"Bunkai, from the kata form to the substance in kata "
/ by Hanshi Tamas Weber

The preservation of the art needed during all the historical development a kind of secrecy and restrained diffusion; the only individual who was accepted and personally invited to join the class by the style (ryu-ha) grand master could access the training sessions in the dojo. To become accepted as dojo member it is like to integrate a family.

The disciple will have to follow the rules of the school. These rules (dojo – kun) and their strict respect, is a way to forge the mind and the body. Keeping a restricted propagation of the art permitted to stay in control of the way to use it. Karate as lethal art of fighting and therefore that necessitate from the members an acceptance and a willingness to act with respect and humility toward the mankind or the animals.

The dojo kun is like a very clear and defined ideological frame aimed to avoid the misusing of the techniques. The karate skill should only be use as self-defence to protect you or the society.

The kata in all karate styles is a way though the chain of gesture to transmit and created a bridge between the knowledge and the practice from the past history to our days. They, similar a tales, passed from generation to generation and therefore they are naturally influenced by the evolutional changes in the society structures and our one subjective interpretation. These interpretations are closely related to our one individual knowledge of understanding, skill and momentary capacities.

The selection of the students is very important because the lethal character of the karate techniques; their propagation should be restrained and controlled. It’s why we often having a discrepancy between the kata basic performed form and of the bunkai or their practical applications. No outsider should understand or be able to learn the reel technical applications during a kata performance.

The capability to understand the underlined meaning behind every technique is the privilege of the dojo members. These variations of technical applications are called bunkai.

The outsider will only see the kata performed like a chain of movements in different pattern, but he will not get an access to the reel and useful deep knowledge to understand the signification of every movement.

Only the member of the school will get the cod – key to understand and exercise the movement’s practical meanings hided behind the visual form.

The particularity of Sanshin- Kan – Shito – Ryu is the outstanding large extent of using and training efficiently the various techniques contained in a wide system of sixty-two kata. This makes our style exceptionally efficient, practical and interesting.

The karate bunkai tradition, the respect of a past heritage, the knowledge in bunkai is the indispensable tool to lightening the very long karate path for the generations to come.

Tamas Weber 2007-01-21