Roland Habsetzer's "Bubishi - source of Karate-Do"

I would like to share some of Roland Habsetze’s “Bubishi – the Source of Karate-Do” His introduction sheds light on some issue.

 

The Bible Of Arts Of The “Empty Hand”

 

The Ryukyu Kempo Karate Jutsu or Okinawa-Te is the ancestor of the actual Japanese styles of Karate, the transfer took place in the years of the 1930’s (1). The technique of combat of the naked hand was born in the course of the preceding centuries from a mix of  Chinese To-de  (the “technique of control”, or the “Tang Hand”, together with techniques that they created today in the Occident with the generic term most known as Kung Fu), some principles of Chi Kung (or Qi Gong, controlling ‘the vital energy’), equally coming from the Middle Kingdom, and from local knowledge. The island of Okinawa, some 600 km to the south of the Japan, was the link between China and Japan but was equally an astonishing  crucible in itself, where there came to be the merger of several currents of martial arts and from which emerged several bodies of technique (Shuri-Te, Naha-Te, Tomari-Te) completely original of course on several points.

 

The reality and the circumstances of this already ancient relationship between China-Okinawa-Japan, are known and have been studied for a long time by martial arts historians.  In their quest for the roots of  the Naked Hand fighting arts (or ‘Empty’, with this supplementary philosophical connotation given to it by, certain experts from Okinawa in the 1930’s, such as Ginchin Funakoshi, the father of the Shotokan, in developing [in passing along or teaching with <trans.>] the greatest impact of their technique to Japan) the researchers have very rapidly overtaken the context of Japan, and at the same time of Okinawa, to go until in Southern China , very exactly in the province of Foujian (Foukien, in Japanese) where, it seems, all it really began a longtime ago.  At last, the source… the one that has engender all these currents, often opposite, that clutter today the Way of the pure Martial Arts, and [happen] sometimes to doubt the sincere practice when they open the eyes on that which became his ‘art’ recovered by all these media demonstrations and commercials that jumble the tracks and make him lose the authentic direction and good found from his method.  The source, to-beyond of all this pollution… This isn’t true that when leaving  (in the measure or, obviously the cycle of the start of the water well before the source), but it is already a lot.  It is effectively in the region of the Foujian, probably around the city Fuzhou, that are collecting themselves the first drops of water (filets d’eau) that end by feeding a strong current who disrupts the knowledge  in the domain of martial arts of the period, less in this part of the world (one knows what other sources exist again notably in Northern China, but also in other the other regions of Asia and of the Near Orient). It is that which is born a day, there of centuries, the stale of combat called White Crane (Bay He Quan, or Hakutsuru-Ken in Japanese),  linked to the imitation of one (the Crane tr.) that was done from the attitudes and movements the bird, that leave numerous traces, same breaking, until, in the actual Karate techniques (thus certain Kata such as Gangaku/Chinto, or certain attitudes such as the position tsuru-ashi-dachi (crane stance)…)  It is this style, which is found in the center of the preoccupation of the Bubishi collection, an illustrated text that was equally elaborated there, and that was the object of this study.

 

The Bubishi is small book, of which the author is unknown, and  of which the masters returned again and again to study for about 250 or 300 years.  This manuscript, written in ancient Chinese language sometimes

(1)    For all the historic points evoked in this work, as well as personality studies of the old Masters and the genealogies of the experts from the various schools, refer to, to amplify -----these details, to the title ‘Koshiki Kata’ by R. Habersetzer to the Amprhoa Editions.

 

very difficult to translate, and approval(agreement) of some drawings of technique innocent, is in reality the the fruit of the experience of several anonymous experts of the art of the Naked Hand.  And, if perhaps one cannot be he THE only source of ALL who made the technique of unarmed combat, the Bubishi represents all the essential contribution to his knowledge. And then, one knows not the actual hour other also ancient, with this inestimable value as possessed all (unknown?) , same if this last has ended up to become in part illegible. Some part, this same text, part  incomprehensible, is living … it is a messenger. “Bu Bi Shi” (or She) is the Chinese title, preserved in Okinawa, in reality a title-program that reads in Japanese: Goshin (idea of protecting oneself), Sonaeru (idea of preparing oneself), Hakitome Teoku (notices).  It is composed of three parts: the history of the White Crane style, pressed (based) on 48 pictures of techniques to practice in close combat, rather crude drawings, followed with notices on the correct use of the hands in relation with the vital points, finally (finishing) some counsels to apply some cares in cases injury. It seems that these pages, which all the historians of the martial arts today consider as very precious, had found the way to Okinawa by the intermediary of Higaonna Kanruo (1853—1916), again that this last wasn’t very probably the only Okinawan has to have had access to the document.  By the continuation (sucession) , in any case, two currents take root in this common trunk: the direction of Goju-ryu karate, as parted (idiomatic for taught)  by Miyagi Chojun (1888-1953) and the direction Shito-ryu Karate, as parted (idiomatic for taught)  by Mabuni Kenwa (1889-1952). These two masters have preserved then transmitted of the different copies of the Chinese Bubishi, the first having since a long time was the basis of a work by Ohtsuka Tadahiko Sensei (2), the second, more recently, of Patrick Mccarthy (3).

 

The present work has for its base the document that was confided to me by Ohtsuka Sensei finally (after) publication alongside of one public non-Japanese (4). It was applied equally on some long conversations that  I had with him at the time of his last trip to the “Centre of Research Budo”, at Strasburg, in  the autumn of  1993, the occassion of which one he taubht notably this Happoren-no kata of which was mentioned in the Bubishi.  I think to have done  my best. Notably while not risking myself in a integral translation of the original text (too many errors of  interpretation are possible because of the former vocabulary utilized and gaps in the appeared transcription to the class of successive copies and resulting in veritable incomprehension(s) that could prove to be dangerous) and in not weighing down the document with complimentary chapters but not from the original. This is why I have preferred not presenter only the 48 figure (in while risking some personal interpretations), the Kata Hakufa of the White Crane, at last (finally) the Kata Happoren.

The Bubishi, it is the genesis of a line of martial arts. Its first stammering. Nothing there is again distorted. It is also a bible, without that all will be there, but it found there the debut (beginning) of all.  All is there already, with this freshness and this proper innocence at daybreak. Before the appearance of the agitation of crowds, noise, exaggeration of the false prophets, of all this pollution that erases the varied colors and drowns up to the outlines.

The Bubishi, is well “the infancy of the art”(5), this delicate moment where all appears again possible. Before that interference of  all these “things of life”.

(2)    “Okinawa-den Bubishi”, publication of Gojukensha of Tokyo, Ohtsuka Tadhiko, 1975-1978.

(3)    “The Bubishi: an analytical journey”, Patrick McCarthy, International Ryu8kyu Karate Research Society, Tokyo 1994.

(4)    I have had for 20 years, access to  another exemplary (copy) of the Bubishi preserved by Ogura Tsuneyoshi Sensei to the Gembukan Kofu. The American George Alexander has published his proper study based on this copy

(5)    Expression utilized par Serge Mairet to present, in the revue “Arts in Combats” (numbers 12 and 13) autumn 1994) the two articles of R. Habersetzer on the “Bubishi”.