JACOPO SILICANI

man fated to become a master

In 1992 an Italian martial artist and instructor, Jacopo Silicani, interested in Sifu Lu Shui Tien's lineage contacted Park Bok Nam and get the permission to visit him in the United States to study with him at his school.
After this experience lasted one month Silicani asked to be accepted as an official student. Seven months later, in march 1993, Master Park exchange the visit coming to Italy to meet his student. In that occasion, a seminar was organized and received a nation-wide echo. The relationship and the exchanges between Master Park and the Italian School began to consolidate, and Park decided to teach in Italy, on a regular base, twice a year.
Martial artists coming from several Italian cities and from European countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, England and others, regularly come together every year in Padua to study under Master Park. The martial system of Pa Kua Chang of Master Lu Shui Tien passed from China to Korea landing to the United States and, from 1993, is now divulged in Italy and Europe.
Jacopo Silicani directs the school of Pa Kua Chang in Padua and Sirmione and organizes Master Park seminars in Italy and Europe. Every year he goes in the United States to study at the school of Master Park for about one month. After long and intense training in the external styles of Kung Fu and later much-deserved national and international recognition, Jacopo embraced the way of internal martial arts, considering them more complete and appropriate to his own character. After much diligent research, his faith and loyalty were rewarded with a meeting: Master Park Bok Nam resulting in a major change to his life and career.
In 1997 he was named by Master Park disciple of the 7th generation of the style Pa Kua Chang (Ba Gua Zhang according to the Pinyin transliteration) with the name "I Shih". The "Chi'ang Shan Italy" school is the only associated Italian centre with the competence to spread the Pa Kua Chang style of Master Park. The given name on june 13 1997 is "Yi Shih". As per Pa Kua Chang's tradition, any graduation to generation disciple is accompanied by a generation chinese name. The name is unique and generally composed by two chinese characters. The first character refers to the generation's name in the Tung Hai Ch'uan's lineage, the second one is the given name assigned by Master Park to his disciple. In master Park's tradition this name reflect a special quality that he believes as "inborn" in the student and a reason to get better and better.
In the Tung Hai Chuan's lineage, Park's students are the 7th generation and their name is "Yi" meaning firm, serious, steady and disciplined. The own name given to Jacopo by Master Park is "Shih" meaning master, teacher. Thus the complete meaning of the character "Yi Shih" could be read as: "man fated to become a master". In 2003 Jacopo Silicani has been rewarded, with only a few of other practitioner, with the graduation to teach also the Pa Kua Qi Gong.