Investigations into the history of karate

For the academic study of karate, it is also important to think outside the box. I always look to see what’s new on the market and what scholarly approach the authors have chosen for their research of other martial arts disciplines. 

Historical texts are an indispensable source for the study of Japanese martial arts. However, the majority of historical records on doctrine, strategy and tradition are only available in Japanese and are therefore only accessible to a limited readership. This lack of access to important Japanese sources is one of the main reasons why the scholarly martial arts discourse has produced few new insights in recent decades.

To fill this gap, Julian Braun’s monograph “Samurai und Kriegskunst: Kompendium aus klassischen Texten der Tokugawa-Zeit” (Samurai and the art of war- Compendium of classical texts from the Tokugawa period) (2012) presents a complete German translation of Yamaga Soko’s fundamental treatise on militant education (Bukyō honron) (pp. 9–33) as well as seven other translations of historical texts on Japanese martial arts and warfare that are largely unknown in Western literature.

His selection includes the “Treatise on Warriors” (Bushikun) by Izawa Nagahide (pp. 35–42), the “Records from the Secret” (Tōkashū) by Ichiemon Masakiyo (pp. 43–53) and the “Treatise on Swordsmanship” (Kenjutsuron) by Ôtsuka Ryôe (pp. 55–62). As the title of the book suggests, all of the texts originate from the Japanese Tokugawa era (1603–1868), a time “largely free of military conflicts and … in which philosophical, ethical, political and military concepts [were] brought together and theoretically substantiated”. However, the translations were not based on the original historical documents, but – which is quite common practice – on the reprints from 1942 and 1982, which are identical in terms of content.

The author also provides a brief introduction to two important Japanese standard works on the subject: the ten-volume “Outline of Japanese martial arts“ (Nihon budō taikei) from 1982 (pp. 117–128) and the two-volume “History of Japanese military science” (Nihon heihō shi) from 1972 (pp. 129–132).

The author, who studied Japanese Studies, Philosophy and Ethnology in Munich and completed his doctorate at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen with a thesis entitled “Der ‘gemeinsame Weg von Schwert und Pinsel’ – Philosophie und Ethik japanischer Kriegskunst der Tokugawa-Zeit (1603-1868)“ (The ‘Common Path of Sword and Brush’ – Philosophy and Ethics of Japanese Martial Arts of the Tokugawa Period), joins the ranks of influential translators of classical Japanese texts such as William Scott Wilson and Thomas Cleary, as well as the German Japanologists Heiko Bittmann and Andreas Niehaus, whose book “Schwert und Samurai Traktate zur japanischen Schwertkunst” (Sword and samurai treatises on Japanese swordsmanship)(2006), a collection of historical texts from the 17th and 18th centuries on Japanese swordsmanship, was published in German. They have done pioneering work in the translation of classical texts in the subject area.

With this collection, Braun presents the first translation of various classical texts on the Japanese martial arts into German. The compact provision of original Japanese sources on samurai, martial arts and the art of war in German translation is of great value in itself. The large selection of texts is even more valuable, since – as Braun rightly points out – a large part of the scientific Japanese literature is limited to works such as Tsunetomo Yamamoto’s “Hagakure” and Miyamoto Musashi’s “Gorin no sho” when dealing with the Japanese martial arts. However, the author does not leave it at a mere translation. In numerous footnotes, he provides helpful comments and notes on the classification of the historical content.

In addition to this extensive main section, Braun presents the first German-language overview of German and English translations and partial translations of Japanese sources on samurai and martial arts in the appendix (pp. 104–115). However, this “contribution to the state of the current source situation” is more than a mere listing of titles, but rather has the character of an independent, annotated bibliography.

Finally, the author gives an outlook on how a further (scholarly) examination of the topics of samurai and the art of war could take place (pp. 133–134). The points mentioned are an essential agenda for further scholarly engagement with the Japanese martial arts. They seem to have served as the basis for the research group on the theory, practice and philosophy of Japanese martial arts (bunbu-kenkyūkai) initiated by Braun.

At the beginning of the book, Braun proposes a classification of the source texts into the following four groups: 1) writings by individual personalities or martial arts traditions, 2) military science/military strategy-oriented texts, 3) texts that deal with the martial, spiritual and character development of a samurai, 4) other text material, such as teaching credentials, poems and songs. This division is ideal for further scholarly discourse on such source documents and should serve as a guideline for the future study of text genres related to combat and martial arts.

To date, only a manageable proportion of the source texts on martial arts and the art of war available in Japanese have been translated into German or English. However, the enormous quantity of texts from this period represents a fruitful area of research. It is to be hoped that the author will continue to devote himself to this subject area in the future. Braun shows a promising way forward with this publication.

In conclusion, it remains to be said: Braun’s “compendium” is absolutely worth reading and can be recommended without reservation. Not only does it offer a German translation of sources that were previously largely unknown in the West and difficult to access, but it is also a valuable tool for the theoretical and practical study of Japanese martial arts and the life and work of the samurai.