Deep Arts of Goju-Ryu
Karatejutsu
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TCM
and
Internal Arts
for more details
"Lost Art of Karate"...
With the introduction of Karate as a physical fitness curriculum into the
public school systems of Okinawa in the early 1900's, the "secret
techniques" of these arts were removed, making Karate an art of
punch/kick/block. Several instructors at this time created "training"
kata, such as the Geki Sai Kata (Goju-Ryu) and the Pinan Kata (Shorin-Ryu),
making it easier for the general public to learn the new Karate and
propagate its growth. The classical kata, considered "deadly" by pure
design, were kept for the personal students.
Through the creation of systemized competition in
Japanese society brought about by the Meiji Era (a post feudal period
stressing education and democracy from 1868-1911), the original intent of kata
would be set aside. Aesthetic
appearance became more significant than functionality. Stances, hand
formations, timing, individual movements and sequences were altered to allow
for a more dramatic performance. Effective low kicks were replaced with
less effective mid and head level kicks for audience appeal. The soft, flowing
movements characterized by the influence of the internal arts
of China (Shaolin, White Crane, Tiger and other animal based systems of taijixuan and xingyixuan,
for example) were made "harder" and more dynamic, giving kata a more
"obvious" strong appearance. Some styles even went as far as to
permanently delete some of these "flowery, non-effective" movements from
their kata.
As the second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) slowed
the movement to formalize karate, WWII
arguably had the greatest impact in designing today's karate.
Acceptance by the US and other occupying military governments was key for
the Japanese to regain acceptance among the rest of the world. Karate
and judo aided in this undertaking. Some Okinawan karate practitioners were contracted to teach the occupying military
for physical fitness and to give the soldiers something "to do" in their down
time. Competitions were sponsored between local base dojos and
different branches of the military and occupying countries. These
veterans returning to their respective countries gave way to probably the
single most significant rise to karate's spread and popularity throughout
the world.
Tatsuo Shimabukuru, founder of Isshinryu,
went to the extreme of creating a style specifically designed to teach
Westerners. He simplified and/or changed many of the techniques and
altered the original kata to make it easier to teach and learn.
In doing so, he furthered the dilution of karate. The gap between the "old" karate and the new sport karate became even more
expansive.
Line of reasoning...
As discussed earlier in the
Kata section, beyond the obvious
techniques of Karate lie the most valuable of all aspects; the understanding of the
relationship of man to all things in the universe which gave way to powerful
medical sciences and a very defined application of this paradigm to all
things. Many of these "ancient" medical and life practices are
alive and well in today's scientific based medicine including pharmacology,
surgery, anesthesia, autopsies, preventive medicine, proper diet and more. To truly understand the
"modern" style of karate that we practice today, we must discover and study
their origins.
Think of kata as a house. In it of course will be
bedrooms, a den, kitchen, etc. Some of the rooms will be pre-assigned
due to plumbing requirements and the like while others will be determined
after the occupants move in.
Until it is inhabited it is an empty shell. And
though each room my suggest an intention, it is not until the people move in
that the house and each specific room take on a genuine identity and becomes full of life.
The same applies to kata and Karate in general.
Without the comprehension of the laws and sciences that
were utilized by the originators of the martial arts, kata is an empty shell
with little purpose beyond competition and/or promotion requirement. These next few pages will help define this
understanding and hopefully bring about a more realistic and viable
understanding of the true nature of the practices of the martial arts.
Not all is as it seems...
Every kata is made up of individual techniques, i.e.
high block, front stance, reverse punch, etc. For the most part, many
of these techniques seem unrealistic in a real time self defense situation
and to that I whole heartedly agree. I would "never" use a "high
block" to defend against an over head attack or face punch... at least not
as it is expressly taught. Just the term "high block" would seem to
expressly limit it's ability to defend against anything other than a head
attack.
Subsequently, a term like "high block" implies the main
emphasis of intent or execution on the "blocking" arm. Little
importance, if any, is placed on what is generally considered the "chamber"
or "support" arm. In all reality, one motion or arm relies on it's
counterpart just as walking requires balanced movement and full support of
both legs. Weaken or lessen the importance of one and the entire body
suffers.
But what if the "motions" of a high block could be
understood and utilized in defense against attacks from differing directions
(front-side-back) and levels (low-mid-upper)? Therefore, rather than
the term
"high block" being used to refer to a specified defense against a head level
attack as its nomenclature would intend, let the term suggest specific motions
substantiated with precise mechanics and principles that can then be
utilized in a multitude of self protection applications.
Pick up any book on the martial arts that details a
pattern of movement like a kata and you will see that the pictures depict
the "end" of a motion. Little or no emphasis is placed on the
importance of getting to that point. Understandably the availability
of space and relevant cost for that space limits how much can be placed on a
book's page. However most of the authors of such books do not
offer any preface to the importance of the "journey" over "being there".
Enter the "Bunkai"....
Just as most books focus largely on the end result
of a motion, the explanations of those movements, or bunkai, to
students in real time isn't much different. Herein lies the greatest
fault. The instructor offers the student explanations for a particular
move from the last frame of a series of frames or "snapshot" with little or
no consequence on the frames of movement involved in the entire motion.
Just as one may travel from home to a vacation sight, it is the preparation
and understanding of all that is involved in "getting there" that makes the
vacation an enjoyable success.
Bunkai has become grossly misconstrued and
blatantly abused by many in an attempt to achieve notoriety and personal
gain. Because bunkai in the West has intentionally, by some,
been mystically associated with "ancient secrets of the Far East", the
invitation to jump on this martial arts bandwagon presented an undeniable
appeal for many around the world. This lead to the inevitability of others
to capitalize on what would become a distinct, formalized field of study and
even an art all to itself. Fortunately, the mal-intent by some has
leads others to seek and realize the true nature of the martial arts,
secrets and all.
The term bunkai is made up
of two kanji which can be translated as "dissect; breakdown; analyze;
explore". As with any exploration or analysis, though many answers
are discovered, more questions are incited. Any doctrine offered must
be presented with sound and proven evidence to meet and hopefully defend
against the certain onslaught of attacks. In many cases, these
"attacks" do more to prove a doctrine than disprove... that is if the
doctrine's presenter has done his homework.
As with anything, time and opportunity will offer new
issues or attacks. This would suggest that there is no one single
answer and that any answer offered is continually subject to scrutiny and
criticism and therefore subject to redefining in accordance with any new
applied evidence.
The idea of change or alteration would create a thorn
in the side of most "traditional" martial artists in their belief that a
style must remain exactly the same as handed down from it's founder and is
void of inspection or improvement. They would insist there is
but one "bunkai" or interpretation and for anyone to offer anything new
would be an insinuation that this person would know more than the founder
and that, in the traditionalists' mind, is an impossibility.
Alternately, many would suggest the application of a
technique or segment of a kata must be performed exactly as it is
demonstrated in the kata. Again this would minimize the effectiveness
of the technique(s) and void the technician from asserting any of the
"combative postures" or concepts learned from real time application.
Just as one may practice a technique or combination in
preparation for sparring, once applied in free sparring it is inevitable
that the execution of that technique or combination will be subject to every
possible factor and cause alteration, even deletion, of that technique or
combination. Application of a technique or segment of a kata is
therefore dependent on the same factors. Only through continued study
and scrutiny can one truly begin to understand the strengths and weaknesses
inherent in every technique or part thereof.
Scrutiny and criticism can come in many forms.
Physical combat against another in an attempt to save life and limb is the
ultimate form of scrutiny. Every feasible situation that could present
itself will. Height, weight, speed, reach, power, experience,
differing weapons, surroundings, etc. are all real-time sources to cause
review. It becomes more important for the author or creator to do
everything in his power to disprove his own design before anyone else has
the opportunity.
That means he must not only apply whatever resources
are readily available but he must seek out and include any person or form of
knowledge, experience or extenuating factor, however bizarre it may appear,
as functional evidence keeping in mind that any failure is an indispensable
identifying factor for continued studies. Just as a boxer training for a
title fight selects sparring partners that will test and increase his
abilities, so must the "karate scientist" advance the same to ensure
success.
There is nothing mysterious about bunkai. Nor
does bunkai reveal any "super, secret death technique" hidden away in a
karate move. Bunkai is nothing more than what is applied in any
business on a daily basis. Or practiced by students, car mechanics, song
writers, animal breeders, etc. Bunkai is simply the dissection of a
thing to it's simplest component, thorough examination of all it's part,
individually and in composition, and the application of all known and
possible influences to better understand and improve.
On the other side of the coin, without bunkai,
any martial art would suffer the same fatal consequences that medicine would
without continued study and research. Bunkai also serves to maintain
the martial arts ties of its creators and their undeniable genius and
incite.
Karate as a language...
Analogize kata to mathematics. Mathematics is a language invented to
explain those things in life that cannot be explained in ordinary terms. In
the beginning one has to understand numerical values. Then the
exercises of addition, subtraction, multiplication and subtraction are
introduced. Models such as variables, fractions, symbols and others come into
play as well. These become the foundation of more defined mathematics
like algebra,
geometry, trigonometry, etc.
The execution of principles (addition, subtraction,
etc.) become more important than any numerical value in that while the
numerical values may change the execution of principles remain constant.
The
deeper the understanding the more complex a simple equation can become. For
example a+1=2. It is
easily understood a=1.
But a could represent an
elaborate equation whose sum represents the value of 1. Hence, a
high block can represent
a=1 in it's simplest form or a
high block can be a compilation of
applied sciences, concepts and principles with unlimited understanding and
application.
How many times
have you heard, if not from your own lips, "How will geometry or algebra
help me in the real world?" Retrospectively, I believe that
question is asked largely due to the manner in which they are taught without
any implied application past the obvious. Let me offer a few reasons
why and how they may apply and an analogy to the martial arts.
Personally, I
feel any study increases our ability to learn and process all types of
information through defined understandings and continued uncertainties.
It lays down definitive concepts and principles while the values continually
change giving different but valid results. The most minimal change of
a value in an
equation can result in an extraordinary change of the sum.
Secondly,
though both geometry and algebra may seem difficult and separate entities,
they are smaller components of much higher forms of math which are necessary in other sciences like chemistry and physics. Without their
understanding, learning the higher forms would be extremely difficult if not
impossible.
Karate and
it's kata, like math, is a language all to itself. It was developed to
help explain and identify precise principles, values, applications, etc.
A single motion or "variable" may represent a lengthy and heavily detailed
equation worthy of its own study. It is imperative to learn and understand this language and to
quickly identify and apply exact principles and concepts.
To those uneducated in the original "language" of karate, this would all
sound alien. However, the more learned martial artist subconsciously acknowledges and assimilates
these underlying concepts quite readily.
This was the
world of the ancient developers of the martial arts. They had a
language and understanding of a world alien to us in many ways. As technology has improved life and sped up our ability to
gather information, we must not forsake the past however primitive or
obsolete it may seem. Just as a paleontologist's study of the past helps us
to better understand our world today and that of our future, so must the
cultures and "languages" of martial arts past be understood to help us
understand the martial arts of today.
Toritejutsu,
the brainchild of Professors Tom Muncy and Rick Moneymaker, is
a system of definitive study applicable to any style or school of martial arts.
It's tagging is derived from the term
"torite", used by Gichin Funakoshi in his book "To-Te Jutsu". Torite
is interchangeable with other well known terms as
toudi, tuite and tegumi, all which
refer to the original combative Okinawan arts.
Torite can be interpreted as "grappling
hand" or "grabbing hand". Likewise as previously seen,
any literal translation is far from complete.
"Jutsu",
as a suffix, represents the combative nature of the ancient Eastern arts versus
"do" (tao in
Chinese) which is used to describe today's
emphasis on personal and social betterment through disciplined training.
The implication is therefore placed on the emphasis of life protection
techniques rather than as a sport or socio-philosophical agenda.
Do not get the wrong idea. Just because the
techniques can be devastating and seemingly brutal, Toritejutsu is not
socially brutal. Toritejutsu is not void of the laws of society but
encompasses them as part of its training. Many of its instructors and
affiliates are members of or in some fashion associated with law enforcement
agencies. The "laws of the land", just as in ancient times, must be
understood.
The purpose of Toritejutsu is to supply and
exchange evidentiary research to foster deep, intense study of the original fighting arts of the ancient East among
like-minded individuals. Toritejutsu, as a specialized field of study, has spread throughout the world with
schools throughout the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
Shihan
McMains is one of the original founding members of
Dragon
Society International and one of the first to
receive Black Belt ranking and instructor certification in Toritejutsu.
Toritejutsu's emphasis is on the study of the combative
side of the martial arts where most "rules of play" do not apply. The
foundation of study is based on the sciences and concepts of a culture that
gave birth to Chinese and other Asian medical and life practices, including acupuncture,
and ultimately lead to today's scientific based Western medicine.
Where most schools of "pressure point fighting" concentrate on either
Eastern or Western thought, Toritejutsu focuses on the inseparable
relationship of both in application and study.
Within Toritejutsu are more defined applications
including kyushojutsu (acupressure point striking/manipulation), atemijutsu
(percussive body striking) and tuitejutsu (joint/muscle/connective tissue
manipulation). Though these can be taught separate from one
another as one might separately study the organs of the body, their combined
presence is essential.
This understanding is not enough
if one cannot readily apply it in a real time situation. The proponent must
understand combative postures or concepts as well. These combative
concepts include:
