Complicated Bunkai

Bunkai in the beginning, Isshinryu beginning in America, mostly had no bunkai to go with the black belt. Few, very few, even knew at the time about the word "bunkai." You learned the upper and lower basic techniques, you learned the kata form(less)s and you learned specific kumite drills. You then took a very few techniques which even then consisted of boxing type hand techniques and one or two kicking techniques. You participated in "contests" and either won or lost.

It took most the entire 9 to 13 month tour to get in just that part with little else. Some received promotions due to the ability in contests and some dependent on the kata and kumite drills.

There was little or most likely no grappling. There was little or most likely no tuite, pressure points, etc. in that training during that short period. A few who came back or remained for a longer period may or may not have gotten more but who knows for sure.

In 1979 bunkai was not used nor spoken of and any fighting skills came from Sensei's personal interpretation to kata techniques which for me, lucky for me, were very, very basic, i.e. a block in the kata was taught in kumite to block punches or kicks - very rudimentarily basic stuff.

Bunkai was introduced by someone, at some time and in most all likelihood at a demonstration or seminar and because it was something that seemed natural and an expansion of what was currently known, it was something to take the boredom out of merely doing forms it spread like wildflowers.

Mostly it was up to those individuals who helped spread this new "idea or teaching device" to come up with the proper and applicable bunkai. Sometimes a few actually through personal experience created bunkai that worked, for him or her. Often it was simply made up by folks with no experience in fighting or combative stuff and "assumed" would work as it would in pre-defined and pre-staged drills. If it looked good, seemed realistic (to the perceptions of those whose only experience was in tournament point fighting) and worked in a predefined/preordained/pre-practice/pre-staged form it was assumed that it "worked."

Since most never, ever, had to test it out in reality based assaults either social or anti-social (predatory type) situations it was a sure bet it would never be questioned, mostly.

Today, there are those both experienced and not experienced through experienced teachers who are re-discovering true relevant applicable bunkai. I applaud those luminaries of the martial arts and see good things to come from the rediscovery to those who will, may or will not have to apply it real life. All bottles are good and all students of the era will, if they seek it out and do it regardless, will benefit, grow and prosper from this effort.

All this to answer a simple question, "complicated bunkai, is this reality? is this good? do they work? ..... ok, questions. Complicated bunkai are cool and fun to work out. They can be beneficial with proper mind-set and intent - a teaching tool. A teaching tool about the body and breaking things down for analysis and the building up to see if it works, it has reality to it and other such non-combative things. You can even gleam out real bunkai from the effort as long as you make it work in reality, what ever that is.

I observed a black belt test once where the person was required to demonstrate bunkai. It turned out that since they knew no bunkai to the kata and that the training hall taught no bunkai or merely glossed over something once or twice the person and their uke "made up" bunkai. As I observed them demonstrating it I could not help be see that it was assumed that if bunkai were not complicated then it would not pass muster for testing. None of it was applicable to my perceptions and none of it was simple, its complexities showed and indicated that they barely made it work slow-time and without the slightest "intent" of either uke or tori.

Complicated bunkai seldom works in real combat. I would prefer to bet my hand on the simplest bunkai well trained/encoded and tested as best can be tested in training. Complicated bunkai in my view don't work!