There seems to be a continuous flow of knowledge from the west to the east. This is at least from Greece to India, from there further to China, then Okinawa, Japan, and Korea. But this isn’t the only stream. The Japanese martial art ninjutsu (忍術) is at least partly an import from India via Tibet and from there with the Buddhist scholars to the Japanese mainland. I didn’t forget the ninja (忍者), but decided not to treat them together with the other Japanese martial arts because ninjutsu (忍術) is for Japan rather what are the external martial arts for China. The armed and unarmed martial arts of Tibetan monks mixed in the mountains with the fighting methods of the mercenaries, who were employed by Japanese monasteries. Exiled warriors also lived in the mountains and became by mixing with those mercenaries the ninja (忍者). I had also another reason for not treating ninjutsu (忍術) yet. This is because ninjutsu (忍術) isn’t only a martial art, but comprises many other arts too. Such as masquerading, intruding into castles, mixing poisons, use many tricks and people’s superstition to pretend to have superhuman powers. If you learn ninjutsu (忍術) nowadays, then this comprises perhaps some weapon training, but mainly barehanded fighting and outdoor survival skills. Modern ninja (忍者) do training in the woods in summer and some ninpō-taijutsu (忍法体術) or barehanded fighting in winter. If you are lucky, then also some awareness training, sword training with the ninjatō (忍者刀) and some stick training. Some martial arts schools offer more weapons and more ninja (忍者) skills, but the more you want to learn, the more time you will need for it! The many skills, which a ninja (忍者) had to know, didn’t make them the best fighters! Samurai never feared the fighting skills of ninja (忍者), but only to get caught by surprise because the ninja (忍者) also knew that surprising attacks were their only chance to defeat a samurai.

The flow of information from Tibet to Japan isn’t the only additional from the west to the east. Ned Nepangue and Celestino Macachor, two Philippine martial artists, made some research and figured out (and wrote a book, so that I can know) that the Philippine martial arts were originally taught to the Filipinos by Europeans! Before this research was known that people interested in the historical European martial arts traveled to the Philippines because the martial arts there resembled the European martial arts very much. This helped much in the reconstruction. But if you want to learn martial arts, then you should consider first that they are still practiced as vivid martial arts in the Philippines, while they are a reconstruction for wealthy people, who reenact battles with armors and horses and every historical detail, in Europe. Especially in England and Switzerland could you do jousting as a combat sport, this is to push an opponent with a lance from his horse. The Philippine martial arts are actually only different styles of one martial art, which is called by different names in different parts of the Philippines. The most frequent names are kali, arnis, and escrima. This martial art is based on stick fighting. The same stick fighting deteriorated to combat sports in Europe, such as jogo do pau in Portugal or canne de combat in France. Stick fighting was originally, like also extinct barehanded fighting styles, derived from fencing, which has deteriorated to a mere combat sport on its own too.

These combat sports resemble the Japanese kendō (剣道), where also sword fighting deteriorated to matches with a kind of stick, the shinai (竹刀). This means bamboo sword and has the purpose that only a light, although still very complete, armor is needed. Jousting needs a medieval type of armor, hence it is only for very wealthy people. Canne de combat and sport fencing use an armor similar to that in kendō (剣道).

Parallels exist also where combat is connected with religion. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt weren’t exempted from religious duties, but had even more religious duties than common people. According to the Egyptian religion did the Sun die every evening and was reborn in the underworld at midnight. Every pharaoh was expected after his death to search for the reborn Sun, accompany and protect it while the Sun was going to the place of the sunrise. Every pharaoh got trained in the martial arts for this purpose while still alive! He had also to learn military strategy and some other skills, which were useful in the wars in the material world too.

Finding more parallels would certainly happen with any additional research. But I think I did prove my point that the martial arts develop and decline everywhere in the world in the same manner.