Personal reflection on the Bubishi

It was around the mid 1980s when I began to see articles mentioning the Bubishi in karate magazines. Then Patrick McCarthy published a book on Okinawan karate which named the chapters of the Bubishi. Later he published his own version of the book I began to have discussions with Joe Swift. Then other books began to be published. I wrote my own observations on a personal web site one of my students built. And others contributed their own opinions.

I was very interested in attempting to understand the origins of karate pre-1950, so I read everything I could.

Then Yahoo Groups came along. One of my first recollections was of a discussion between Patrick McCarthy and Jim Keenan about aa translation of the Chinese text. It grew quite heated, and though I did not know either of them, I entered the discussion calling them out for a public vituperative discussion. I had met neither of them at that time, and I was making the point that seniors should behave much better in a public forum and take their arguing private. Eventually they listened to me. In time I did meet both of them. Jim becoming a good friend, and Patrick asked me to translate several French martial books for him. Eventually I contributed an introduction on his second edition of the Bubishil.

I quickly found myself as one of the more knowledgeable individuals talking about the Bubishi. and I do not read Chinese or Japanese. 

I developed many sources around the world in my Bubishi discussions. Many shared information about the Bubishi with me.

And most truthfully the more I learned the less I really knew.

First it was Funakoshi Ginchin who beginning with his first book, included several chapters in each of his books.  Of course, Funakoshi just left those sections in their original Chinese, not making it easier for those who read those books. Obviously, a hint of Chinese origins for Okinawan karate, I wonder if his students really ever read those texts or used them for their studies.?

Then a friend Mabuni Kenwa in his books published even more of the Bubishi in his books in the 1930s. However, those books were written for the Japanese not for Okinawa.

How it got there, for it is an ancient Chinese martial text, it nor really known, one theory is that it came from Go Tek Ki, a Chinese Tea Merchant who also taught Whitc Crane on Okinawa.

Essentially on Okinawa the 'book' was passed by various senior instructors to their senior students. It was not used to teach to their students.

And it was not a book rather a group of free form papers, loose leaf ones at that. So, one could take out the selected passage(s) and then put them back in any order. The Bubishi was not the only one in China, that name was also used to describe a large Chinese text on War, only one section was describing an empty hand art (Not the same as in the Okinawan Bubishi.)

And those that received it had them copied by professional copyists. That meant changes much in over time. Thus depending on the source used for translation, they resulted in very different drawings for the different modern Bubishi works. Even to the extent of the drawings being redrawn in a more modern style. Then there are differences between those different Bubishi publications, with quite different striking areas being shown. And of course, with the eternal question which drawing is correct to show the technique described.

So the Bubishi ,while known, hardly was a book most had ever seen in the past. 

1/2 of the Bubishi were medical texts, such as how to treat various blows. Written in an older Chinese text. Likely personal notes for someone who received prior training. It does not go into detail about those procedures (and who would attempt to read ancient texts for cures today)? The other 1/2 of the text were regarding a variety of martial matters, again with much not explained in detail. 

Overall, it seems some students' personal notes about training they had received. Then again, the entire compilation may have just been that a compilation of texts from a variety of sources, not really related to one specific training. In any case I have no idea what is correct.

As to whether this text really was a source for older Okinawan Ti, who really knows.

Something you should be aware of, every modern Bubushi contains much additional material by the author(s) that was never in the original. One example is the addition of the Chinese meridian theories. I have no idea if those inclusions makes sense, but they were never part of the Bubishi either. Then you have to choose if the author(s) were correct about the additions.  

Most stay away from the medical treatment sections, likely as they show inconsistencies within the original Bubishi. Such as strike this way and your opponent will instantly die, however another section gives a cure against that strike.

Personally, likely would not be saleable, but I would like the Bubishi to be a free form document, a collection of pages in a binder. Much closer to the original concept. There also would be no additional material again closer to the original, allowing one to explore as it was originally done.

A separate edition, clearly labeled as "Bubishi commentary" could accompany this, allowing you to realize that this text is clearly the author's opinions, not to be confused with the original text. Of course, I do not expect this to happen.

Personally, I have never known any instructor who made use of the Bubishi in their teaching (of course that does not mean they don't exist). I suspect most after looking a the book they purchased eventually just placed them on their bookshelves.

In any case this was not something I shared with my students, I had too many matters to teach them. For them I have left my notes on my blog to read or not as their interest ever turns this way.

 The following are various posts on my blog about my journey of discovery about the Bubishi. No, I do not expect you to read them, for you would have to be as non-sane as I to do so. But for those who might be interested, you can see much of what drove me in this study.     

Bon Chance!

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2008/08/book-larnin.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-bubishi-puzzle.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2023/10/secret-treasure-of-okinawan-karate.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2008/11/furthering-bubishi-section-1.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2008/11/furthering-bubishi-section-2.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2008/11/furthering-bubishi-section-3.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2008/11/furthering-bubishi-section-4.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-bubishi-with-comments-by-sensei.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-1.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-2.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-3.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-4.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-5.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-6.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-7.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-7_10.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-9.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-10.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-11.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-close-look-redoux-part-12.html

 https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-bubishi-introduction-i-wrote-in.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/11/roland-habsetzers-bubishi-source-of.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2020/08/otsuka-tadahiko-chugoku-ryukyu-bugeishi.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2015/02/funakoshi-and-bubishi.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2022/12/analysis-of-bubishi-from-kinawan-bubishi.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2021/08/thoughts-on-funakoshi-ginchin-writings.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/02/bubishi-closing-comments.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-chinese-bubishi-reference.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/07/pattern-recognition.html

 

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/01/bubishi-graphics-preserved-by.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2015/07/bubishi-scans-from-otsuka-tadahiko.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2015/07/i-am-yet-martial-artist.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-bubi8shi-and-mystery-of-long.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/04/bubishi-self-defense-technique-no-8.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2015/10/bubishi-puzzle-from-2001.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2012/05/9th-rule.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2011/07/glimpse-at-bubushi-escape-techniques.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2017/12/grasping-that-which-cannot-be-grasped.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2023/12/like-stick-of-straw.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2020/08/whey-you-have-no-eyes.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2010/06/youre-grounded.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/11/habsetzers-bubishi-figure-21.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/11/roland-habsetzers-bubishi-figure-18.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/04/from-my-translation-of-roland.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-bubishi-by-roland-habsetzer-48-self.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-bubishi-by-roland-habsetzer-48-self_12.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2023/09/a-defense-from-bubishi.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-bubishi-whimsey-i-discovered.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-few-more-habersetzer-bubishi-self.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/11/haafuka-no-kata.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-look-at-bubishi-by-judoka.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-eyes-miss-nothing.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-eyes-miss-nothing.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2022/04/why-i-created-pleasant-isshinryu-on.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2010/07/can-you-keep-secret.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2015/04/exploring-mabuni-bubishi-mystery-form.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/04/yet-another-recovered-article-on-bubishi.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-eye-must-see-all-sides-ear-must.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2017/04/mabunis-writings-in-1930s.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-persons-unbalance-is-same-as-weight.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-persons-unbalance-is-same-as-weight.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2017/01/great-bubishi-photos.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/07/okinawden-bubishi-by-otsuka-tadahiko.html

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2015/04/hand-positions-from-mabuni-bubishi-pages.html

And now you see some of what I see.