies, eight is a mystical number. In regards to Pangai-Noon, it relates to the SanChin Dachi (SanChin Stance) and the placement of the feet.
The new system likely passed from Chow Ah Naam to Zhou Bei while both studied at the Fukien temple during the late 1800’s. Chow and Zhou are variant spellings of the same name and the two monks may have been related. Very little is known about Zhou Bei expect that he was rumored to have been an active member of one of the many secret societies that were working to restore the Ming Dynasty to power. These secret societies were conceived with a high moral standard and often espoused high religious principals. Many of the memberships of these societies were Shaolin monks. As time passed, many of the organizations turned to more secular goals and after the rise of communism, these secular organizations became the forerunners of the modern day crime syndicates know in the west as the Triads.
Zhou Zi He is considered the founder of Pangai-Noon Kung-Fu. He is credited with being the person to take different styles that he learned throughout his travels and blend them together.
There are three names associated with this master: Zhou Zi He, ShuuShabu, and Shushiwa. This is due to the different dialects of Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, etc).
Zhou Zi He was born in 1874. In his early teens, he studied at the Fukien temple with his uncle Zhou Bei. Zhou Zi He studied with Zhou Bei for an unknown length of time. However, it is from the study of Chow Gar the three central forms were derived that became the basis for Pangai-Noon.
Eventually, Zhou Zi He met and began to study with HiXidi from the Shangdong Province. By his early to mid 20’s, Zhou Zi He was well versed in the arts of Chow Gar, Iron Palm and the five animal forms of Fukien Temple Boxing (Tiger, Leopard, Snake, Dragon and Crane). Master Zhou bundles all these styles together into the three central forms learned Zhou Bei and called the style Nan-Pa Toro Ken or Southern Group Mantis Fist. The name confirms its close relationship to the Southern Mantas Kung-Fu.
Zhou Zi He was a wandering Taoist monk that would travel from village to village despising herbs and remedies. From time to time during his travels, he would take on students to teach both the healing arts as well as Kung-Fu.
Zhou Zi He remained a spiritual man and directed his energies towards art and healing through his adult life. Master Zhou died in 1926 at the age of 52.
Dachi Shinyu Gushi Video