Karate Kurofune (Part #4)

Plausible Sources of the "Bubishi" Many believe that Higashionna Kanryo is the most likely source from which the "Bubishi" first appeared in Okinawa. However, while this theory is prevalent, especially among the followers of the Goju tradition, it is still only a theory. Itosu Ankoh (1833-1915)[i] is yet another plausible source from which the "Bubishi" may have appeared. His teacher, the "legendary" Bushi Matsumura Chikudoun Pechin Sokon (1809-1901), had studied gongfu in both Fuzhou and Beijing and may very well have been the source from where the "Bubishi" first appeared in Okinawa. Mabuni Kenwa, the founder of Shitoryu, told us when he published the "Bubishi" in 1934 that he had made a copy from the copy his teacher (Itosu) had made. We assume that Itosu had made that copy from Matsumura's, which was his teacher. The Uechiryu karatedo tradition tells us that its founder, Uechi Kambun (18771948) went to Fuzhou in 1897, where he ultimately studied Guangdong Shaolin Temple Tiger style boxing directly under Master Zhou Zhihe (Shu Shi Wah in Japanese; 1874-1926). Some are of the opinion that it was Uechi Sensei that brought back the Bubishi. Incidently, Tomoyose Ryuyu (1897-1970), one of Uechi's original students, compiled an analysis of the principles of kyushojutsu (striking vital points), tuite (grappling), kansetsu (twisting joints), and kampo (Chinese herbal medicine) in a book entitled "Kenpo Karate-jutsu Hiden" ("The Secrets of Quanfa: The Art of Chinese Hands"), which was never published due to his untimely death. The contents of his analysis are identical to the "Bubishi" and are now the property of the Uechi family. Tomoyose's analysis clearly shows, as does Mabuni's, that the "Bubishi" was known outside Gojuryu circles. Another person who taught Chinese gongfu in Okinawa during the Taisho Period (1912-25) was Wu Xianhui (1886-1940). Believed to be a White Crane gongfu

expert, Wu Xianhui (Go Kenki in Japanese), a native of Fuzhou, moved to Okinawa in 1912, where he became a tea merchant. Uechi Kambun wrote that Wu also taught gongfu in the evenings in Naha. Responsible for having had a major influence upon Miyagi Chojun, Mabuni Kenwa, Kiyoda Juhatsu (1887-1969), and Matayoshi Shinho (born 1922), Go Kenki is yet another possible source for the "Bubishi's" arrival in Okinawa. Another interesting point that indirectly ties Go Kenki to the "Bubishi" was brought to my attention by Master Kanzaki Shigekazu, a direct disciple of the late Kiyoda Juhatsu (Miyagi Chojun's senior while he studied under Higashionna). The second generation master of To-Onryu, Master Kanzaki told me that the Nepai kata (which appears in the "Bubishi") descended directly from Fang Jiniang (the founder of Fujian Yongchun White Crane gongfu), and was taught to Kiyoda Sensei by Go Kenki and not Higashionna Kanryo. Incidently, another friend of Go Kenki's worth mentioning is Tang Daji (in Mandarin; 1887-1937), or To Daiki as he was called in Okinawa. Moving from China to Naha, Okinawa, in 1915, Tang, like Go Kenki, became a tea merchant and opened his own shop. Tiger Fist gongfu was very popular in the Chinese village from where he came, and Tang had become well known for his skills. In Okinawa, he befriended Miyagi Chojun and other prominent karate enthusiasts, and is said to have had a big impact upon the karate community during that time. It is possible that the "Bubishi" came to Okinawa by way of Tang Daiji. Nakaima Chikudoun Pechin Norisato, the founder of the Ryueiryu karate tradition, was required to learn the principles of "bun bu ryo do" from an early age. From a wealthy family in Naha's Kuninda, he was sent to Fuzhou, Fujian Province, when he was 19 years old. Receiving a recommendation to study the fighting traditions directly under Ryuruko, Nakaima obtained his formal introduction from a military attach, whom his family had befriended after he visited the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1866 (from June 22nd to November 18th), as a subordinate of the Qing Sapposhi, Zhao Xin. In 1870, Nakaima became an uchi deshi (live-in disciple) of Ryuruko, where he devoted himself entirely to the study of "bun bu ryo do". After six years of sacrifice and diligent training, he surfaced in 1876 as a proficient expert. Before departing from Ryuruko's, he was required to make copies (by hand) of the many books he had studied. Among the most noted books were: the "Bubishi," a book on etiquette, precepts for good health, Chinese medicine, and a book about Nakaima Kenri

cultivating a brave spirit through the practice of quanfa (kenpo). Many are of the opinion that the present Okinawan "Bubishi" is a compilation of these documents. Nakaima spent the next year touring Guangdong Province and Beijing in an effort to further his understanding of the fighting traditions, and returned to Okinawa with an impressive collection of weapons.

An interesting story told by the Nakaima family recounts the occasion when Ryuruko visited Okinawa in 1914 (some say to see Higashionna). Apparently, on the same day he arrived in Okinawa, one of his former students, Sakiyama Kitoku from Naha's Wakuta Village (a man renowned for his remarkable leg maneuvers that had travelled to Fuzhou and trained under Ryuruko with Norisato), was on his deathbed. Upon being informed of Kitoku's grave condition, Master Ryuruko demanded to be escorted to his home without delay. Arriving too late, Master Ryuruko said: "If he would have had a pulse remaining, I would have been able to save him." The Kogusuku or Kojo (pronounced Cai in Mandarin) clan (descendants of Naha's Kuninda original 36 families) is another family who has long been known for its martial arts heritage in Okinawa. Dating back to 1392, the family has long enjoyed ties with Fuzhou and has been connected with experts like Iwah and Wai Xinxian. It is said that Kojo Taitei (1837-1917) was a good friend of Higashionna Kanryo, and Kojo Kaho (1849-1925) even had his own dojo in Fuzhou, where Uechi Kambun allegedly trained for a short time before becoming Zhou Zhihe's disciple. It is also said that Kojo Taitei brought back a secret book on Chinese gongfu that some believe may have been the "Bubishi." Interviewing Hayashi Shingo Sensei, the most senior disciple of Kojo Kaho, and then comparing the principles of Kojoryu to those described in the "Bubishi," I discovered remarkable similarities. As such, we cannot overlook the possibility that the "Bubishi" is in some way connected to the Kojo family. Matayoshi Shinko (1888-1947) is yet another possibility from where the "Bubishi" may have appeared in Okinawa. Many say that Matayoshi Shinko's empirical research put him in a category all his own. A man once closely associated with Funakoshi Gichin, Matayoshi traveled to China more than once and spent considerable time and effort studying a myriad of Chinese fighting disciplines. With Funakoshi, Matayoshi demonstrated at the Butokuden in 1917 and was among those who enjoyed the privilege of performing before the Crown Prince (Showa Emperor Hirohito) in 1921 at Shuri Castle. Matayoshi Shinko

Matayoshi's son, Shimpo, the Okinawan representative of the prestigious Dai Nippon Butokukai and a former student of Go Kenki, told me that manuals like the "Bubishi," which described the practice and precepts of Chinese boxing, were not unusual. Ironically, he maintained that a style that did not possess a book of this nature would be considered unusual! First brought to my attention by Harry Cook, there is the provocative comments on "page 104" of Robert W. Smith's 1974 book, "Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods," that helped me corroborate the lineage of Master Liu Songshan's "Bubishi." Addressing the 28 copies of a "secret book" that were given to the 28 students of Chen Li-shu (incorrect Wade-Giles transliteration for Cheng Li-shu; the Chinese ideograms are for third generation White Crane Master Zheng Lishu [Pinyin] found in the "Bubishi"), the servant and disciple of Fang Jiniang, the founder of Yongchun White Crane gongfu. Pursuing this point, I later discovered that one of Zheng's disciples, named Peng, passed on a copy of the book to Zhang Argo, one of four White Crane gongfu experts (Lin Yigao, Ah Fungshiu, and Lin Deshun) who immigrated to Taiwan in 1922. While his copy was passed on to his son Zhang Ie-die, Master Lin Deshun passed his copy to his disciple, Liu Gou; it has remained a treasure of the Liu family for the last seven decades. Having first met one of Master Liu's three son's (Liu Songshan) in Fuzhou, hosting him twice at my home in Japan, and later visiting him in Taiwan, I have become familiar with that book, entitled the "Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book," and can testify that it is, in every way, identical to the "Bubishi." Finally, Ohtsuka Tadahiko[ii], when expounding upon the advent of the "Bubishi" in Okinawa, told me that we should not rule out the "museum hypothesis." Once located next to the Sanshikan[iii] residence in Naha's Kuninda (Kume Village), during the Ryukyu Kingdom era, an official building housing objects of historical, cultural, artistic, and scientific interest may have been the source from which the "Bubishi" came. Believed to be a compilation of gongfu precepts taught in Naha's Chinese community of Kuninda, folklore says that the book later became a treasure guarded by the civil fighting traditions masters in Naha when the kingdom was abolished in 1879. Ohtsuka Tadahikos Bubishi Corroborating this hypothesis Tomoyori Ryuichiro wrote "that after 1723, either Kume officials or Ryugakusai were responsible for bringing both Fujian bujutsu and the Bubishi to Okinawa. These were considered the secrets of the Kume villagers. The book was kept at the Tenson Temple's library up to about 1867 by the Kume villagers. Fujian gongfu and the Bubishi were handed down to Okinawan bushi by the people of Kume."

I know there were several Chinese manuals like the "Bubishi," addressing training skills, philosophy, herbal medicines, moral responsibility, and vital point striking, during that era. However, I believe that Go Kenki most likely brought the "Bubishi" in question to Okinawa. Responding to a very tasteless letter I received from Mr. Chris Clifford pertaining to my "Bubishi" publication, I sent the following reaction dated July 29, 1992. It is a precept used by the late Bushi Matsumura, and one I felt appropriate: "And to those who's progress remains hampered by ego-related distractions, let humility, the spiritual cornerstone upon which the civil combative disciplines rest, serve to remind you to place virtue ahead of vice, values ahead of vanity and principles ahead of personalities. If you are too proud or complacent to embrace this reality then you have yet to even pass the most elementary stage of physical training." I hope this has cleared up some of the speculation surrounding the "Bubishi."

The Fujian Gongfu-Okinawan Karate Connection Lineage Chart Compiled by Patrick McCarthy Fang Shiyu Luohan Quan The father of Fang Jiniang, who allegedly mastered Luohan Quan (Monk Fist) while a recluse at a provincial Buddhist temple in Fujian, many believe to be the southern Shaolin Temple on Mount Jiulian (Nine Lotus) in Fujian's Putian district. Fang Jiniang Yongchun White Crane Founder The daughter of Fang Shiyu, who combined the Luohan Quan she learned from her father with the natural defensive concepts she learned after watching an encounter between two white cranes in a bamboo grove. Zeng Cishu Black Tiger Fist Gongfu Allegedly a powerful Tiger Fist boxer who tested his skills and lost against Fang Jiniang, who later become her servant, disciple, and ultimately the second generation headmaster of Yongchun White Crane Gongfu. It is said that Zeng Cishu was responsible for passing on a secret book of quanfa ("Bubishi") to his 28 disciples. One of Zeng's 28 disciples was Fang Shupei, who had two students, Lin Yigao and Zhang Argo. Lin Yigao and Zhang Argo, with Lin Deshun, and another of Zeng's direct disciples, Ah Fungshiu, immigrated to Taiwan in 1922, taking with them their copies of the secret book of quanfa, the "Bubishi." Wang Foudeng A disciple of Zeng Cishu, and a third generation master of Yongchun White Crane Gongfu. This is the same Master Wang described in the "Bubishi," and quite possibly its author/compiler as well. Zheng Lishu Zheng Lishu was another disciple of Zeng Cishu, and also a third generation master of Yongchun White Crane Gongfu. One theory maintains that Zheng Lishu was responsible for passing on a secret book of quanfa ("Bubishi") to Zeng's 28 disciples. Among Zheng Lishu's top disciples were his son Zheng Bishu, and Cai Zengshu. Cai Zengshu (believed to be the cousin of Cai Shou

(1816-1906), related to the Kojo family of Okinawa), was the teacher of Tai Gongsong, who taught Lin Deshun and later immigrated to Taiwan. Lin Deshun was the teacher of Liu Songshan's father, Liu Gou. Called the "Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book," the Liu family has had a copy of the "Bubishi" in their family for the last seven decades. Zheng Lishu's son Zheng Bishu, taught his son Zheng Tongshu, who in turn taught Li Zaiying. Li Zaiying established Fujian Crane Fist Gongfu. Moving from his tiny village to the port city of Fuzhou during the later years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Lin Shixian, a master of Yongchun White Crane Gongfu, taught Pan Yuba. Master Pan taught Xie Zhongxiang (Ryuruko), a young shoemaker's apprentice from Fuzhou's Changle district. Xie Zhongxiang (1852-1930), credited with developing the Whooping Crane sect of White Crane gongfu, reportedly taught Nakaima Norisato, Higashionna Kanryo, and Sakiyama Kitoku. CW: Patrick, I couldn't help but overhear some of the long distant telephone calls you've been receiving all day. Do you have access to the old books to which you were just referring? PM: Yes, I do. Often I get access to many of the old and original books on karate-jutsu, or sometimes I am able to make photocopies of books like Funakoshi's 1922 "Ryukyu Kenpo Toudijutsu," the 1925 reprint entitled "Rentan Goshinjutsu," and his original "Karatedo Kyohan"; both of Motobu Choki's books, "Okinawa Kenpo Toudijutsu" and "Watashi no Toudijutsu"; Mabuni Kenwa's 1934 "Sepai/Bubishi Kenkyu"; and Nakasone Genwa's 1938 "Karatedo Taikan," to name a few of the more popular one's. Ironically, I have received some of my books not in Japan, but in England, from Graham Noble. Graham has a great collection. CW: Can people write to you to order them? PM: Well, I can't make any promises, but I have ordered books for people in the past, if and when they were available. I don't mind steering someone in the right direction if I can. CW: What can we expect to see in the near future from you? PM: Well, Ohara Publications, from California (of BLACK BELT magazine) recently called me and are planning to re-release my book, "Classical Kata of Okinawan Karatedo" in the near future. To me, that means there is a growing interest in karatedo's history and philosophy. At this year's "Budo Culture Seminar" (at Japan's International Budo University), I was asked by Mr. Meik Skoss (a long time resident of Japan, former student of the late Donn F. Draeger, an ardent disciple of classical bujutsu, and contributing editor to AIKIDO JOURNAL [formerly AIKI NEWS]) if I would consider doing

something for AIKIDO JOURNAL in the future. To me, that tells me that there is a growing interest beyond the natural realm of karatedo. Let me see, I believe that I have an article on Master Kinjo Hiroshi (the very first interview he has ever granted) appearing in this coming issue of the JOURNAL OF ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS (Volume 3, Number 2) as well. I also have been working on a big piece about Mabuni Kenwa (Shitoryu) and the eclectic legacy he left behind that Terry (O'Neill) will be running as a series in the near future. Thanks to Master Konishi of the Ryobukai; Akamine Eiiryo of the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai; Master Sakagami Ryusho (1915-1993), the founder of the Itosukai Shitoryu; the Kiyoda (Juhatsu) family; Kinjo Hiroshi; Master Uechi Kanei (1904-1993), the founder of Shitoryu Kenpo; and the Kuniba family, I have been able to obtain a lot of rare photos of Mabuni, many of which have never been published before. I am really looking forward to this article. CW: Patrick, do you have any advice for students traveling to Japan to visit and train? PM: Sure, I have some advice ... enjoy yourselves! There is only the moment. For the budoka, Japan, with its ancient customs, cultural paragons, and mystical ambience, is an island of immeasurable intrigue just waiting to be discovered. How many karatedo students become so moved by what they are studying, that they actually plan, save, and sacrifice just so they can execute their dream of making the journey? You have to admire someone's tenacity to do that. However, on another note, I have some other advice too. Many foreigners venturing to Japan, for one or two weeks of their lives, are seemingly too quick to gobble up any and every little morsel that their Okinawan/Japanese teachers tell them, regardless of what it may be. In this light, the foreign enthusiast is often too naive to understand the context of what they hear. Then, when they go back to their own countries, they say this or that is the way it is because master so and so said it was. I don't mean to sound cynical in telling you such stories, and I hope I am not coloring a ugly portrait of all karatedo teachers in Japan, because such is not the case. But, they do exist, and quoting Nagamine Shoshin, I'll put this point to rest for now: "The Western world is not the only place where charlatan karate teachers exist. We too, right here in Okinawa and Japan, have our own fair share." Although many foreigners who practice Japanese budo are in some way interested in the culture from which it unfolded, most know little or nothing about it. It is a concept rarely understood and almost never taught by foreign teachers.

If fighting was all there was to karate then half of Harlem's ghetto would be 10th dan masters. Understanding the basis of Japanese culture and its language, along with the physical principles and metaphysical precepts upon which budo rest are important lessons in learning to better understand karatedo. I will speak more about this later but, in Western society, we often measure the degree of our success or happiness by how much we possess. It is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture that true success and happiness is not necessarily found in acquiring more and more but rather learning to appreciate less and less, a precept that permeates not only Japanese culture but karatedo and all the fighting traditions as well.

CW: Patrick, changing the subject, what else do you have on the go right now? PM: I am quite busy with a number of other projects. If I have not already taken up too much of our interview time, I would like to list them for you. Yuriko (Patrick's wife) often says that I get too carried away with what I am talking about; so in the event that I do, please do not hesitate to stop me. Last year, Tuttle Publications asked me to translate Nagamine Shoshin's second book, "Okinawa no Karate Sumo Meijin Den" ("The Story of Okinawa's Karate and Sumo Stalwarts"). I have spoken to Nagamine Sensei about this now many times and I suppose as soon as the financial arrangements can be agreed upon I will be getting underway with that project. I am really looking forward to it, as the book is extremely informative, but difficult to translate. Fortunately, I have access to unlimited help ... right Yuriko? An old colleague from Canada, now residing in Okinawa, is presently working on setting up a RESIDENT PROGRAM for foreigners who are interested in making a pilgrimage to the "island of karate," Okinawa. He has asked me to set up the history and philosophy part of the program. I suspect that this program will be quite successful, as it will provide foreign enthusiasts the opportunity to make direct contact with many of Okinawa's best schools and most prominent masters without all the formalities that are so often involved. I'll keep you up to date on it Another person I would like to mention for the benefit of those readers who might be considering a trip to Japan is Aladdin Timur Sensei, the director of the Odawara International Hall. Aladdin Sensei, a long time student of Master Kinjo Hiroshi, has recently established a remarkable training facility in Japan's picturesque Odawara, which overlooks the Inland Sea and the Hakone Mountains. Aladdin Sensei is encouraging any and all foreigners interesting in coming to Japan for the purpose of budo training and cultural exchange to contact him at the: Odawara International Hall 4-14-3 Shiroyama, Odawara-Shi, Japan 250 (fax: 0465-23-6069).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------[i] Itosu is regarded as the grandfather of modern karate. Bringing together several traditions, he made learning safer, which surfaced under the name of Ryukyu kempo karate-jutsu. [ii] A law graduate of Meiji University, Ohtsuka Tadahiko was born in Tokyo, 1940. He is the chief director of the Goju Kensha Karatedo Federation, author of the Japanese translation of the "Bubishi," and a gentleman in every sense of the word. [iii] The three ministers holding the highest administrative positions in Okinawa, second only to the king, during the Ryukyu Kingdom period.