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Kuan Ti :
Patron God Of The Chinese Martial Arts
Inside most schools of martial arts, one will often find a small shrine or portrait dedicated to an awesome-looking general holding the kwon do. Special reverence is accorded the figure as it benevolently presides over the kwoon (school).
One of the most popular Chinese folk deities during the Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1912), Kuan Ti served primarily as the god of war. However, his realm was decidedly different the Greco-Roman concept of Ares/Mars in that he was known as one who could avert war and protect the people from its horrors.
In this way, Kwan Ti came to symbolize justice, loyalty, righteousness and humility, as well as military and fighting prowess. He symbolized the honorable warrior to the Chinese people in much the same way that knights of Europe with their system of chivalry, and the samurai of Japan with their code of bushido did for their respective peoples.
Defied during the Ming dynasty, Kuan Ti was actually an ancient hero magnified by legend. Living during the chaotic later Han and Sis Dynasties period (151-589), the historic Kuan Ti (known while he was alive as Kuan Yu) was a commoner who rose by sheer ability to become one of the most revered military figures in Chinese history, and was instrumental in helping his friend, Liu Pei, to establish the Ssu Han kingdom in the province of Szechwan. He died in 219 A.D. after being captured by one of his enemies.
Over a thousand years later, Kuan Yu's exploits during his lifetime were immortalized in the semi-historical epic The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In much the same way that Homer elevated ancient Greek and Trojan heroes in his Iliad and Odyssey, the feats of Kuan Yu grew to heroic proportions.
In the novel Kuan Yu was portrayed as a native of Chieh Liang in the Shansi province. One day, aiding a neighbor who was being victimized by a petty official, Kuan killed the offender. Forced to flee his homeland, he went west towards the T'ung Kuan pass leading to the Shensi province. However, as he neared the pass, Kuan saw many boarder guards waiting for him. Hiding from the guards, he knelt down by a brook to wash his face, and suddenly discovered that he had taken on a reddish-gray color! Unrecognizable, he then passed without problem through the mountain pass.
Once in Shensi, Kuan became a wanderer, constantly fleeing from would-be captors sent from Shansi. He lived this life for many years until one day when he chanced to enter a village inn for a drink of wine. There he met Liu Pei, a peddler of straw sandals, and Chang Fei, an eight foot giant with a panther's head. Finding a common bond in their devotion to righteousness and justice, the three became fast friends, determined to try and restore order and peace to the troubled land. Proceeding to Chang's peach orchard the three swore an oath to restore justice.
From that time onward they were called the Three Brothers of the Peach Orchard.
The Three Brothers then started their crusade to unite the fragmented Chinese empire-Liu Pei enlisting the peasants, Chang Fei securing some horses and Kuan Yu leading them in battle.
In the following years, the Three Brothers pursued their righteous crusade to restore harmony to the empire, fighting various foes like the nefarious Yellow Turbans of Eastern China. During these wars Kuan Yu distinguished himself as a Robin Hood figure, fighting for just causes against various oppressors. His military genius was unimpeachable, and his personal weapon, the kwon do, was made famous (as well as taking its name from him).
From these exploits with the Three Brothers, Kuan Yu came to symbolize such qualities as loyalty, righteousness, justice and humility. As portrayed in the epic, Kuan Yu epitomized the honorable warriors known historically as hsia or yu-hsia (knight-errants), described by historian Ssu-ma Ch'ien as men whose words were always sincere and trustworthy, and whose actions were always quick and decisive. They were true to what they promised and without regard to their own persons, they would rush into dangers threatening others.
With his reputation and faith fueled by the epic, Kuan Yu was named a Faithful and Loyal Duke by Imperial decree in 1120, a title upgraded eight years later to prince. Two centuries later, the Yuan emperor Wen, again promoted Kuan Yu to the rank of Warrior Prince and Bringer of Civilization. Finally in 1594, the Ming emperor Wan Li conferred upon the dead hero the title Faithful and Loyal Great Deity, Supporter of Heaven and Protector of the Kingdom. From that time onward, he was known as Kuan Ti.
Kuan Ti's cult reached its height during the Ch'ing dynasty, when over sixteen- thousand state temples and thousands of smaller ones were dedicated to him. Because of his many uplifting qualities, many trades, professions and arts besides kung fu adopted him as a patron god, (among them, policemen and the public executioner). In fact, since Kuan Ti's strong dedication to justice would surely thwart both mistakes in administering punishment and revenge from punished criminals, the sword of the public executioner was kept in his temple. In prayers before an execution, the executioner would make sure he had the right man; and in prayers after the affair, he would ask Kuan Ti to protect him from the dead man's spirit.
In this way, Kuan Ti watches over Chinese martial arts. While kung fu fighting techniques, like Kuan Ti's kwon do, can certainly be deadly; they must only be used in just causes. As the dead hero symbolized the warrior who was mighty enough to avert conflict and protect the innocent people, kung fu practitioners seek the peace of a just, righteous and humble person strong enough to care about those who are weaker.
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