Another vision
The Okinawan arts are much more than just a practiced set of techniques. The kata which preserve the techniques and show some of the methods to connect their use to movement don’t define the Okinawan arts either. In my opinion it is something less noticed, less frequently discussed, the concept of strategy and tactics behind the arts usage.
With this small collection of articles the Okinawan seniors saw another art documented in ways the Okinawan’s didn’t use. I don’t doubt senior students were instructed in their instructors strategy and tactics about using their art. Okinawan karate, however, was using a not-literate verbal form of transmission. That they could possess, share and even discuss these outside theories likely opened some of the new doors karate was to take.
For one thing the Bubishi paved the way for the Karate text.
[Note Hokama Tetsuhiro in his ‘Timeline of KarateHistory’ lists Okinawan articles published about Karate prior to Funakoshi Ginchin’s first book. I haven’t read them but it would seem they were discussing the Okinawan arts with an Okinawan population who had some idea of Karate’s existence. I’m using his timeline as a source for some of the following information and dates.]
Funakoshi Ginchin took the lead in 1922 with his ‘Ryukyu Karate Jutsu’ (republished in 1925 as ‘Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu’. He did more than prepare a text for his students, he openly shared a portion of his Karate with the world (in those eyes Japan). He also included sections from the Bubishi: “Eight Important Phrases of Karate”, “Treatise on the Ancient Law of Great Strength” and “Methods of Escape” and left them in their original Chinese without offering translation.
Then Mobobu Chokoi published ‘Okinawa Kempo Karate-jutsu’ in 1926.
In 1930 Kyan Chotoku wrote an essay on training.
In 1934 Miyagi Chojun wrote ‘Karate-do Gaisetsu’. It was a very good year for Mabuni Kenwas published two books ‘Goshin Karate Kempo’ and ‘Seipai No Kenkyu’. The Seipai book includes a number of articles in Chinese from Itosu Anko’s copy of the Bubishi, including 28 of the 48 self defense techniques from the Bubishi. There is no question the cat is out of the bag about the Bubishi’s secret existence.
The publishing floodgate was open.
In 1935 Motobu Chokoi published ‘Watashi no Karate-Jutsu’.
That same year Funakoshi Ginchin published his ‘Karate-do Koyan’, an expansion of his earlier works, still including his Bubishi sections in Chinese, an interesting contrast with his support of re-naming Karate from Chinese fist to Empty Hand kanjin.
In Patrick McCarthy’s recent edition of the Bubishi he goes into some detail about how other portions of that work were incorporated into the Karate-do Koyan too.
I think it may be fairly claimed the existence of the collection of articles on an obscure Chinese art may have spawned Okinawan karate-ka to do the same with their arts.
But more than just the books, specific articles by Motobu Chokoi, by Kyan Chotoku and others on strategy and tactics in using karate most definitely are links to similar articles in the Bubishi.
When Karate moves beyond exercise, when Karate moves beyond Do, when Karate moves beyond Jutsu and into the force of one’s life, are how we consider it’s use with our personal strategy and tactical thinking not the way?
To go from the unknown author of the Bubishi, “If an adversary bites you, attack his throat right away”, to Kyan’s “When facing an opponent, take care not to play into his strategy. Some use their feet while punching, or pretend to grab a hand. Others use fists while pretending to throw a foot attack. React according to voice and noise. Never relax”, back to the Bubishi “The ears listen well in all directions” to Motobu, “One must develop the ablity to read, ‘at a single glance’ how much striking power any one person has.” To an instructor who had been a Marine, “When you’re knocked down by surprise when you get up, take them apart and then run before the Shore Patrol arrives.”
This is where I think I can see the effect of the Bubishi moving to Okinawa had on part of the development of Okinawan Karate.
I write this surrounded by many texts. If this was an article I’d footnote everything to make it easier for those interested. But I have no obligation in this forum to do so. I’ve drawn on the following books to prepare this.
Bubishi
Bubishi – The Classical Manual of Combat – translated by McCarthy Patrick
Bubishi – Martial Art Spirit – Translated by Penland Kenneth
Funakoshi Gichin
Karate Jutsu – translated by Teramoto John
Karate-do Koyan – translated by Ohshima Tsutomu
Hokama Tetsuhiro
Timeline of Karate History – translated by Swift Joseph
Motobu Chokoi
Karate My Art – translated by McCarthy Patrick and McCarthy Yuriko
Collection of Sayings by Motobu Chokoi – translated by Swift Joseph
Shotokan Karte
A Precise History by Harry Cook
Kyan’s ideas on training and actual fighting from Miki Nisaburo’s
“Kempo Gaisetsu”
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