A study by victor smith
May 2006
The concept of the Bubishi has always been fascinating. A
text in older Chinese that several Okinawan senior instructors possessed at the
turn of century, 1900.
The text covered many topics, Chinese martial history,
Medical issues and martial theories and techniques. It may have had an important impact on the
developing Okinawn arts, it may have had slight impact on those arts, or it may
have had absolutely no impact and was just something left on the shelf.
Today there are several public sources of information on the
Bubishi’s contents and interpretations available for public review.
But except as something to possess there is little sign that
any public attempt is being made to use this material as core training concepts
in a system of training.
Out of my own curiosity, I have been able to translate some
material in several French works concerning the Bubishi, as well as review some
of my findings with a friend with considerable experience in several Chinese
arts.
Yet I have been little different from the rest, and have not
explored much of what I’ve translated.
Recently I began to reverse this and started working on some
of the application potential of the Bubish 48 self defense techniques, using
Roland Habsetzer’s suggested application potential as a guideline for study.
This analysis starts with a friend, Romney Taylor, and his
analysis of the Habsetzer translation of technique number 8, from an Isshinryu
karate perspective, and from there my own observations on Habsetzer’s
application potential.
But to allow my friends, with whom I’ll share this brief
analysis, to make up their own minds, I’m adding all of the Bubishi material I
possess on this technique, so they can fairly make up their own opinions.
II. The Principal
Teachings Of The Bubushi
Commentary of the
48 Figures of Close Combat of the Bubishi
In the course of a fight in which the opponent attempts to hit you on the head, block the blow, trap his arms and place a key to the elbow for overcoming them (20: has left). Commentary page 168 and page preceding.
Commentary
Figure 8’
The drawing illustrates the initial lock suggested.
See equally the photos 39 and 40.
Bubishi - The Bible Of Arts Of The “Empty Hand’ by Roland
Habsetzer
The Bubishi Self Defense Technique No. 8
Habsetzer’s ‘Buishi’ is a free translation of parts of
Tadahiko Ohtsuka’s ‘Bubishi’, especially the chapter about the 48 figures,
however, the personal interpretations of Habsetzer about these figures doesn’t
follow the interpretation of Ohtsuka himself.
(Fernando)
‘The present work has for its base the document that was
confided to me by Ohtsuka Sensei at last after the public publication of a
non-Japanese (4) version. …. This is why
I have preferred to presenter only the 48 figure (in while risking some
personal interpretations), the Kata Hakufa of the White Crane, at last the Kata
Happoren.”
By Roland Habsetzer
(1) “Okinawa-den
Bubishi”, publication of Gojukensha of Tokyo, Ohtsuka Tadhiko, 1975-1978.
(2) “The
Bubishi: an analytical journey”, Patrick McCarthy, International Ryu8kyu Karate
Research Society, Tokyo
1994.
(3) I
have had for 20 years, access to another exemplary copy
of the Bubishi preserved by Ogura Tsuneyoshi Sensei to the Gembukan
Kofu. The American George Alexander has published his proper study based on
this copy
Figure 08 Notes from Romney Taylor R.T. ^..^ - ( friend in Isshinryu and Gojuryu)
Greetings - Victor san,
another technique that I commonly teach, Of course this can be derived
from the movements in the Isshin-ryu version of Seisan kata, (as well as others
) where both arms rise in this blocking motion . I actually do use this tie up and the turn in
seisan to take the person off his feet, but, do not like to teach this as
bunkai for this movement, as it does not follow the kata closely enough.
Interesting perhaps , that I was taught that this same movement can be used against a wrist grab,
and this is the reason of lowering the arms before they rise .
http://www.isshinryu.com/new/Seisan_Illustrations_1.asp photo 12 , 13. I do the movement a little
differently then Donnelly sensei). This
movement of lowering the hands
and then rising quickly, is a variation of how the elbow strikes may be used
(to the front) in Seiuchin kata.
Basically if Tori seizes your right wrist with his right
hand you place your left forearm under his wrist and then raise both arms ,
pushing the left forearm forward as it raises
and pulling the right slightly behind , (a variation of the side
squat block found later in the kata)
this movement can be used to apply pressure against the wrist or elbow
of tori
(as the left hand forces the arm up and slides forward, and
the right rises put pulls back a little).
You can also break Tori's grip, wrap the left arm around his
right in a circular motion and strike to the face as demonstrated in the Bubishi
explanation.
I think a better example of this technique can be found in
the Goju-ryu version of Seisan kata, If
you start the kata to the north this technique is done turning west, The left
hand does a circular intercepting movement that wraps around the opponents arm
as done in the photo, the Right hand seizes
the throat , and the fist closes into Phoenix eye posture .
(seizing vital points)
A similar movement can be found in the IR version of Wansu
kata, except in true IR fashion, the right hand strikes with a fist, just
change the timing a little so the block and strike are closer together or simultaneous.
http://www.isshinryu.com/wansu2.htm photo 25
Photo 24 is the block, (could be done with two hands), in
photo 25 the left arm circles around Tori's arm and moves to the inside ,
pressuring Tori's elbow from underneath,
the right hand strikes, or seizes
, see illustration 22 of the Bubishi
technique 08.
Anyway, just some
thoughts.
romney^..^
Comments by Victor
Smith
I’ve recently been exploring the application for the Self
Defense diagram 08 in Habsetzer’s Principle Teachings of the Bubishi.
On the whole I concur with Romney’s links to the Isshinryu
kata usage.
I would use the augmented right punch in Isshinryu’s
Seiunchin kata as my source movement for this section.
When the left hand clenches the right wrist there are a
number of factors taking place.
- The joining of the arms creates a stronger body alignment increasing the power behind the technique in the process.
- Where the simplest use for the movement section is just to strike out with the right punch, against a boxing style right jab, left cross attack, I readily use the rising two hands in a rising counter-clockwise clearing motion for interior defense using the forearms of the technique, opening the attacker for the strike. I find this to be a very powerful use of the movement.
- My next choice would be to simply drive into the attacker’s throat with either the left forearm of a rising two hand strike, or with the right forearm of a rising two hand strike. Striking directly into the throat with the augmented forearm is a very powerful strike in its own right.
- Habsetzer shows two different extension applications (figures 22 and 23) of the Bubishi figure 8.
- What I observe, however, is that if you combine the two movements in the order 23 then 22, another extension application appears, and I think this does follow the intent of the Bubishi text for the initial posture, into a locking movement, clearly too. I would describe this technique demonstrates a tap/wrap/slap flow that is more subtle than the drawings allow.
Tap/Wrap/Slap
If the two hands rise in an augmented clearing movement, the
first motion of an open backhand tap on the opponent’s biceps tendon, drops the
attackers arm. Then stepping in with the right and wrapping their arm with a
clockwise over and under movement literally rolls their arm into hyper
extension. But at the same time the wrap is taking place, a simultaneous slap
across their head with the open backhand completes the movement.
The wrap portion of the movement, can both engulf the arm,
and use the motion to roll their arm inner elbow joint up, to hyper extend the
arm. That may be sufficient to control the attacker. Of course if they’re aware
and release their knees at the time of the wrap, they can evaporate the lock’s
use readily.
But if the wrap, rolling their arm into hyper-extension is
accompanied with the right arm then beginning to chamber, it draws the attacker
forward directly into the slap motion. This shortens the distance, increasing
the speed of the simultaneous execution.
Accompany all of this with a rolling center of alignment as
the movements progress, and a knee release on the chambering of the wrapping
arm accompanying the slap, there are increased power utilization within the
technique series.
It should be obvious that the grasping wrist, the rolling
center and the knee release all function as force multipliers, in this case
multiple ones.
Care must be taken to inform the student of the subtle uses
of technique execution to make this work efficiently. New students to the
technique tend to overpower the sections in execution, changing the shape of
the attack, and really making the complete flow unworkable.
By Patrick McCarthy
By Alexander and Penland
Histoire Du Karate-Do
- Kenji Tokitsu – translation Victor Smith
P – 169 The 48
techniques of the Art of Combat of the Naked Hand
I present the continuation of this document with drawings
and translation of the comments. These
drawings were those interpreted by Tadahiko Otsuka from
one of his books on the Bubishi, because the drawings of the old
document are showing rudimentary techniques, missing precision and don’t
correspond to all the texts explanations.
T. Otsuka made new drawings so they are a unit of the text.
This book is brand new, 319 pages in length, was written by
Ohtsuka Tadahiko, and was published in 1998. This book's title is Chugoku
Ryukyu Bugeshi. I believe this is titled 'Bugeshi' because this is how early
karate masters referred to the text. In this book, the author borrows portions
of the Bubishi and shows how these original Bubishi teachings were incorporated
into Okinawa karate. So how is this book layed
out? Well, a bubishi teaching is presented that shows an original bubishi
drawing along with the explanation written in Chinese. Underneath this sketch,
there is a translation of the Chinese into Japanese. Luckily, for all of the
kanji, small kana symbols are written above the characters. This is a good
thing for some of us foreigners who are not so sufficient in reading kanji
(like myself). On the opposite page, there are a series of 3 to 6 photographs
that show how this bubishi teaching is incorporated into Okinawa
karate techniques. 90% of the book is layed out in this fashion. For those of
you who don't read Japanese, don't worry. The photographs found throughout this
book are very easy to look at and understand what is being taught. This is a
'must-have' for any Okinawa karate library.
From Mabuni Seipai No Kata 1934
- Acknowledgements
In the course of my investigations on the Bubishi I must
first thank a small group of individuals who have shared information and their
thoughts as I work to make this text more comprehensible as the years have
passed.
They are Joseph Charles Swift (Japan),
Patrick McCarthy (Australia),
Fernando P. Camara Brazil),
Ernest Rothrock (Pennsylvania, USA), Toby Reed (USA) and Doctor Paul Harper (Derry, New Hampshire USA).
Bibliography
1. Bubishi, the Bible
of Karate translated by Patrick McCarthy Tuttle Press
2. Bubishi, Martial Art Spirit translated
by Ken Penland edited by George
Alexander Yamazato Publications – Bubishi material based on the copy of the Bubishi
preserved by Ogura Tsuneyoushi of the Gembukan Kofu.
3. Bubishi, Encyclopedie
des Arts Martiaux by Roland Habersetzer, translated by Victor Smith,
Amphora - Bubishi material based on parts of
Tadahiko Ohtsuka’s “Okinawa-den Bubishi” publication of Gojukensha of Tokyo
4. Histoire du
Karate-Do written by Kenji Tokitsu translations by Victor Smith,
Editions SEM – Bubishi material - Bubishi
material based on another work on the Bubishi by Tadahiko Otsuka with new
drawings that Otsuka believed were more faithful to the text.
5. Chugoku Ryukyu
Bugeshi written by Ohtsuka Tadahiko
6. Seipai No Kata published by
Mabuni Kenwa
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