Oriental Bushcraft ??

[moontanboy]

Evening All,

Having grown up watching many kung fu / martial arts movies I have a fondness for most things japanese and chinese things too.
However this got me wondering if anyone on here knows of any bushcraft techniques that are specifically from the Orient ?

I guess the japanese had a monopoly on forging and tempering the hardest steel, katana's (swords) made from steel folded 900 times etc.. but there must be more techniques and skills that have originated in the East ??

[FishyFolk]

Evening All,

Having grown up watching many kung fu / martial arts movies I have a fondness for most things japanese and chinese things too.
However this got me wondering if anyone on here knows of any bushcraft techniques that are specifically from the Orient ?

I guess the japanese had a monopoly on forging and tempering the hardest steel, katana's (swords) made from steel folded 900 times etc.. but there must be more techniques and skills that have originated in the East ??

I lived in south Asia and South-east Asia for 3 years. Can't think of anything that really is not quite universal. Many people there still live a life style that by itself is bushcraft. Like my mother in law in the North west of Thailand, who still makes her own charcoal for cooking. If we went out for a walk, you could be very sure that my wife would come home with her pockets, or bag full of edible wild stuff. And they both sent the farang (i.e the foreigner) in front of them on the path in case there where snakes...lol

Sollutions to problems are most often quite similar world wide, but perhaps with a local twist.

[moontanboy]

Many people there still live a life style that by itself is bushcraft.

Hi FF, wise words as always.

[AdrianRose]

I had a fondness for traps and snares some time ago (it's ok, I had some counselling and therapy and I'm ok now!) and as is my usual stance, I researched the heck out of them.

Apparently there are more animal traps indigenous to Asia than any other continent on the planet.

There's also that bloody clever friction fire lighting that RM did with the bamboo!!

Ade.

[bronskimac]

Cooking with a wok on a small fire?

[Hushwing]

And they both sent the farang (i.e the foreigner) in front of them on the path in case there where snakes...lol.

Brilliant! Did they tell you or did they let you just go ahead....

[biker-bri]

[Q And they both sent the farang (i.e the foreigner) in front of them on the path in case there where snakes...lol

Sollutions to problems are most often quite similar world wide, but perhaps with a local twist.[/QUOTE]
You know the old saying ONCE BITTEN - DEAD

[FishyFolk]

Brilliant! Did they tell you or did they let you just go ahead....

Oh they just let me go ahead...

Also interesting when i wen't fishing in the south part of Thailand, just north of Phuket/Khao Lak. The accomodation was a bamboo hut on a timber raft floating in the middle of the lake.
The guide told me not to worry about snakes at night because the king cobra, could not swim. At that precise moment, a king cobra was swimming behind him on the lake...

[FishyFolk]

Oh, just remebered something special for the area. The production of silk straight from the worm and onto finished fabric. My mother in law does that. To do that they boil the silkworms, and when they are spent, alll the silk thread is out, the worms are ready to eat :-)

[moontanboy]

Thanks for sharing your pics and ideas so far.

It's not quite Bushcraft but I did find out last night that "Char Siu Pao" (Riceflour steamed buns with sweet pork inside) are the chinese equivalent of Cornish Pasties for Tin Miners.
They take large buns in their pack lunches and were traditionally used by chinese builders.