Impressions of Grandmaster Hong Junsheng by Soga Tadahiro 曾我忠弘
Impressions of Grandmaster Hong Junsheng
by Soga Tadahiro 曾我忠弘 Translated by Yasuko Inoue
The first time I met Master Hong was in the summer of 1983 in the courtyard of a mansion (Jinan Hotel) in Jinan. He was 75 or 76 years old at that time. (**Notes in brackets are by Chen Zhonghua.)
![](https://i0.wp.com/practicalmethod.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/hongjunsheng-208x300.jpg?resize=208%2C300&ssl=1)
When he shook my hand, his hand had a very soft touch somewhat like a cat’s paw. After that I had many chances to spar with him. His hand did not appear like “steel wrapped in cotton” often mentioned by Taiji people. His hand had a quality more like a cat or an animal paw, not the same as a regular human’s.
![](https://i0.wp.com/practicalmethod.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/HJS-07.jpg?resize=200%2C194&ssl=1)
His movement was beyond my imaginative scope and when I touched his hand, I felt that my centre of gravity started to float and my whole body seemed to be crumbling.
Also, I thought that Taiji meant that during partner sparring one does not attack. But when I asked him: “Do I attack now?” during Push Hands with him, he told me that “Yes,” I could… as soon as he said that, I was immediately thrown. We were inside a room that time and Master Hong had meant to throw me on the bed, but his power was too strong and I was thrown over and across to the other side of the bed.
![](https://i0.wp.com/practicalmethod.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/6306770agac94d77ff5aa690690-276x300.jpg?resize=276%2C300&ssl=1)
Afterwards Master Hong explained that when one is “reading” (listening skill) the opponent, you momentarily need to heighten the opponent’s tension, then throw him.
Note by Chen Zhonghua: In 2005 I went to Tokyo and met with most of Hong Junsheng’s disciples in Japan. We trained, pushed hands and exchanged ideas and stories about Hong. This is a transcript of Soga Tadahiro’s video comment on GM Hong Junsheng. Soga Tadahiro is one of GM Hong's top disciples in Japan.
Source: https://practicalmethod.com/?p=76390