We decided to change to a crest with more symbolism of the Dean Chin Jow Ga lineage, rather than use the more popular Jow Ga logo used by Sifu Chin in the 1980s. Let us explain what it represents.
The school colors are black and red, so we chose those colors for our scheme. The wreath represents victory, mastery, and war: three principles that embodied our founder Jow Lung, who was victorious over other candidates for the teaching post he won under General Fook Lam.
Jow Ga is also known as a Fu Pao/Tiger and Leopard system, as our fighting principles are based on a powerful upper body (Tiger) and quick, agile feet(Leopard). Staying true to this, we used both animals for the logo.
If you notice, there is a Black panther in place of the Leopard. This is because of several reasons. There is no such thing as a “Black Panther”. What we call a Black Panther is a sort of albino leopard or jaguar. In the animal world, there are very few cases of one being born Black, and those who are black tend to have very small litters. Conversely, the style of Jow Ga we are promoting is rare among even other Jow Ga. Most of our seniors are Black Americans. And we tend to have smaller groups, as we promote quality over quantity.
An extra nod to the Black Panther Party of Self-Defense, the African America organization that fought to end police brutality, as well as crime, in their neighborhoods.
The eagle represents our second Si Gung, the late Master Lau Man Fat–Sifu Chin’s first teacher. Sifu thought highly enough of Faan Tzi Ying Jow to make Eagle Claw part of the curriculum, so we must honor both master and system as well. Additionally, while many in the lineage have dropped Eagle Claw forms from their curriculum, the DC Jow Ga Federation offers all three Ying Jow forms, plus two more, that Sifu taught.
There are two sets of double weapons on the logo, representing the duality of scholar and warrior, the need for escalation of force in combat, the long range and short range, the mastery of empty hands as well as fighting weapons, and the balance of peace and war. The double broadswords represents the system, which is the chosen weapon for most Jow Ga schools’ logos–as well as the double daggers, which represents the modernity of Sifu’s Jow Ga. As he often stated that Kung Fu must be relevant in the modern world, today’s self-defense student would find more use from a dagger rather than a broadsword.
Finally, we chose to read Jow Ga in characters from right to left as this was the older method of writing. Although Jow Ga is a modern art, it is a modern art rooted in ancient traditions.
Thank you for visiting the DC Jow Ga Federation.
Dean Chin's Jow Ga Kung Fu Federation 