The Bubishi and the Mystery of the Long Thoracic Nerve of Bell

Gusuyo chuu uganabira,

It was Winston Churchill’s quotation, made in a radio broadcast in October 1939:

"I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."

The topic is different, a Bubishi mystery but it aptly fits the quote. . It, the Bubishi, is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

I realize you may not have looked at the many copies I have. Or perhaps tried to reconcile the different translations. I don’t read ancient Chinese, Japanese, Uchinaguchi, barely passable with French and merely adequate in English. But I wish to look at one mystery regarding today’s Bubishi. That I do not have a clear answer for.

Years Ago with the assistance of Dr. Paul Harper, FACS, my friend, student,physician, while looking at various Bubishi drawings I had collected, he noticed that one of the drawings from the Mabuni Bubishi illustrated a strike to the Long Thoracic nerve of Bell. It was unmistakable to him a physician.

 As most Bubishi volumes seem to include different drawings, and often not the original ones, we noticed they all showed something different. Whether original, intentional misdirection, unintentional copying errors. Or something else I could not answer,  

 But the Mabuni drawing unmistakably showed the strike and the direction used. All the others showed something else. Strikes that would have a different result than striking that nerve.

Brief definition called for:

long tho·rac·ic nerve [TA]

“arises from the fifth, sixth, and seventh cervical nerves (roots of brachial plexus), descends the neck behind the brachial plexus, and is distributed to the serratus anterior muscle; it is somewhat unusual in that it courses on the superficial aspect of the muscle it supplies; its paralysis results in "winged scapula."

Synonym(s): nervus thoracicus longus [TA], Bell respiratory nerve, external respiratory nerve of Bell, posterior thoracic nerve

 the drawing fron Mabuni's selected 48 self defense drawings

 I assume from the Bubishi he studied

Understanding the Bubushi 48 Self Defense Themes

Returning briefly back to the Bubushi, I (with the assistance of Dr. Paul Harper, Derry New Hanpshire, a Surgeon by profession and Joe Swift, Kanazawa Japan,(today Joe resides in Toyko)  a translator by profession) would like to look at the issue of drawings found in different versions of the texts. To do this I would like to suggest one of the 48 self defense diagrams.

Browsing through the Mabuni 1934 text on Seipai Kata the other day with Dr. Harper , (one of my students, originally a San Dan in Goju Ryu) he noticed how the Bubushi diagram on page 151 was showing a finger strike to 'the Long Thoracic Nerve of Bell". He stated that strike as shown would cause a "winged scapula" arching the back for a moment, allowing time for a follow up strike or evasion.

That caused me to review the same diagram in my other Bubushi copies.

In George Armstrong-Ken Penland Bubushi, the same diagram follows the Mabuni diagram, with the Mabuni copy being superior, being drawn by someone who wished to capture specific detail, and perhaps not just make a recognizable copy.

By taking the Armstrong translation if that section and comparing it to Pat McCarthy's 48 translations, I find this as Drawing #40 in McCarthy's Bubushi. But in this instance I see what looks like a spear hand strike to the side and it does not appear (from the drawing) to hit the same area the same way.

>From examination of the Mabuni or Armstrong and Penland Bubushi, you might work up different explanations

My description of these diagrams.

Mabuni Seipai Text Page 151 (This is not available in English)

My description:
Attacker Left Foot Forward Left High Hammerfist Right back hammer fist
Defender A Right inward lead finger strike to the Long Thoracic Nerve of Bell. While left hand lies across the Right Biceps.

Armstrong and Penland Bubushi 48 No 30 page 143
A copy (with slight simplification of technique) of the Mabuni 1934 Bubushi drawing.
My description,

Attacker Left Foot Forward Left High Hammerfist Right back hammer fist
Defender A Right inward lead finger strike to the Long Thoracic Nerve of Bell. While the left hand lies across the Right Biceps.

Armstrong text:

Like the Hungry Tiger mauling its prey, this man will lose
Like a monkey poking with a pin, this man will win
Attacker comes in like a hungry tiger mauling its prey, using Hammerfists to try to overwhelm his opponent, this man will lose.

Defender keeps his Maai (Distance) until the right opportunity is there And then quickly like a monkey poking with a pin, pokes his opponent In the underarm to a vital spot which leads to the heart meridian, this man Will win.

Pat McCarthy Bubushi 48 No 30 Page 182

My description:

Attacker Left Foot Forward Left High block - Right Punch
Defender RFF Right Spear Hand to uke's side line, Left Hand parries back

McCarthy text
 Losing Technique Tiger Mauls its Prey
Winning Technique Monkey threading the needle
By checking a punch or pulling a push and striking a vital point
It is easy to defeat an inexperienced attacker.

I also referenced Tadahiko Otsuka's work on the Bubushi which shows diagrams from two different Bubushi traditions. (Tadahiko's Bubushi research is not available in English)

In Tadahiko's Bubushi Page 200

Both diagrams are similar to Mabuni's but with less detail.

One defender is striking the Long Thoracic Nerve of Bell the other appears to be Striking Further forward on the chest. With the accompanying examples as how to Apply their Strike into the upper chest area. Another difference.
Finding this interesting, with different sources leading to entirely different interpretations of the diagrams in their own right.

Trying to get a wider range as to available Bubushi differences on this technique I discussed this with Joe Swift, who performed the following analysis.

Hi again Victor-san,

Looked at all my Bubishi(s) last night and here's what I got:

McCarthy (1995)
#30 - spear hand

McCarthy (1992)
#30 - single finger strike

Alexander
#30 - single finger strike (or so it seems to me)

Otsuka (1986)
#30 - bunched finger strike

Otsuka (1998)
#30 - bunched finger strike

Mabuni
#30 - bunched fingers with one extended

Tokashiki (1995)
Redrawings
#30 - pressing the side as you footsweep

Original Miyagi - Higa - Fukuchi lineage Bubishi
#30 - bunched fingers

The explanations (all except for Tokashiki's application) all seem to revolve around striking a single vital point somewhere on the opponent's side...

Bob McMahon on the Cyber Dojo once mentioned he has seen Pat McCarthy's 14 different copies of the Bubushi, and last night also mentioned more are being discovered regularly.

My thought is that this work will present a picture in what is required to fully understand the issues to consider in interpreting the Bubushi to our current practices. Depending on your source, we may well be describing different events

BTW, my personal favorite pictures are those found in Mabuni's work on Seipai.

Prepared with the joint efforts of:

Swift Joe
Smith Victor
Dr. Paul Harper

Back to now.

So where am I. My study still leaves me with questions. It is difficult to accept any version as completely authorative, while each serves a purpose, exactly what that may be is beyond my ken. Welcome to my world.