https://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/article39.htm
In
1621 Mao Yuan I published a work on military tactics. Composed of 240 volumes,
the Wu Pei Chih deals with all aspects of Chinese military tactics, and
includes a section on empty hand methods. As I studied the history of the
martial arts I was intrigued to learn that Chojun Miyagi had given the name
"Goju Ryu" (Hard/Soft Style) to his art from a line contained in the
Bubishi (Wu Pei Chih in Chinese). Determined to find out more, I looked at
copies of Mao Yuan I's work in the libraries of Durham University and Cambridge
University, but I could not find the section used by Miyagi. Finally after two
years of looking, the truth finally dawned on me-there must be a different work
with the same name! And of course, there is. The Okinawan Bubishi may have used
the name of the Chinese original for purposes of prestige, but the contents are
quite different. I believe the Okinawan Bubishi is a product of an Okinawan
martial artist (or artists) and reflects a synthesis of knowledge and
techniques derived from South China (mainly Fukien) and Okinawa.
The
technical aspects of the work are based on the methods known as Fukien White
Crane. The first chapter of Bubishi is entitled "The Origins of White
Crane Boxing," and tells us that the White Crane style was founded by a
woman, Feng Chi Niang, who modified a system taught to her by her father, Feng
Shih Yu of Fukien.
This
method is widely known in Taiwan and Malaysia, and has also been included in
the well-known Wu Tsu Ch'uan or Five Ancestor Boxing. Interestingly enough both
styles employ a version of Sanchin kata, the central kata of Okinawan Naha-te
systems (Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu).
The
Bubishi has thirty-two chapters dealing with history of White Crane Boxing,
advice and observations from Master Wang Yo Teng; information on vital spots
and how to attack them; time strikes; grappling arts; six turning hands; 54
steps of the Black Tiger hand; Sun Tzu's comments on war; and a variety of
chapters dealing with herbal medicine, combat techniques etc. Recently a
section of the Bubishi has been published in Japanese by the Goju master
Tadahiko Ohtsuka, with a forward by the T'ai Chi Ch'uan master Yang Ming-Shih.
I have used this work, the Okinawa Den Bubishi, Kenwa Mabuni's work Karate-Do
Kempo, and Okinawan Karate-Do by Takamiyagi as sources for this article.
One
interesting aspect of the Bubishi is its widespread use by all Okinawan Karate
masters. Gichin Funakoshi quotes it in his work Karate-Do Kyohan and the
section left untranslated by Tsutomu Ohshima in the English language version
comes from the Bubishi. Chojun Miyagi took the name "Goju" from the
third line of the section "Eight Poems of the Fist", i.e.:
".the
way embraces hard and soft, inhaling and exhaling."
The
last two characters of this line are very interesting as they are key concepts
in modern Fukien White Crane and Five Ancestor Boxing. I quote from an article
on Five Ancestors Boxing published in Real Kung-Fu magazine Vol. 2, #2, 1976:
"T'un-adhere-the
exertion of force in a flexible manner so that you block or intercept the
opponents blow by directing your force in a circular motion, causing his blow
or strike to slide and miss the target.
"T'u-exert-to
strike in such a manner that the opponent feels like being swatted, pushed,
sunk and bounced away."
So,
here we have the same terms being used in Goju Ryu, Fukien White Crane, and
Five Ancestors Boxing as well as being found in the Bubishi. This historical
link is important in understanding the history and evolution of Okinawan karate
and explains the value placed on the Bubishi by Okinawan Karate masters. Tatsuo
Shimabuku the creator of Isshin Ryu actually uses the whole section of
"The Eight Precepts of the Fist" as his Code of Isshin Ryu; this has
been published in Official Karate magazine Sept. 1973, and in Dynamics of
Isshin Ryu Karate Vol. 1 by Harold Long and Allen Wheeler. In both cases the
translations leave something to be desired, but it is quite clear as to the
source-the Bubishi.
The
source for the Bubishi is often ascribed to either Kanryo Hiagaonna or Chojun
Miyagi; and it is said to have been brought from China. I think it is possible
that Chojun Miyagi did bring various books from China, but the Bubishi (or
sections of it) was already in Okinawa. Certainly Gichin Funakoshi quoted from
it in his 1922 book Ryukyu Karate Kempo.
The
karate style of Ryuei Ryu was created by Kenri Nakaima, a student of Ryu Ryu Ko
(the teacher of Kanryo Higaonna). When he returned to Okinawa, Nakaima brought
a copy of the Bubishi given to him by his teacher. As he was older than Kanryo
Hiagaonna, his copy of the Bubishi must have entered Okinawa prior to
Higaonna's copy. It is also possible that some of the families of Chinese descent
in Kumemura may have had copies of the Bubishi.
48
Methods of Boxing
This
section of the Bubishi is most interesting as it shows the application of
various techniques still taught in various Okinawan styles. For example, in
Figure 1 we clearly see mawashi uke (roundhouse block) being applied as in the
Goju kata Seipai or Suparinpei. In Figure 2 the armlock and back elbow
techniques of Kururunfa kata are obvious.
A
lot of other techniques are shown including locks and throws, but what is most
striking is that no defences against weapons are shown. I have always been
suspicious of the story that the Okinawans developed karate in response to
rapacious repression by armed Japanese samurai-if that was true, which I
seriously doubt, why doesn't the Bubishi show defences against swords, and
other weapons?
Anyway
this question still needs a lot of research, but these illustrations give us a
good picture of the type of tode (China Hand) practiced on Okinawa perhaps two
centuries or more ago. (Illustrations from Okinawan Karate-Do by Uechi and
Takamiyagi.)
Vital
Spots
The
Bubishi includes charts and diagrams that contain the core secrets of Okinawan
karate. Obviously derived from Chinese Boxing and medical systems, they show
the targets and the times of the day that they are most vulnerable to attack.
The theory behind this is the idea that the body's energy goes through a
cyclical rise and fall and there are times of strength and times of weakness.
This is alluded to in the second of the "Eight Precepts of the Fist"
which reads "The pulse of the body resembles the phases of the sun and the
moon."
The
energy is seen to rise and full in a definite sequence, and the chart details
the specific spots to be struck at the appropriate time. The origin of this knowledge
lies in China and is referred to by Robert W. Smith in his work Chinese Boxing:
Masters and Methods (Kodansha 1974) where he says "Shaolin theory holds
that the human body contains 365 vulnerable (soft) spots, 5 more than are used
in acupuncture and moxibustion. Striking has 36 and shutting, 24 major points.
The attack is oriented to twelve time periods of two hours each in the belief
that the blood and neural activity is heaviest at the spots at specified
times."
It
is difficult to be sure how accurate this information is, but it is interesting
to remember the ability shown by the Shorinji Kempo teacher on the 1983 BBC
programme The Way of the Warrior2 to knock out his opponent, with a relatively
light blow to a vital spot.
The
author(s) of the Bubishi also follow Chinese tradition in that they give herbal
remedies to heal the damage caused by the strikes. There is also a section on
seven points which must not be struck as the results are irreversible
Victor
As you
may recall I have done considerable study of theOkinawan Bubishi myself. (Much
of it is on my blog). I copied this here just for general knowledge to think
about. For myself I do
not believe the Okinawan Bubishi played any role in the development of Ti or
Toudi.
As far
as I see it appeared around the 1900s, long past the times of the origins of
Okinawan Arts. ½ half the book literally
was of a medical nature, and as it was written in older Chinese, I doubt would
have made much relevance to even Okinawans literate in more modern Chinese. The
other ½ the book is more martial. It
really does not contain meridian theory, that might be implied, but not
discussed. The martial parts are more a student or instructors notebook not
giving full details, just drawings often with obscure directions. Without full
knowledge of that training, one does not know fully what that adept could know.
Ernie showed how many of those techniques could be found in most Chinese
systems, using Eagle Claw for demonstration for me.
Okinawan
instructors did make notes on the Bubishi, realized how some Goju kata could
have been related.
In all
his books Funakoshi did include passages from the Bubishi, but in the original
Chinese, unless his student were Chinese scholars (unlikely in Japan) I believe
few paid attention to them. Then Mabuni shared some of the Bubishi in his
Seipai kata book but never went further than sharing those drawings (Of course
in those years Japan was preparing to begin war with China, so sharing might
have been most unwise too.)
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