An interesting discussion about whether there was bunkai for the opening movements of Kusanku kata.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

An interesting discussion about whether there was bunkai for the opening movements of Kusanku kata.

Charles,

Taking the opening movement of Kusanku, I have an entire range of possible applications. That and the fact Sherman clearly shows one he saw on YouTube Sherman Harrill Bunkai. I also show an Okinawan Motobu-Ryu individual showing the same entry. So obviously there are those on Okinawa in other systems who can use those movements too. Note I also have a surprise ending.

Victor

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There was an interesting discussion about whether there was bunkai for the opening movements of Kusanku kata. Apparently this was not taught so by Shimabuku Sensei nor by Nakazato Joen of Shorinryu, both of them students of Kyan Chotoku.

According to AJ Advincula “The opening move “〇” of Kūsankū kata symbolizes Heaven and Earth and Man meaning World Peace. There is no combat bunkai for this move. It represents, Karate ni sente nashi (空手に先手なし), There is No First Attack in Karate.”

Nkazato Joen (1922~2010) of Shorinji-ryu, studied with Kyan Chotoku.The opening move “〇” of Kūsankū kata symbolizes Sansai (三才) Heaven and Earth and Man meaning World Peace. There is no combat bunkai for this move as It represents, Karate ni sente nashi (空手に先手なし), There is No First Attack in Karate.

No doubt that is what they taught.

But there are many paradigm for the way Isshinryu was transmitted.

And I have experienced several which were also effective.

Thus I began thinking while I was a passenger on my trip across America for 2,800 miles to Arizona.

When I began my study the word ‘bunkai’ was not in use. Neither from my instructors or among the many schools I visited to have someplace to train. Neither did anyone discuss it as a possibility at tournaments, in discussions.

From the variety of Karate magazines I read, neither was it mentioned then, But I did notice that Okinawan instructors did use sections of their kata to demonstrate how they would apply karate against an attacker. Even Okinawan Isshinryu instructors would do this.

Then beginning in 1980, I started visiting a fellow competitor, Tristan Sutrisno, and among the many interesting things I was seeing, I learned the word ‘bunkai’ and how it was used in his tradition. (time wise, this was before Oyata Sensei began appearing the magazines. His family use of the term, was quite different from how the word Bunkai was to be used by many,

‘Bunkai’ was not a kyu study, their existence not hidden from them, rather they had much to work on outside of ‘bunkai’. ‘Bunkai’ was a dan study, where each movement point of a kata had a different sequence of applications, then as dan study moved forward, for the same movement points in those kata, an entirely different ‘bunkai’ was studied. You could not anticipate what the application would be, from viewing the kata. Those sequences were in effect a mnemonic device to remember those application studies.

The techniques were explosive and covered an entire range of uses.

Not the same dimension of movement, but somewhat resembling the Shito Ryu use of ‘kakushite’ or hidden hand. Interestingly this idea was suggested by , a student of Itosu, in his 1938 explanation of how kata technique could be used.

As this ‘bunkai’ explanation was the first I learned this is what the term means to me. And as I have viewed how different people show what they refer as bunkai, around the world, it remains unique from what others so.

Not that I have a problem with what anyone does. I believe all of it serves various purposes. Just not the same purpose.

I have watched the term bunkai take on many meanings. Not necessarily the same as was originally shown by Mabuni Sensei in 1934.

But the idea has become a ‘charged’ work IMO, and for clarity I prefer to call the quest the look for ‘Application Potential’ and then the greater study to make that potential work a different term ‘Application Realization’.

Funny how people don’t talk about the training involved to really use those Application Potentials. That is the deeper study in Karate, not just what can be done.

Essentially kata is movement. And all movement has the potential to be used to end an attack. That some potentials are not explored, is a personal choice, one that does not make the potential go away.

The larger study is how to enter an attack to use that potential, How to use various force multipliers (such as knee release, waist movement, etc.) to create maximum effectiveness. Such things are necessary, not just realizing the potential exists.

In theory it is simple, if use of a movement make the opponent fall down and go boom, the potential exists. Whether one has the training to use that potential is a different problem.

I was fortunate to have spent some time training with the late Sherman Harrill. He spent over 40 years exploring those potentials. Those meetings inspired me even more for my own explorations.

Application Potential, Application Realization, those who can Do.

Several plausible uses for Kusanku opening movrments. One from

Motobu Ryu, one from Sherman Harrill.

Ryukyu Kings secret headquarters flow Palace martial arts introduction to Headquarters Palace hand, headquarters martial arts book – 2015

This is one of Sherman's Applications for Kusankku Kata's opening.

Hhere is AJA showing one of the Shimabuku kumite, and IMO, for all intent and Purposes this is just a different way to use the Kusanku kata opening/

Shimabuku Tatsuo no Kumite (島袋龍夫の組手)

7. a. Full nelson, karate cut groin
b. Full nelson, grab leg, heel kick
c. Full nelson, grab one leg, karate cut groin
d. Back neck breaker and choke hold, grab groin

Full nelson escape