Ok, I apologize for getting sidetracked on my last note by thoughts on bowling, of all topics, haha. Back to discussing the five aspects of kata (as seen through my eyes). So far we’ve covered sequence and posture. I’d like to speak to applications contained within, variously referred to as: bunkai, yakusoku, oyo, etc. One can perform and actually do very well in training and even in kata competition if one has truly outstanding posture (including power and speed) and knows the sequence by heart. However, without the ability to envision or understand any kind of meaning to the movements, one’s kata becomes what some would call “martial dancing”. I don’t use the term dance, to demean the activity, since professional dancers, those preserving cultural dance, etc; express much meaning in the movements they execute. I’m referring to doing movement purely as exercise, or for aesthetics, without any depth to what one is trying to portray to execute.

The example I often cite is someone using a heavy pick to break ground in one’s yard or at work. Many of us have had to do some picking in the yard at some time…it can be hard, sweaty work, and requires a certain rhythm and kime at the right instant in order to gain the greatest penetration (especially in hard clay soil). If one’s timing is a little off, if one’s alignment is off, if the kime (involving legs, stomach, etc) isn’t there, not only is penetration lost, but one can easily twist one’s back or shoulder. Anyone who has done some real picking can pantomime the activity…easily envisioning the actual work. In doing so, the timing of the raising of the imaginary pick, the kime of the body as the “pick” hits the ground, and the grunt (a natural kiai) at “impact”, come out quite normally in the enactment. For a person who has never done any real picking, doing the same imaginary activity is quite a bit harder to do…he/she might be able to mimic the sequence of the action as well as imitate the posture, but the difficulty will arise from an imperfect vision of something never experienced. This is a very simplistic example, but folks doing kata without any idea of the applications contained therein, run into a similar challenge. They run the risk of doing “empty” technique.

One of the common criticisms of Shotokan is that in moving towards an emphasis on perfection of posture (as in character), lowering and lengthening the originally more natural stances/steps (more calesthenic value), and that much of the application was lost during the transmission and modification from Okinawa, to Japan, and to the rest of the world. There is no doubt that much of the original applications were indeed lost, in the translation and de-emphasis on Jutsu. However, that’s not to say that the Shotokan that was transmitted was bereft of any applications. It contained them alright, but in my opinion, these were of a very basic nature. For example, let’s take the opening movement in Heian Shodan, the gedan-barai zenkutsu-dachi 90 degrees to the left. This is how we normally describe the meaning of move #1 to white belts…a very basic approach, but very real, and useful… definitely an application that one can envision and fill what would otherwise be empty movement. However, as you all know, I teach the higher ranks a number of different, alternative applications, often consisting of multiple techniques in quick sequence and different defensive/offensive angles than the original application that was described. Every instructor may have his or her favorite application(s) for any particular move, and when multiplied by all of the movements contained in any kata, there are so many applications that one may learn throughout the years. Again, as with other things in life… it’s not necessarily about how many applications one knows, or how exotic these are…it’s more about having each move filled with meaning, whatever it is, and to be able to effectively apply whatever meaning you’ve assigned to each movement.

If one spends enough years in the art, he or she will likely encounter ongoing debate over the relevance of bunkai in modern karate-do. Some will say that as a true martial artist, one should know, for example; that the pulling, double fisted ready position to the arm prior to the double punch (or simultaneous block punch) in Tekki Shodan, is really a two-handed grab and twist of an attacker’s head or arm… and that he/she must also be able to effectively demonstrate this. Others will say that the Do or true path to better character doesn’t require such nasty, albeit useful knowledge. As stated earlier, I believe that a basic application (whether just the common block or punch or whatever is appropriate) should invest each movement to prevent “empty” techniques. Beyond that, I think that it’s an individual decision as to how deep one takes this.

In my case, due to the years spent in Aikido prior to entering a Shotokan Dojo, many of the holds/breaks/throws/takedowns that pervade our katas naturally occurred to me, often before an instructor ever pointed these. Kind of like watching a person doing a pantomime of a man picking in his yard, and knowing exactly what’s being portrayed. I also spent a few years studying the various katas from Shorin-Ryu Kobudo to better understand some of Shotokan’s roots. Nope, it didn’t make me a weapons expert, but I did gain an increased awareness of kobudo influence in some of the katas. It also made me realize that there are certain weapons movements/applications/defenses entwined within the various katas. Bottom line is, bunkai is a basic ingredient of all kata… to me, however, it’s less important about how many apps can be gleaned from each movement, but rather, that you fill each of them with what you know, with all of your strength, focus and commitment…. and this rule has application to everything we do.