Passai

"Bassai" redirects here. For the archaeological site in Greece, seeBassae.

Passai(katakanaパッサイ), alsoBassai(バッサイ), is akaratekata.According toMotobu Chōki,thePassaikata was one of the three most practiced kata in Okinawa, along withNaihanchiandKūsankū,but was already lost in China at the time.Originally there were two types ofPassai,Dai(Đại,lit. 'big') andShō(Tiểu,lit. 'small'), but today there are many different variations depending on the school. In 1935,Gichin Funakoshichanged the name of thePassai Dai(パッサイ đại) toBassai Shodan(Bạt tắc sơ đoạn,nowBassai Dai) to reflect the Japanese pronunciation andKanji,and the pronunciationBassaiwas subsequently popularized on the Japanese mainland.

The Passai kata is practiced today in variousKorean martial artsbesides karate, such asTaekwondo,Tang Soo Do,andSoo Bahk Do.InKorean,the kata have several names:Bassahee,Bal Se,Pal Che,Palsek,Bal Sae,Ba Sa Hee,andBal Sak.The kata focus on the idea of changing disadvantage into advantage by strong and courageous response, switching blocks and differing degrees of power. The feeling of kata should be precise, with fast execution of technique and attention given to appropriate balance between speed and power.Passaikata are usually classed as intermediate.

History

Passai is a kata of karate that originated in theRyukyu Kingdom(present-dayOkinawa Prefecture,Japan), but its origins are unknown. According to Motobu Chōki, the kata was introduced to Ryūkyū from China but was lost in China. After the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China in 1972, many Japanese karate practitioners have conducted research mainly inFujian Province,China, but the original forms of many karate kata, including Passai, have not been discovered to this day.

One of the leading theories regarding the origin of Passai relates to thelion danceperformed in Fujian Province.The lion dance is called "Phách sư" (lit. 'beat lion') in Fujian, which is pronounced "pa sai" in Fuzhou and "phah sai" inQuanzhou(Minnan), respectively.

In his 1922 book,Gichin Funakoshinames the formPassai/パッサイ and provides noKanjicharacters to go along with this name.The same "Passai" spelling is used byMotobu Chōkiin 1926.By 1936, Funakoshi switches to calling the formBassai/バッサイ but uses the characters "Bạt tắc" which he spells as "Passai/パッサイ"."Bassai/Bá-sāi" would be the Chinese pronunciation of "Bạt tắc", which in Japanese would be pronounced "Batsu-sai/ バツサイ".

Whereas the Japanese meaning of "Bạt (batsu)" is "to pull out or to extract",in Chinese "Bạt (bá)" can mean "to seize or capture";and "Tắc (sai/soku)" means a "place of strategic importance" or fort.Thus, Funakoshi's characters of "Bá sāi( bạt tắc )" would mean "to seize or capture" a "place of importance/fortress." However, the 1973 translation of Karate-do Kyohan lists Funakoshi's explanation of the form name as "Breaking through an enemy's fortress."

The KoreanHangulspelling of theHanja"Bạt tắc" is "bal-chae (발채)pronounced[baltɕ]".Hwang Keespells the form as both Basahee and Bassai, stating "the original name of the form is Pal Che ( bạt sài ) [sic] ".Both Hwang Kee claiming the form is affiliated with the "So Rim Sa"and Gichin Funakoshi who indicates the form is of "Shōrin-ryū / thiếu lâm lưu"attribute the form to Chinese Shaolin/ thiếu lâm styles, although originally, Funakoshi spelled this as "Chiêu lâm lưu [sic] ".

Versions

Of theOkinawanversions ofPassai,a clear evolutionary link can be seen fromMatsumura no Passai(named after the legendarySokon Matsumura), toOyadomari no Passai(named after theTomari-tekarate masterKokan Oyadomari), and then onto thePassaiofAnko Itosuwho popularized karate by introducing it into the curriculum of Okinawan schools. The Matsumura version has a distinct Chinese flavour, whereas the Oyadomari version is more "Okinawanized". It was further modified by Itosu, and is thought to have created a "sho" (Passai sho) form of it.Gichin FunakoshiofShotokantook it toJapanand taught them asBassai daiandBassai sho.The Tomari style which incorporatedOyadomari no Passaiwas passed down the Oyadomari family for three generations, originally taught by a Chinese living in Tomari (possibly named Anan), who "used very light techniques".Sokon Matsumuraalso learned Chinese boxing from the military attachés Ason and Iwah atFuzhou.

The Okinawans did not have a clear definition for the name "Passai"for Funakoshi to translate into Japanese, so he substituted it with a similar-soundingkanji,"Bassai".This can be literally translated to mean" extract from a fortress "or" remove an obstruction ". This is thought to be in reference to the power with which the kata should be executed, emphasizing energy generation from the hips and waist. However, the designation ofBassaiby the Japanese does not appear to have a direct relation to movements in the kata or its origins.

TheShorin-ryuversion ofPassaibears a close resemblance toOyadomari no Passai,and is a much softer kata than Shotokan'sBassai dai.Further evidence thatPassaihas roots inTomari cityis thatPassai daistarts with the right fist covered by the left hand, like other kata thought to have originated there, such asJitte,Jion,JiinandEmpi.This hand gesture is a commonsalutationin China. However, there is some contention between researchers as to if there was a separate Tomari school of karate.

The suffix -daimeans "large" and -sho"small". Hence,Passai shois a shorter variation onPassaiand also bears some resemblances toBassai dai,indicating this kata may have been born out of combining elements ofPassaiandPassai sho.One notable point is thatbunkaidescribes it as a defense against abo.

Itosu is thought to have created this from a version ofBassaipracticed in Shuri city. To confuse matters even moreBassai Shois written exactly the same way as a Chinese form known asbaji xiaowhich has a counterpart form known asbaji da(from thebajiquanstyle), so perhaps this kata pair and theDai-Shonaming scheme originates from China, invalidating the claim Itosu authored most of the -shokata.

See also

• Karate kata

Further reading

• Bishop, M.Okinawan Karate(Tuttle, Boston, 1999).