Generally regarded as being one of the oldest and most representative kata of Okinawan karate, Bassai is found in almost all ryuha (styles) descended from both the Shuri-te and Tomari-te traditions. Although the originator of this kata is not known (Nagamine, 1976), it is generally thought the oldest form was passed down from Bushi Matsumura (Sells, 2000).

Many versions of Bassai exist in contemporary styles, and most display a similar embusen (performance line), if not similar techniques. Some of the most known versions of Bassai include the Bassai Sho and Bassai Dai forms, found in most Shotokan and Shitoryu schools, as well as the Matsumura Bassai and Tomari Bassai found in many Shorin schools. Hanshi Patrick McCarthy (1987) describes Bassai as being “one of the most favored formal exercises in history”.

According to Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka (1976), Bassai was one of the favourite kata of Chotoku Kyan, the main teacher of Shinan Kori Hisataka, a point that was re-iterated by Shoshin Nagamine (1976), also a student of Kyan. In turn, Kyan is believed to have learnt his version from Kokan Oyadomari, one of the key figures in the Tomari-te lineage (Nakazato, 2005). It is not certain where Oyadomari acquired his version, as he was a somewhat junior contemporary of Bushi Matsumura, rather than his student. However, Sells (2000) hypothesises that Bushi Matsumura may have visited Tomari, and that Oyadomari and others would have visited the castle town of Shuri.

This is a likely scenario, as Oyadomari was a government official (Clayton, 2004) and would’ve been involved in various activities in Shuri. In actual fact, Shuri and Tomari are only around 5km (3.5 miles) apart, so such “cross-training” between government officials would be likely. As a member of the Pechin class, Oyadomari would’ve been involved in law and order, and thus would’ve received instruction from Bushi Matsumura – the chief bodyguard to the King, and thus head of law and order in Okinawa. Clayton (2004) surmises that Oyadomari may actually have been a part of the team of bodyguards.

Within Shorinjiryu, Bassai was not one of the 5 kata that Shinan Kori Hisataka emphasised. However, it is almost certain that he learnt it from Kyan, and that he passed it onto some of his more senior students at some point before 1976, when it was illustrated in Scientific Karatedo. Although no-one is sure of the actual date of its introduction, Renshi Manny Hawthorne of Shorinjiryu Kenshin relates that it was certainly a major kata in Canadian Shorinjiryu from the late 1960’s.

Bassai is a beautiful and flowing kata, with a variety of kicking, punching, throwing, joint locking and pressure point techniques, as well as strategy. To this end, Bassai stresses the ability to transform disadvantage into advantage through the use of tai sabaki (body movement), and also to utilise softness to generate explosive hardness (Ushiro, 2003).

The name Bassai is often thought to mean something like “to breach a fortress”, “to storm a castle” (Cook, 2001) or sometimes more vaguely “to thrust asunder”. How this meaning is arrived at is unsure, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the two ideograms (kanji) that are generally used to write the name Bassai in Japanese don’t contain any reference to a castle. The first ideogram – Batsu – means “to extract”, while Sai means “to block” (Clayton, 2004).

The second issue complicates the matter further – the 2 ideograms were only applied to the name Bassai once karate arrived on mainland Japan. In Okinawa, kanji are never used for many of the kata names, as the original meanings have often been lost in the handing down of “oral tradition” that surrounds karate. But the castle/fortress reference is intriguing, as most of the lineages that contain Bassai trace back to one or more members of Okinawan King’s team of bodyguards.

Clayton (2004) has a very interesting hypothesis about Bassai – that it was a training form for the bodyguards that taught how to penetrate and wreak havoc among a crowd posing a potential threat to the king. This would be done by one team of guards as a diversionary tactic while another was getting the King (or other VIP) out of the room. If you consider this in view of modern protective forces methodologies, it would seem to be very plausible indeed.

Considering this approach, think about the make up of the kata – the first half consists of a rapid series of turns in a variety of directions, all the while executing a series of fast and brutal techniques, including fast sweeps, punches and body crashes. At some point, about half way through, the focus changes to techniques that are more about controlling the situation, and restoring order. Joint locks, defences against throws and throwing techniques come to the fore.

Clayton believes this emphasises the “extract and break” aspect of the kata – get into a crowd, get the “mark” out and break up the disturbance.

Whilst this theory is somewhat speculative, it is plausible and is an interesting context to bear in mind as you practice this kata. Visualise yourself breaking into a crowd, wreaking havoc and restoring order as you move through this form. When practicing Bassai, I visualise it as being the kata of the Okinawan Riot Squad!

Two forms of Bassai – Bassai Dai and Koshiki Bassai – are taught in the world of Shorinjiryu, although most schools focus only on the latter. It is an empty handed form, substantially similar to that in other schools descended from Chotoku Kyan and Kokan Oyadomari, all of which emphasise a variety of open handed techniques.

Regardless of the fact that the exact history of Bassai is uncertain, it is certainly one of the most elegant forms, whilst having a functional brutality about it. This fits in well with the fact that almost all of the major figures in its history have a direct connection to Shuri Castle, an environment where elegance and beauty, coupled with functionality, would be highly prized attributes. Bassai is certainly one of the “noblest” of kata practiced in Okinawan karate.

References

• Clayton, B. (2004). Shotokan’s Secrets: The Hidden Truth Behind Karate’s Fighting Origins.. California: Black Belt Books.
• Cook, H. (2001). Shotokan Karate: A Precise History. London, Harry Cook.
• Hisataka, M. (1976). Scientific Karatedo. Tokyo: Japan Publications
• Hisataka, M. (1994). Essential Shorinjiryu Karatedo. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle.
• McCarthy, P. (1987). Classical Kata of Okinawan Karate. Burbank: Ohara Publications.
• Nagamine, S. (1976). The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle.
• Nakazato, J. (2005). Karatedo Shorinjiryu 50th Anniversary. Chinen: Kyudokan Dojo
• Sells, J. (2000). Unante: The Secrets of Karate (2nd Ed.). Hollywood: Panchita S. Hawley.
• Ushiro, K. (2003). The Essence of Bujutsu Karate – Kata. Sagamihara: Aiki News