Kata as 'or' not 'and'

Take a look at this video, starting at about 24:45, where you see JKA instructor Yoshiharu Osaka demonstrating bunkai from kata Hangetsu against three aggressors:

This video looks a bit unrealistic and hokey if you take it at face value, as though it’s trying to say that you might actually get attacked by these three guys in this very specific way, so that the moves of the kata just happen to line up with the attacks, etc. In other words, by stringing all of these attacks together as though one is being attached by three people, some people might be led to believe that the kata was designed to defend yourself against three people at once.

It wasn’t.

Logical “or” instead of logical “and”

I believe kata teaches us to defend against a single attacker, providing a set of options to be used, depending on the circumstances and how the assailant attacks us.

In other words, kata does not teach us to deal with a series of logical “and” statements, like this:

• Attacker #1 does x, AND THEN
• Attacker #2 does y, AND THEN
• Attacker #3 does z.

Rather, kata teaches us to deal with a series of logical “or” statements, like this:

Depending on the attack, you can:

• Respond with x, OR
• Respond with y, OR
• Respond with z.

Kaisai no genri

Why do I believe that? Because that’s what the masters, themselves, told us. There’s a set of general principles called “kaisai no genri” (解裁の原理), used to figure out what kata are telling us. One of those principles goes something like this:

“There is only one opponent, and he is in front of you.”

Keep in mind these are general principles, so they don’t always apply. Sometimes the opponent really is behind you, which is why some kata include applications for escaping bear hugs from behind (as we see in the video above at 24:55). Nevertheless, most of the time, there is only one opponent, and he is in front of you.

Examples in basic kata

So how does that apply to kata? Let’s look at the first six moves of Taikyoku Shodan as an example.

The (incorrect) “logical ‘and’” interpretation of the kata might say,

• Attacker #1 comes at you from the left, AND THEN
• Attacker #2 comes at you from the right, AND THEN
• Attacker #3 comes at you from the front.

That seems unlikely, doesn’t it? What are the odds that you’ve allowed yourself to be surrounded on three sides, only to have all three attackers wait their turn to come at you, each trying exactly the same attack, despite having seen you defend yourself against it already?

Whereas the “logical ‘or’” interpretation would say,

When attacked, you can either:

• Repostion yourself to face the attacker’s right side, OR
• Reposition yourself to face the attacker’s left side, OR
• Remain in front of the attacker.

This intepretation doesn’t depend on allowing yourself to be surrounded and doesn’t require a series of events to happen in a particular (and nonsensical) order. It’s simply three ways to deal with the same attack. Because this is a “beginner” kata, the techniques are all identical. The only difference is the footwork. But kata isn’t about techniques; it’s about principles. Here, the principle being repeated is “Move, block, and counterattack.”

Examples in advanced kata

As you might expect, more advanced kata give us more advanced options for dealing with situations. Consider the first eight moves of Gankaku:

The (incorrect) “logical ‘and’” interpretation might say,

• Attacker #1 punches toward your head. Block it to the outside, grab, twist his arm to our right hip, punch him in the head a couple of times, and throw him to the ground, AND THEN
• Attacker #2 punches towards your head. Block it upward, grab, pull him forward, kick him a couple of times, and throw him to the ground.

In this intepretation, attacker #2 just saw you disassemble his buddy when he tried to punch you in the head … so he tries to punch you in the head? Really?

Whereas the “logical ‘or’” interpretation would say,

If an attacker punches at your head, you could either:

• Block it to the outside, grab, twist his arm to our right hip, punch him in the head a couple of times, and throw him to the ground OR
• Block it upward, grab, pull him forward, kick him a couple of times, and throw him to the ground.

The techniques are different now but remember, it’s not about the techinques, it’s about the principles. Here, the repeated principle is, “Block, grab to unbalance, counterattack, and throw.”

That’s all well and good, but as an aside, what if there really is more than one attacker? That’s why we practice tai sabaki.

When faced with two attackers, use footwork to position one attacker behind the other so that, for the moment, “there is only one attacker, and he is in front of you.” Deal with him. Then, when done, turn to face the other and now “there is only one attacker, and he is in front of you.”