Bunkai (分解) literally means “dismantling, analysis” (分 bun, “to divide”, 解 kai, “to untie, to explain”). In karate the term refers to the analysis of a kata and the application of its movements with a partner. A kata is therefore not just a solo form – it is a storehouse of techniques and principles that only come alive through Bunkai.
Three levels of application
Especially in the traditional kata, Bunkai can be divided into three approaches:
- Omote (表, “front, surface”) – surface application: the obvious reading, such as one movement as a block and the next as a punch.
- Ura (裏, “back side, hidden”) – hidden application: the same movement read differently, for instance as an escape from a grab, as a joint lock or as a strike to a vital point.
- Honto (本当, “true, actual”) – secret application: the real meaning, passed on orally within a school, often involving grappling, throwing and control techniques at close range.
The levels build on each other: Omote is usually learned first; Ura and Honto open up with growing experience and guidance. One movement can therefore have several valid applications.
Bunkai, Kake-Te and Tegumi
In Gōjū-Ryū, Bunkai is closely linked to Kake-Te (掛け手), a partner drill with constant arm contact that trains balance, feel for the opponent and close-range work. Kake-Te forms the bridge from kata to free application. The same goes for Tegumi (手組), the old Okinawan wrestling in which many of the grappling, locking and throwing techniques of the kata are said to have their roots.
Sources and research
A systematic approach is offered by Patrick McCarthy’s theory of “Habitual Acts of Physical Violence” (HAPV): the kata are read as answers to typical forms of physical violence (see Koryū Uchinadi and HAPV). The 48 self-defence drawings in the Bubishi are considered an early depiction of such applications.
Connection to the kata
Bunkai is practised for every kata in this library: for the Fukyu kata, the Heishu kata Sanchin and Tenshō, the Kaishu kata and the Meibuken kata. See also Kumite.
Sources
- Patrick McCarthy: Bubishi. The Classic Manual of Combat. Tuttle Publishing, Tokio 1995.
- William Durbin: Mastering Kempo. Human Kinetics, Champaign 2001, S. 146, ISBN 0-7360-0350-9.
- Lawrence A. Kane, Kris Wilder: The Way of Kata. A Comprehensive Guide to Deciphering Martial Applications. YMAA, Boston 2005, ISBN 978-1-59439-058-6.
- Iain Abernethy: Bunkai-Jutsu. The Practical Application of Karate Kata. NETH Publishing, Cockermouth 2002, ISBN 978-0-9538932-1-8.
- further reading: Wiktionary, Eintrag 本当