There is a story in
how I came to understand what Bunkai meant and then I went beyond the accepted
definition.
“Bunkai (分解), literally meaning "analysis"[1] or
"disassembly",[2] is a term used in Japanese martial arts referring
to process of analysing kata and extracting fighting techniques from the
movements of a "form" (kata). The extracted fighting techniques are
called Oyo.
Bunkai is usually performed with a partner or a group of partners which execute
predefined attacks, and the student performing the kata responds with defenses,
counterattacks, or other actions, based on a part of the kata. This allows the
student in the middle to understand what the movements in kata are meant to
accomplish. It also illustrates how to improve the technique by adjusting
distances (Maai), timing, rhythm (Ritsudo) and fluidity (Nagare) in combat
properly, in order to adapt and adjust any technique depending on the size of
an opponent.
Some kata have another layer of application that is taught using an Oyo Bunkai,
an "application of the kata in ways other than the standard
bunkai."[3] Different practitioners will learn or discover alternative
applications, but the bunkai, like the kata, varies based on the style and the
teacher.”
Back in the mid 1970s when
I was a student bunkai was never mentioned. Except for occasional basic
explanations of kata moves, the application of kata was not part of my studies.
Then when I made black belt and was on my own, even training many places in
many systems mention of bunkai was not mentioned, nor at the many tournaments I
attended. Likely the first reference to form movement explanations was from
Ernest Rothrock in than the many forms I studied had but one application for
the movements. Of course those systems had many times many forms, so they had a
great deal of applications to learn. My studies were not in applications.
When I met Tristan Sutrisno
as a competitor and became friends over a year competing together, only when I started
visiting and training with him did I hear him about bunkai. Most often
remarking he did not believe the masters he met did not know what bunkai was as
he studied it.
To be completely honest, it
could be that those I visited just never showed those studies when I was there,
as I was a guest. I have no idea, just
that I never heard the term uttered. But I had noticed all the magazine
articles on Okinawan instructors always had them demonstrating uses of kata
technique. That did get me wondering. There was no definition of bunkai in
those articles.
After a while training with
Tristan I learned how bunkai was defined for his system. I have gone on about
that before on this blog, suffice it to say it was a unique paradigm, explosive
and effective, and was dan study. Kyu did not study bunkai having many more
important stills to acquire. The
simplest explanation of that paradigm was no one observing a kata performance
could ever intuit what the bunkai was. And at each of his family’s system there
was an entirely different bunkai for each movement point in their kata.
I was shown some, but
nothing like the full thing. Just enough to make me aware of what was there.
Time reference, it was
about that time Seryu Oyata became known with is arts, and shortly George
Dillman began his own path. Just about that time all the magazines had articles
defining bunkai (similar to the above description) and showing examples from
Japan.
Bunkai was becoming the
buzz word for katate. I remember articles about Americans hearing of Bunkai
from the Japanese systems, began to return to Okinawa and ask their original
instructors about why they were not shown bunkai. The article said at first the instructors
didn’t recognize the use of the word, but quickly began to show bunkai. More
out of politeness they began to use that term.
Historical note – When
Mabuni Kenwa began to write in Japan
about karate, he first explained uses of the movements from Seiunchin kata as
bunkai. I have translated that book from the French edition. It is plausible
that his descriptions later influenced other Japanese systems to use that term.
Now back to me. So I was
being instructed in ‘bunkai Sutrisno, which had little relationship to what
others were calling bunkai. As Tris
defined the word first to me, his definition was the only ‘bunkai’ definition
for me.
But I also realized while
he shared much with me, I was really not a student of his way. Especially after
I moved to NH I began to have a different thought. I realized how incredible
what he had was, but I also had great faith in my own Isshinryu. So slowly I
began to take all the skills in many systems I had acquired and work on what
the applications for Isshinryu could be. I started easy, then deeper and deeper
study on just one movement, the opening of Seisan kata, and before long I had
over 100 ways to use it to disrupt any attack.
So step by step I took my understanding that was
growing of what kata technique application could be and worked and worked.
About 5 or so years later one who would become a friend that I had met at a
local tournament came to visit my school. He participated in our adult training
and observed that what I was doing was much like his current instructor Sherman
Harrill was doing. He then demonstrated several examples and later invited me
to attend a clinic that he was having with Sherman on Isshinryu kata
applications that he was having.
The first thing I
discovered was my instructor Tom Lewis had been friends with Sherman back in
Agena when they trained with Shimabuku Tatsuo.
Then I was blown away by the clinic Sherman held, countless kata
application studies. Really amazing, it did resemble what I was doing but 40
years advanced from where I was. After that Garry and I co hosted a series of
annual seminars with Sherman for many years, and I attended whatever clinics
with him across New England that I could travel to.
My students and I became
friends with Sherman. For the next few years I probably spent 50 or 60 hours at
his clinics learning whatever I could from him. I was permitted to film the
clinics I hosted, and made copious notes from the others. He definitely
influenced what I saw kata applications could become.
Over the next 9 years I
attended and helped hold as many clinics with him as possible. Always realizing
as he told me they were not the same as being trained by him. I learned so
much, and it definitely influenced my own studies, which had never ceased. But
even great clinics come with a price. There was so much shared but I very
strongly believed in my adult program and much that I saw never had the time to
enter my program.
Then the unfortunate
reality struck and Sherman died. I was filled with grief and as a result spent
3 months collecting and typing up my notes and viewing every scrap of video I
had of Sherman and transcribing those tapes by kata. I ended up with a literal
encyclopedia of Sherman clinics. Discussions, over 800 different kata
applications, principles Sherman used to find those techniques, and much more.
While I had never met his senior student, John Kerker, I sent him a copy of
what I had written. His reply was thank you and that was most likely correct,
but not containing maybe 500 additional techniques from his classes.
It was so much yet only a
small part of what Sherman meant to me.
So I continued on my own. I
participated in various internet discussions which often got around to bunkai.
I came to feel what I had seen to date was nothing like the use of the term
bunkai that people were discussing.
5 years later I finally met
John Kerker at a clinic in Chicopee, Mass. What I saw was so different from
Sherman at his clinics. The uke John was using was struck repeatedly harder
than anyone I had ever seen anyone strike another and each time his uke rose to
attack and be struck again. I really saw what it was to be a true student of
Sherman.
As the years passed I
attended annual clinics John held in Chicopee. And learn so much Sherman hinted
at about the training of his students. John filled in so many gaps. And I
continued to learn so much more. That first clinic I attended later that night
I wrote up my notes and sent them to John.
In many ways my
understanding changed. I began not to use the term Bunkai as I was not doing
the Sutrisno version I had first been shown. And I was not really doing what
others were doing. So I derived my own description of what I was doing.
I considered the first step
to understanding kata application potential to look at every possible use a
techniques could be used for. But this was just the first step.
The next step was
working towards kata application
realization. The more difficult study to actually apply that to any attack and
conclude that attack.
In a very real sense that
kata application became almost an infinite study..
Starting at Sho Dan the
student would focus on say 50 applications for the first movement of Seisan
kata and of course developing skill to use all of them. After that there was no
set order, it just moved forward, focusing on the underlying principles behind
the applications.
Movement after movement,
kata after kata. A very long range study.
Not to know a thousand
applications, but to gain experience so that the first movement could be used
to stop any attack, then more and more an open ended study.
The goal was to be
eventually able to take any movement at all to conclude any attack. Which was
of course also maximum unpredictibality.
Did I succeed?
The goal was never to
finish rather to keep moving forward and learning, never stopping.
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