Analyzing Bunkai:
Published: 8-14-2024
By Spencer Sensei
I was a third-degree black belt (san-dan) before I began my in-depth study of grappling and other martial arts. It was also at that same time that I began a deep dive into bunkai. There were simply too many puzzling movements in the kata I studied. Someone that wants to master karate must understand the meaning behind the movements within the form. Without looking for the bunkai, you’re simply dancing. To my surprise, in my study of other systems, I received greater insight into the style in which I train. You must understand this before we continue, I was a black belt with a solid foundation and not a novice jumping from one system to another before I ventured out to increase my knowledge.
The sensei Kenwa Mabuni sparked my desire to seek more knowledge. He wrote that the karate he witnessed in Japan was incomplete. Somehow the locks, chokes, and throws had been removed according to him, so I sought to add those techniques to my toolbox. After training in jujitsu, many of the techniques that looked out of place or silly in the kata began to take on new meaning. It was like my eyes had been opened to a new truth. My motto is “Take what is best and leave the rest. Yes… of course I stole that line.
The first thing we must do in the analyzation of bunkai is to break the form down into parts. You normally cut up a steak before eating it. The same is true for analyzing kata. The Japanese word bunkai translates to the English word disassembly. In kata the technique is done on both sides of the body, and occasionally it is done a third time to put the form back on track. By eliminating the repetitive series of technique, we can more clearly see the self-defense which is the heart of karate. In the AOKK we refer to this breakdown as Honto Kata or Real Kata. Sometimes it is referred to as half kata. Han is a Japanese word for half, but this is called honto because it is the real deal. It is kata distilled into its purest form. Only when kata is distilled down to its basic components can we glean the real meaning.
There are instructors that spend a lot of time trying to clearly define this thing we call Honto kata. Some instructors refer to it by many different terms. They use terms like Oyo (world), Henka (change), and Kakushi (hidden). To these instructors bunkai is the self-defense explanation without any deviance from the technique within the form. Oyo is a shortened version yet not as absolute yet still applicable. Henka is when everything is there but not in the exact order or abbreviated somewhat. Kakushi is the secret meaning or in some cases hidden technique not clearly defined in the movements. For lack of a better term, we will simply refer to this breaking up of the kata as bunkai.
Bunkai is not using every piece of the kata in an all-out fight with multiple opponents. Most bunkai are against one adversary. Occasionally, you will see a bunkai against two attackers usually from the front and the rear, but that is the exception. When you see bunkai that involves multiple attackers it is not applicable and lives in fantasy not reality. This is something concocted for demonstration. When analyzing the bunkai, keep it simple. Too many moving parts and it will fail. Another thing, one piece of the series may be enough to end and encounter. For example, a bunkai that consists of a block, punch, and throw can end with the punch. If the opponent is staggering, you don’t need to place them on your shoulders and throw them to the ground.
Your toolbox must hold more than one tool. Too many schools teach block, kick, and punch. This limits the student. If the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, then everything will look like a nail. This is true of bunkai also. Your bunkai will consist of block, kick, and punch along with a bunch of weird looking movements that have no explanation. Once locks, chokes, head-butts, elbows, and throws are added the bunkai will take on greater meaning. One instructor told me that kata is nothing more than a series of pressure point applications, and another said it was all about tuite (joint locks). These can be found in your kata, but they’re only tools. Don’t limit your analysis because of your personal preferences.
Once you’ve explored a section of Honto kata and believe you have a real self-defense solution it must be practiced. This can only be done in a two-man set or what some call ippon kumite. The palace guards had to practice the application of these self-defense responses before being able to use them in a dangerous situation. Start by breaking the bunkai into even smaller pieces. Example: the bunkai is a block, punch, and throw after the attacker lunges forward with a punch. Bunkai is always against a certain type of attack. Yes… it can be used against more than one type of attack and still work. The first thing you need is to be able to recognize you’re being attacked. With the two man sets you will learn visual cues that alert you to the opponent’s intentions. Second start with the block and body evasion. We step into a side stance (Kiba-dachi) and block to limit our target areas. In some kata you step back to create distance. Analyze the first movement and practice stepping and blocking. Next add the counterattack or punch in this instance. Practice the block and punch series. Lastly, add the throw. Which way you throw will depend on your counterattack. If you’ve knocked him backwards throw him/her backwards. If they’re moving forwards because they placed all their trust in the punch, throw them over your shoulder. Look at the kata. If you turn into a cat stance it is a possible hip throw. If you stack your hands on your hip, you may be pulling the opponent off balance. Do this with a turn and you could be executing Tai-otoshi or a trip over an extended leg. What stance are you in? Look at every piece of the bunkai and analyze it piece by piece as wells as a whole.
I have collected countless bunkai and documented them in several volumes of text. There are drawings that accompany these bunkai. Not all are exact duplicates of what I was shown because my memory between learning it and putting it on paper may have some holes in it. Some of these bunkai are similar. Some are silly and are doomed to failure. Some of these bunkai are too complex to work as a whole but have very nice parts that could be effective. Some are deadly and too dangerous to teach to children or adults that are irresponsible. All these texts are in my office and belong to my students. A few of these bunkai were developed by them, but not many. My hope is that they will continue the tradition of breaking their kata into viable self-defense responses while practicing it until it flows without thought. If they do this then every time they run through a kata, the self-defense will be imprinted on their mind building the body-mind connection. Mostly, I hope they have fun with their research and continue to grow and add tools to their toolbox.