10-24-2001
Hmmm, I’ve just discovered this discussion on Bunkai, must have been occupied on the world scene before.
As you’ve been discovering this is a multi-layered discussion involving Japan, Okinawa, China, kick-boxing and a whole lot of other issues. I’d like to make some observations from my experiences, but essentially they always involve ‘Faith’, for if you believe something to work and sell it, it does work. If on the other hand you don’t believe it and cannot sell it, it won’t work, regardless of how and where you train, regardless of system or approach.
This last summer I had an exchange teacher from outside Tokyo staying with me in New Hampshire, USA for several weeks. Years ago in college he trained in Shorinji-Kempo and while no longer practicing sure was taught correctly and had incredibly wicked locking techniques as we discussed things for fun. When I brought up the term ‘Bunkai’ he had no idea what I was talking about. I thought I was probably mispronouncing it (studying in English only in the USA certainly doesn’t qualify me to pronounce Japanese at any level), but once I explained what I was meaning he told me that term had no relevance in his previous training. In Shorinji-Kempo they used some other term.
As he is an English teacher, we discussed the word, and I explained how the Japanese Karate systems apparently derived and developed this term (it does not exist in Original Okinawan Hogan as such). Once he understood what I was referring to, he explained to the average Japanese they would have no martial association with the term Bunkai, but would understand it more as used say with a car, to take it apart.
Which while interesting, it is also interesting how this term did move from Japan to the USA and from what I’ve heard from here over to Okinawa (where apparently some have begun to use it too).
In Okinawa, for most Okinawan’s Karate wasn’t about being the toughest man on the block. Individuals may have felt and acted that way (as in some of the stories attributed to Motobu) but on the whole it does seem Okinawan Karateka were more involved in seeing karate as a development of the person, not the warrior. In the older Okinawan systems (as referenced by Dan Smith in Cyber Dojo numerous times) they didn’t have an Okinawan term for punch or block either. The closest Hogan term translates “Place your arm here” and was used for multiple purposes.
As originally Okinawan karate was taught very privately, they didn’t develop later terminology probably developed to teach it in the Japanese controlled school systems. If you didn’t have terms, others couldn’t get them (Try noticing how different schools call the same kicks by different names for example), and as the teaching was one to one, the terms weren’t important.
As for applications, historically they were shared only with the most trusted, long term students, and often were only told, you will have to work them out for yourself. After all they were running a training program, they weren’t turning out instant warriors.
Bunkai as the term came into martial use has different meanings. To some it is the basic explanation of a movement taught for a kata, often against seemingly unrealistic attacks. In those uses the Bunkai is most likely to teach how the student should spatially orient oneself. In the learning movement stages of instruction, worrying about selling a Bunkai is rather dubious.
Now Bunkai comes in many different flavors. I’ve trained with Shotokan stylists (from Indonesia) which have extensive bunkai (taught only after Sho-dan) that use the kata movements as mnemonic devices to layer hundreds of great techniques (most often having nothing to do with the kata). Those stylists train against random attacks, after long training against lunge punches first to build techniques. Likewise as many attacks start with grabs, lunge punches are good to build skills that will work well against opening grabs too. So that’s one type of Bunkai.
Then there are those schools using formal Bunkai of kata directly against formal attacks, especially as in the Video tapes you mention. Well do you really believe they actually think they can teach everything they know on one video tape, or that they even want too. Perhaps they are sharing a piece of their knowledge, and a lower level one at that…..
Then there is another school, which breaks the kata down into innumerable sub sections not necessarily associated with the obvious one’s you originally train in. In this case any movement contains dozens of potential applications, against an incredible wide range of attacks. Of course one has to practice anything, but I train with a gentleman from Caron Iowa who’s been doing this for 40 years, after returning form Okinawa, and he can spend hours showing you how to use any one movement from any Okinawan kata and not repeat himself.
In Okinawa the normal approach was to train the student. The practice of kata, going back to the Chinese roots, was most likely intended to develop the energy of the practitioner, and the application was the channel to use the developing energy.
What balderdash to believe there are really new movements that haven’t been encountered in the past. Nor do new kata need to be developed, there is an incredible wealth of movement already there. You’re worried about unbeatable round kicks, well I saw a Bando stylist break the arm of a person trying to low block it 25 years ago (and believe me Bando practices forms) the same kick the Tai Kick Boxer uses. My own Isshinryu uses a similar version of that round kick (although slightly differently on impact – ball of the foot instead of the shin) and it is contained on our kata. The person using the low block simply made a bad choice or was improperly trained. Of course I’d use Itosu’s approach against such kicks, a solid front kick to the supporting leg, and Itosu was the father of Funakoshi Ginchin’s karate…. Perhaps you should check out Robert Smith’s ‘Martial Musings’ and his own views on real kicking, or the lack of importance of same in combat.
Take Isshinryu’s founder, Shimabuku Tatsuo. He taught his Marine students 8 empty hand kata, and one or two kobudo kata in the 16 months they trained there (50’s and 60’s), and perhaps another 40 self defense applications (thought many Marines didn’t get them). My own instructor came from there and I was not taught any application for any kata. In that it was a pure Okinawan answer. But those 40 self defense techniques contain enough to stop any attack, anytime if you train properly. Of course that is the real issue.
I’ve done lots on my own to understand how my karate can be used. I’ve also been fortunate to study with Sherman Harrill who does take things down to incredible levels of usage (just went through a clinic with him yesterday). The issue goes back to my initial argument, faith.
Yep, things are not equal. Some schools don’t teach applications, some do, some only after advanced black belt. Heck all there is movement, and if you know your own art you should learn how to sell any movement to stop almost anything. How to do that is the challenge everyone faces. If you can’t do it and your instructors didn’t make that clear to you it still is the real issue.
Kata, it’s Bunkai or application analysis is as real and alive as you choose to make it. It is also as meaningless as you wish it to be. In and of itself it is a tool, filled with far more than its creators ever knew or intended, that you can believe in and find use for, or discard as you chase another effort.
But consider, regardless of which non kata approach you choose, you still move and learn how to sell it, or not. So prove to me there’s a difference, except in the faith a person has in it.
I don’t need faith for what I do, I know how I can use it. Make sure you are as sure of your own choice.
Victor Smith
Bushi No Te Isshinryu
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